Threatened to be Fired for "patient safety" issues.

Yes. You get a lawyer NOW and let him take care of this.

Jolie, I respect your advice above, and hope you can provide me with some insight on my situation. My manager has been building a case on me, and fortunately I never made any serious medical errors. But I knew it was time to go, so I emailed my resignation in hopes of preserving my "eligible for re-hire" status. My manager responded with the following: "I believe that you will find the right fit for you. You are intelligent, compassionate, and want to do the "right" thing. Please stay positive and the right match will come. Let me know if I can be of help."

Should I respond with a request for a reference letter? How should it be worded? Is the manager serious about wanting to help? What if I request a letter and she blows me off? I'm not good in dealing with this type of thing, so your advice is much appreciated. Thank you!

Hmmmm I agree that your nurse manager has acted quite unprofessionally by asking you about the pregnancy etc and sabotage.

But I'm actually quite concerned about the number of med errors you have made in just six months of nursing. From reading your post it sounds like you made quite a few in a relatively short period of time. Now I don't want to appear overly harsh because I'm not perfect and nobody is but IMHO the best thing you can do for yourself is to seek further education about administering meds to improve upon your knowledge deficit. Find out if there are any courses in your area on medications, look through pharmacology books, there are some excellent pocket nurses guide to drugs as well.

And if your asked at this meeting about why these errors occured, don't just blame everyone and say 'i had no education, was short staffed, not feeling well that day' etc, because that will go against you, they'll just see you as unwilling to take responsibility for your actions and you will lose all credibility. As an RN you can't just shift the blame like that, you have to take full responsibility for everything you do.

I hope it all goes well for you, hope your baby is well.

The email she sent does sound a little weird, considering all the information you gave us. What happened? Did you ever email her back and ask for a reference?

You're probably busy taking care of your baby now, how is your baby? Please update us... congratulations!

COngrats on a healthy son!

Keep us posted on the rest. Glad you got a lawyer.

You've been a "difficult" employee almost from day one.
In 6 months you've made 3 med errors, 2 errors of basic procedure and another that you didn't identify as being a med or procedural error.
Yes, your NM made some very distasteful comments (that I assume were unwitnessed) but that is not going to bear any weight against her black and white documentation of poor performance.

Also, don't believe your coworkers that they gave positive feedback about you to your NM, the reality is no one will tell the truth if they have given negative feedback because they don't want to deal with the drama and having to work with someone in that situation.
And I realize you got a good 3 month review but consider it was given after you accused her of making a hostile work environment. That review effectively removed any claim you have that the environment was hostile or she was out to get you and is something many a smart manager will do.

I'll be honest, If you worked for my employer...they would view you as a safety concern and the union would support their decision to terminate you.

Just to add, I'm coming in late because I haven't seen this post before. First off, congrats on your new son!

Sounds like the NM was a nightmare, and I understand that you've accepted and learned from your mistakes...BUT:

I too am concerned that you made multiple errors. I DO consider some of them "serious medical errors" although you do not appear to. It is definitely the facility's responsibility to train you properly HOWEVER... it is YOUR responsibility to protect your license by making yourself aware of your employer's policies and procedures and following them. Ignorance or poor training is NOT a defense in these cases.


You do sound like a person who accepts responsibility for your actions both good and bad, and we need more people like you in nursing. Continue to educate yourself, and hopefully you find a ward that is a great fit for you, with a supportive environment in which to learn.

First I am glad you have a lawyer. Second the lawyer gave you great advice about taking courses about medication management. Follow up on that. I know that that there are two sides to every story but I think that fact you are working on those issues shows me you a nurse I would like to work with.

Enjoy your baby! Look for a job that is family friendly. You don't want to feel pressure everytime you kid doesn't feel well. These places may not pay the best but the piece of mind is priceless.

Hopefully the board will see this a nuisance complaint, the only thing that would make me crazy is paying a lawyer ( which you have to do).