Fired for expressing concerns about patient safety and care!

Nurses Safety

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ondahill

14 Posts

I am in NC and don't have the union, but if I was paying dues to an Union they would be helping me get this straight. I have always heard people talk about getting the union and I know someone invited them to our facility, but nothing ever came from it. How do you get a union?

Blackcat99

2,836 Posts

I am really sorry that hkrntobe got fired from her job. Sadly, in today's world anyone can get fired for any reason. I am a new orientee at a nursing home and I am studying the paperwork they gave me about my job requirements. Almost everything they have written in this paperwork is always followed by threatening statements that say "You will do this or you will get terminated" Here I am trying to learn at a new job and already I am being threatened with getting fired!!!!!:nailbiting: I guess this is the way they "Welcome the new people"

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN

1 Article; 5,115 Posts

Lemme see, here, this was a psych unit. The OP ("rntobe?") was a new grad. Psych by definition deals c behavioral issues; nobody learns that much about that in school, and if I remember correctly, you learn even less to make you competent in psych than you do in med/surg-- it takes some time to be competent in such a fraught area.

But the OP, the new, specialty-incompetent (by definition, no matter who says she loves you), inexperienced nurse who may not get that this is how psych units often are, tells the experienced nurses that they are doing it all wrong and she, the new grad, knows better. Do I have that right?

We hear this story often, and it comes from many different kinds of units. Considering the recent research that shows that people consistently overestimate their own competence, we can probably discount the new grad's self-assessment as being such a great nurse. Come to think of it, the people who did have more expertise in her psych ward did exactly that. They fired her for it. She was not a good fit for psych at this very early stage in her career, as she was unable to recognize how her inexperience with the psych milieu made her unable to function in it; she (pardon this expression, but I can't think of a better one; "spoke up" doesn't do it justice) shot off her mouth from a position of inexperience and ignorance.

She will now know how to keep her peace until she knows the lay of the land. When she has acquired the knowledge and experience to understand how things are she will be in a much better position to suggest corrective action, or have the professional standing to implement some.

Or did I miss something?

Guest343211

880 Posts

Lemme see, here, this was a psych unit. The OP ("rntobe?") was a new grad. Psych by definition deals c behavioral issues; nobody learns that much about that in school, and if I remember correctly, you learn even less to make you competent in psych than you do in med/surg-- it takes some time to be competent in such a fraught area.

But the OP, the new, specialty-incompetent (by definition, no matter who says she loves you), inexperienced nurse who may not get that this is how psych units often are, tells the experienced nurses that they are doing it all wrong and she, the new grad, knows better. Do I have that right?

We hear this story often, and it comes from many different kinds of units. Considering the recent research that shows that people consistently overestimate their own competence, we can probably discount the new grad's self-assessment as being such a great nurse. Come to think of it, the people who did have more expertise in her psych ward did exactly that. They fired her for it. She was not a good fit for psych at this very early stage in her career, as she was unable to recognize how her inexperience with the psych milieu made her unable to function in it; she (pardon this expression, but I can't think of a better one; "spoke up" doesn't do it justice) shot off her mouth from a position of inexperience and ignorance.

She will now know how to keep her peace until she knows the lay of the land. When she has acquired the knowledge and experience to understand how things are she will be in a much better position to suggest corrective action, or have the professional standing to implement some.

Or did I miss something?

I feel this is an extreme response. There is no fair or objective way to draw the conclusions you have.

Beyond that, that research has a number of serious limitations. I didn't at all get that this nurse was asserting an expertise over others that she has not yet gained. That wasn't the issue.

Again, perhaps she has to learn to choose her battles wisely, with some wise strategies in place. OTOH, maybe she was the only one that had the gonads to speak up and address a seriously unsafe or unethical situation.

Doing the right thing often means you have to take the lumps that go with it. And b/c people look out primarily for number ONE, they often don't stand when they should. In my book, survival or not, this shows a lack of integrity.

NOW, I don't know if the latter is the case at all. Again, she just may need to learn how certain things roll and be careful in terms of how she problems solves in the future. But that indeed may not be the case. She wouldn't be the first to see red flags on orientation/probation. It's a learning experience and signal to get out of Dodge ASAP.

It's hubris on anyone's part, experienced or not, to jump to conclusions about the OP's situation. We weren't there, period, end of story.

But once again, some folks in this field can't bother to look at things in balance, and/or give the benefit of the doubt to a fellow nurse--"expert" or "novice."

It makes me wonder why nurses post to vent here, or even attempt to get support online.

No one wants to baby this new graduate. That really isn't the point.

Balance, balance, balance and fairness in reasoning is the key. Wouldn't you want those things used on you? BTW, you can speak the truth with balance. It's not an either or kind of thing.

I agree with this response. With this economy, employers often take advantage of emplyees. It's not worth risking your license by working with a facility that doesn't comply to laws. I'm pretty sure that regardless of you being on a probationary period, this would be considered a whistle blower case. Lawyers take those cases on a contingency basis.

Paul'in'FL

45 Posts

...everyone who isn't independently wealthy is a wage slave! Come on, I can't be the only nurse who has worked in other industries. Geez, a machine shop floor in the FL heat is no fun, either....but it paid my rent and let me eat.

Specializes in Registered Nurse.

Evolvingrn,

So true...a new nurse is in a learning mode the first year or two....and, of course, we are always learning afterward too. That first year or two...a lot of what we thought the job was may not be exactly the same as what it truly is. We may be disallusioned. I know I was, to some extent. A new nurse, IMO, needs to do a lot of listening and learning and seeing where she can put herself and her efforts to the best use...and work from there with what she knows. It's not always easy. And some jobs in nursing really are bad....ran by poor examples of Nurses. Not all facilities have great administrators or DON's...that is for sure.

Guest343211

880 Posts

...everyone who isn't independently wealthy is a wage slave! Come on I can't be the only nurse who has worked in other industries. Geez, a machine shop floor in the FL heat is no fun, either....but it paid my rent and let me eat.[/quote']

Huh? Relevance?

From my position, nursing is supposed to be a profession, or at least an evolving one. Treating nurses as wage slaves is counterproductive to optimal outcomes.

Guest343211

880 Posts

Evolvingrn,

So true...a new nurse is in a learning mode the first year or two....and, of course, we are always learning afterward too. That first year or two...a lot of what we thought the job was may not be exactly the same as what it truly is. We may be disallusioned. I know I was, to some extent. A new nurse, IMO, needs to do a lot of listening and learning and seeing where she can put herself and her efforts to the best use...and work from there with what she knows. It's not always easy. And some jobs in nursing really are bad....ran by poor examples of Nurses. Not all facilities have great administrators or DON's...that is for sure.

We don't know that that (the new nurse was coming off as a "know it all") was indeed the case for the OP. People are just making assumptions, and we all know what happens when we assume.

Balance, fairness, support; this is what nursing needs most IMHO.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B

9 Articles; 4,800 Posts

Your union rep has a district manager. I would have a discussion with your union reps boss. If you have paperwork that states your date of hire, they can still let you go, but you have the option of grieving that should you be covered under the union. I would also file for unemployment now.

The 8 straight day thing is interesting, but a bit of a hard sell. Not right, not necessarily fair, but Wed-Wed I think covers 2 work weeks, therefore they would not owe you overtime IF that is the case. It is a nasty thing to do to someone.

AWOL's and assaults are one helluva way to run a floor. I am not sure I would think it a good fit for many people.

I am sorry this has happend to you. Your union rep is to be on your side, and if you have documentation to the contrary, that is very unethical to say the least.

I too was fired for doing the right thing. I complained about a doctor when he totally over-medicated a patient. This doctor had no clue how to do pain management on a terminal cancer patient. I have been hospice nurse for 13 years and I never saw anything like what he did to that patient and her family.

I will never regret saying what I did. I know I did the right thing and I will do it again if I have to. You also did the right thing. Patient safety is a top priority with me and it seems it is with you also. Never back down from what you know is right, no matter what. Make sure your son understands why you lost your job. And when you interview for the next job, be sure to let the person you are interviewing with knows exactly what happened. I did, and all I got from her was "You are my kind of nurse!" and the job!

Keep up the good work. Remember, we are responsible to stand up for ourselves and we are the patient advocate. Always do the right thing, you will never regret it and you will be able to hold your head up in front of your son and set a shining example.:cat:

kcmylorn

991 Posts

I must admit I have not read all the posts but I can say this for certain- this problem did not begin with Obamacare. This issue has been going on for the 30 years I have been an RN.

If you have been working else where- file for unemployment. The Unemployment dept will base it off your last 18 month s of work. Write every thing you can remember down- names dates and times or just a brief senario of your concerns and make the complaint with your state dept of health- they are obligated to investigate all complaints. Yours is a concern for unsafe patient/care practices also go in to the EEO website and file a complaint - the EEOC also handles retaliation and whistleblowing. It is against the law for a whistleblower to have action taken against them for doing so!!! Please check out that website and file a complaint.

This crap in Nursing needs to stop. We are loosing our jobs over it, damage is bing done to our careers and our reputations and we are made unemloyed- the detrimental effects and financial disaster goes on and on and has for years because some manager doesn't know what to do about the complaint to make the work place better for the staff and the patient's. I have been there done that and got the tee shirt!!

You may also want to file a patient care complaint with the Obudsman, the americans disability, The department of aging- this complaint can get very ugly for this facility and may serve them with a severe enough difiency that will shut them down- which is why the Manager wanted you out of there.

Too late- you were there, saw what you saw, made your concerns known to the appropriate person, nothing done to fix the safey issues, you were fired( whistleblowing/retaliation) now it's law suit time.

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