Terminated for typing a petition

Nurses Activism

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Hi,

Just want to get some feedback on losing my job. I worked in a nursing home for over 4 years. A patient asked me could I type, I said yes, he wanted me to type a petition to get another nurse back that had left or resigned her job due to continual harrassment from her supervisor. Her supervisor also is an LPN. The supervisor is black, the other nurse is white. The nurse who left had reported the other nurse several times and received no help about the harrassment. Anyway, I typed the petition off duty what he asked me to type. I gave it to him the next morning and he went around the facility all day and got over 50 signatures from other patients, staff, and family members to try to get this nurse back. The nurse was very good, lots of experience, very caring, and honest. A couple days later another LPN supervisor called me at home and said I needed to come in to a meeting to discuss what went on over the weekend. She said the company wanted it done today. When I got there, four nurses were in the room and asked me what happenned and I told them as I told you above. The DON gave me a termination paper stating I had caused a great disruption in the homelike environment and helped circulate the petition and typed it. I did type it, I did not circulate it or cause a diruption. They are the ones who caused a disruption. They want to keep this nurse, get rid of the older nurses and hire new people for her to boss. I usually get along with everyone and all the patients love me and I love them. This has really hurt me alot. Does anyone know if there is anything that can be done about this kind of treatment? I have reported it to the main office and they are doing an investigation. The Dept of Labor stated it is their company and they can do whatever they want. Now I have no job, no insurance for typing a petition to help someone else. Life doesnt seem fair sometimes. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.

What you did was wrong. Furthermore, it could not have possibly accomplished anything. When has an employer ever rehired a fired employee because of a petition? Not only that, it was not your battle to fight. Did your co-worker ask you to do that? If she had legitimately been harassed, then it is up to her to fight back, yet she chose to resign. She may be the worse supervisor in the world, but you chose the wrong way to deal with it.

It is never a good thing to involve residents in staffing issues; it is very unprofessional. If the resident is unhappy with the staff he has recourse also; he can write management or he can move. A petition would not resolve anything.

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Specializes in ub-Acute/LTC, Home Health, L&D, Peds.
What you did was wrong. Furthermore, it could not have possibly accomplished anything. When has an employer ever rehired a fired employee because of a petition? Not only that, it was not your battle to fight. Did your co-worker ask you to do that? If she had legitimately been harassed, then it is up to her to fight back, yet she chose to resign. She may be the worse supervisor in the world, but you chose the wrong way to deal with it.

It is never a good thing to involve residents in staffing issues; it is very unprofessional. If the resident is unhappy with the staff he has recourse also; he can write management or he can move. A petition would not resolve anything.

:yeahthat: Couldn't agree more!!

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This is a very dicey topic. To Dream Nurse, I understand and respect your point of view, but you have a lot to learn about professionalism and the corporate world. I too when your age would stand up to my supervisors, managers, etc and voice my opinions. Believe me, it wasn't welcomed because it rocked the boat. Sometimes that's good and other times it's bad. It was extremely unfortunate what happened to this nurse, but it was unprofessional what she did. You never ever get involved in petitions, other employee matters, or patient matters where they have complaints with the facility they are in. If the patient/resident has a complaint/concern you bring it to the attention of the charge nurse and they should follow the chain of command. I know she felt bad her friend was fired, but you will never have the full story or truth about the firing. It is not anyones business. She should NOT allow the patient to pay for an attorney. She should seek one on her own if she thinks it's necessary. She is playing with fire and could ultimately be reported to the board and lose her license. It is not worth it. She should put this behind her and move on. There are other jobs out there. If she continues on her course of action she is putting herself in severe jeopardy.

Let me say a world of advice that my mother always drilled into my head:

THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!!! THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES TO EVERYTHING.

Good Luck in finding a new job.

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Specializes in ub-Acute/LTC, Home Health, L&D, Peds.
This is a very dicey topic. To Dream Nurse, I understand and respect your point of view, but you have a lot to learn about professionalism and the corporate world. I too when your age would stand up to my supervisors, managers, etc and voice my opinions. Believe me, it wasn't welcomed because it rocked the boat. Sometimes that's good and other times it's bad. It was extremely unfortunate what happened to this nurse, but it was unprofessional what she did. You never ever get involved in petitions, other employee matters, or patient matters where they have complaints with the facility they are in. If the patient/resident has a complaint/concern you bring it to the attention of the charge nurse and they should follow the chain of command. I know she felt bad her friend was fired, but you will never have the full story or truth about the firing. It is not anyones business. She should NOT allow the patient to pay for an attorney. She should seek one on her own if she thinks it's necessary. She is playing with fire and could ultimately be reported to the board and lose her license. It is not worth it. She should put this behind her and move on. There are other jobs out there. If she continues on her course of action she is putting herself in severe jeopardy.

Let me say a world of advice that my mother always drilled into my head:

THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!!! THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES TO EVERYTHING.

Good Luck in finding a new job.

Well said. I too think Dream Nurse is young and has much to learn about conducting herself in a professional manner.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Why do people have to label AGE as the reason or rationale for someone's opinion????? There are PLENTY of young people who know what professional manner is!! It is extremely unfair to say that someone being "young" is the rationale or reason someone is not conducting themselves in a professional manner!

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Specializes in ub-Acute/LTC, Home Health, L&D, Peds.
Why do people have to label AGE as the reason or rationale for someone's opinion????? There are PLENTY of young people who know what professional manner is!! It is extremely unfair to say that someone being "young" is the rationale or reason someone is not conducting themselves in a professional manner!

Good point. Maybe it is not because of her age...just trying to give her the benefit of the doubt! But don't we all look back when we are older and wish we had conducted ourselves differently in at least some situation or another?

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
unfortunately, if it's a right to work state, they can fire you for any reason...

I reported an employer for medicare fraud; they fired me for "incomplete documentation," because I wouldn't falsify documentation (they wanted me to document that LPN"S and PCA's were giving 24h care in a home hospice setting so they could bill medicare $695/day...when in reality they were sending out temp personnel to "sit" with dying patients), they fired me and department of labor said "incomplete documentation"...

I hope you turned in these folks to the State and CMS. I've worked for at least two HHA's in this state who were shut down and their owners imprisoned for the above offenses that you describe. What goes around, COMES around! :angryfire

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Hi to all,

Update, the company is still investigating the termination. There have been 7 nurses resign, does that tell you something about the management in this facility. They are backstabbing, gossipping low down people. They are not there because they care, they are there for the $$$. The patient who asked me to type the letter cannot write or feed himself. The other nurse who resigned because management would not do anything about the so called harrassment by her "spervisor". She had reported it on several occasions. The company is also doing an investigation for her and several other reports involving this facility. Thanks to everyone who has been kind and supportive about my job loss, I really appreciate your understanding. Have a wonderful week!!

I know that hope springs eternal, but as they say at the end of the Iron Chef cooking, "the battle is o-vah". The company let this behavior go on without doing anything. Why would they suddenly ride to the rescue like the calvary during the last minutes of a movie? Hiring back those who quit or were fired only reminds them of their failure to manage their intermediate managers better. If anything, the prudent thing for the company to do is wipe the management slate at the facility clean, get rid of the deadwood and start new. The last thing they need is a handful of disgruntled employees around to re-tell the saga. Nope. It's over. Time to move on. (Sorry, I'm full of TV images this morning.)

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Something about the whole situation just doesn't sit well. I know you're heart was in the right place, but I think it was bad judgement to get involved.

I know it can be too easy to get personally involved with residents in LTC, and they can be quite manipulative, even if they don't intend to hurt anyone (or maybe they do, in some cases. When you work in LTC you see everything). Some residents are bored and so starved for attention they will do whatever to get something stirred up.

Like it or not, if you want to keep your job you will go with the flow. May not sound noble or romantic, but then neither does not having a job, either.

If this boss/LPN is really a trouble maker, she will hang herself.

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Specializes in Occ health, Med/surg, ER.

God doesn't close a door without opening a window...

Good luck to you, you will do fine...

God is saving you for something better.....

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God is saving you for something better.....
Hi, That's what I've come to the conclusion of that God has another plan for me. I'm from GA too! God Bless You!!
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