Fired for expressing concerns about patient safety and care!

[hkrntobe]

I need help please. Just not sure what to do now. Getting right to the particulars.

I was working in a So Cal Hospital in a Psychiatric unit. I was assigned a set schedule.

1) I was suddenly assigned to work 8 days straight Wed - Wed (8 hour shifts / this schedule would also mean that I would be working overtime without getting paid for it.) I consulted my union rep. and at her advise requested my set schedule back.

2) After numerous AWOL's and patients attacking each other, I expressed concerns on patient care and patient safety when probed by my manager. Within 4 business days of these two incidence I was called in the office and told "You are not a good fit." "You did not pass probation."

3) Come to find out that there are people have expected for some time that the Union was in-bed with administration. The union rep stalled for almost two weeks before telling me that my start date was my hire date.....regardless of the date I had on the paperwork from HR stated. I have never received a complaint from anybody for any reason. After bringing to HR's attention that 90 calendar days from the "date of hire" had passed, HR stated they would get back to me after hearing the managers side of the story.

After several days I am advised that my date of hire was not until my first day I hit the floor. They refuse to address the ethical issues or the fact that I have signed paperwork from HR which clearly states my date of hire as documented by the hiring HR representative.

I was Fired because I was a good nurse and attempted to prevent further issues with patient safety. I was fired because I questioned why I was working 8 days straight. I was fired NOT because I was a poor nurse or because I lacked critical thinking skills, but because I was not a Quiet Nurse.

I am just floored! I have a child to take care of and feel that he is now suffering for my decision to do the right thing. Should I really have to sacrifice patient care and POTENTIALLY MY LICENSE in order to provide for my child? Advice would be appreciated please. What are my options from here?

[DizzyLizzyNurse]

Isn't it against labor laws to work 8 days in a row?

I mean unless you chose to.

[hkrntobe]

No, because Wednesday - Saturday is one week and Sunday- Wednesday is a second week it's not technically considered overtime. Highly manipulative and Unsafe but as its not over 40 hrs for each week, they don't have to pay overtime.

[Mulan]

It sounds like you are better off out of there.

I can't imagine being expected to work 8 days in a row.

[nursingpower]

I guess with all of the Medicare Medical and Oboma care, we've reached a point where it's acceptable to forgo Patient Care?! Seem questionable to me.

Thank you colleenrn2b. I did. I'm not quite sure were you got that I'm blaming the president though? The reference was intended to point out that Hospitals seem to place more importance on reimbursement concerns than patient care. I did mention Medicare and Medical as well.

I looked a little side eye at this too. The correct spelling of the President's name is Obama. Also the correct term for it is The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. "Obama care" was originally a slur made by Republicans who opposed the President's healthcare law. So that may be how you inadvertently introduced politics into this conversation. I am certainly not taking sides. Republican/Democrats both have great ideas. The hard part is compromising for the greater good of the majority. Even that's hard because the majority may not even know what's best for themselves..lol.

Either way I think you should educate yourself with with the Affordable Care Act and the American Nursing Associations role in supporting this Act. Nurse.com

I know some subjects are sensitive but you certainly don't want to offend people by speaking of things you may not know much about. Maybe you have to be a nurse for a while to understand some of the struggles in regards to patient care/needs.

[hkrntobe]

"The reference was intended to point out that Hospitals seem to place more importance on reimbursement concerns than patient care. I did mention Medicare and Medical as well."

[Wet Noodle]

This pdf file from the Kaiser Family Foundation is also a good summary of the ACA:

www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8061.pdf

The reference was intended to point out that Hospitals seem to place more importance on reimbursement concerns than patient care. I did mention Medicare and Medical as well.

Understood.

It sounds like you were dealt a lousy hand. I hope you find a new (and much better) job soon.

[hkrntobe]

This pdf file from the Kaiser Family Foundation is also a good summary of the ACA:www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8061.pdfThank You. Understood.It sounds like you were dealt a lousy hand. I hope you find a new (and much better) job soon.

Thank you

[nursingpower]

I don't even like working 3 days in a row...lol. I know a Nurse Practitioner who will work 6-7 days in a row just to have more consecutive days off in which she does in conjunction with her vacation requests.

So assuming its a 40hr work week. Five 8 hr days. Week is from Sunday to Saturday. Working every other weekend.

1st week: Sun:off Mon:off Tue:8hrs Wed:8hrs Thur:8hrs Fri:8hrs Sat:8hrs

2nd week: Sun:8hrs Mon:8hrs Tue:8hrs Wed:8hrs Thur:8hrs Fri:off Sat:off

3rd week: Sun:off Mon:off Tue:8hrs Wed:8hrs Thur:8hrs Fri:8hrs Sat:8hr

This schedule allows the 40 hrs and two days off per week. At the same time they get 4 consecutive days off. Now some people don't want to work that many days in a row and especially not every week. So I can understand that.

I currently do two 8's and two 12's day/evening rotation e/o wknd. I just switched back to this after doing three 12's day/nights e/o wknd. 8hr days are nothing to me. I don't like doing 3 12's but will do them to get them out of the way.

[lorilulu]

Oh no!! We can't criticize Dear Leader!! Off with your head! I will remind you that Obamacare was passed against the will of the people and will destroy the quality of our health care system.

[nursingpower]

LOl. I typed the "off" next to the colon Mon: off and it made smileys

[nursingpower]

Oh no!! We can't criticize Dear Leader!! Off with your head! I will remind you that Obamacare was passed against the will of the people and will destroy the quality of our health care system.

SMH & LOL

[Guest343211]

Fly under the radar, keep your mouth closed, avoid attention, PRETEND TO BE GRATEFUL, don't complain or irritate management??? Sounds like SLAVERY to me. Nursing is too good of an occupation to even be compared to something like slavery. So so sad if anyone believes that that is what nursing is about.

Sadly, that is often the game a nurse must play on orientation--almost to the letter, actually. It's like being under arrest. "Anything you do or say can be used against you." If a nurse comes in and has an intelligent perspective that may be in the pt's best interest, within reasonable perspectives of safety, people can go the extreme and turn what the nurse was saying into something far from what she or he meant. Next thing you know, they are buzzing all kinds of stuff about the nurse to other nurses and mgt. Mgt decides to listen to these people and their misrepresentations, and then they send the nurse out the door.

So, it may not be what nursing is supposed to be about, but it's the game you have to play until you are in the system for a while. Unfortunately there are those that aren't rooting for the nurse coming in to the new environment many times. There are many insecure people that will weed as soon as they can because they feel threatened by the new nurse for some reason--usually if the nurse that is new to the area is a female or someone that is a threat somehow.

If you notice, the nurses that are newer to the place that are men are usually NOT weeded out. There have been some exceptions. But then there are nurses that are men that start playing the same game the "mean" girls (translation, sadly insecure females) play. I've seen some do that, b/c it gives them the edge in moving up within the group. OTOH, there are the guys that are cool, and they rise above it all, b/c it's just how they roll. Same thing with the females that are like this. It's all about people stepping on others in order to fit in or have influence versus those that don't step on others and have some integrity. The more of the staff that are like the latter, the better and more healthier the work environment.

If you advocated for you patients, you have your integrity, and although it doesn't pay the bills, you can't be bought by fear, influence, or anything else. In that respect, you will probably always be a strong nurse advocate, and you will have gotten even stronger b/c of such experiences. These things test your true integrity in my view.

Listen, here's the thing that some folks just don't get. Good and even great nurses are fired more than anyone really knows. They are simply weeded out b/c of politics or someone feeling threatened somehow.

Especially in your case, it's better to find somewhere else to work. Yes, I know it sucks b/c you have bills to pay. This is why I tell people to always have another job in nursing as a back-up--specifically b/c this kind of thing happens so much more than is told.

Having more than one position is about job security. I mean the unions can be good or bad--it really depends. But are kidding themselves it they think that aren't people within them that can be bought off? People have to open there eyes to the real world.

Just know that you held your integrity and maintained true advocacy.

At the very least, pick up a per diem position ASAP while you are looking for something FT, then, hold on to the per diem or PT job and keep hours and known at the place. This is one sound way to fight against a questionable reference, and yes, some places do want you name all relevant places. You may be able to drop a few off your resume, but it can get tricky.

Nurses have to protect their practice and mitigate their losses (or potential losses) by planning in advance. I wish it wasn't like this, but it really is. It has to do primarily with always being able to work as a nurse if you need or want to do so. When you at the mercy of one environment, you can get screwed--you are more vulnerable.

Many of my nurse colleagues that have been in nursing for a long time have more than one position, even if the other is per diem or agency. The thing is, you have to put the time in the other position on a regular basis.

You have to work to protect yourself, your resume, and your ability to work and keep working. This is the best protection you can have in this field--I think better than a union, b/c a union could turn sour.