i work in ltc and today i was written up for false documentation. i documented in the tar that a treatment was done when it wasn't. when questioned by the supervisor i admitted that i did not do the tx d/t patient being asleep. however, i forgot to chart it was not done on the day it happened therefore it is false documentation. i am petrified that this may be taken to the bon and my license be taken. this is a serious offense and i'm sick over it. i didn't get fired today but i feel that it's coming. this makes my 5th write up and i'm still in my probation period. i'm seriously considering putting in my two weeks before i get fired.
i have seen several nurses and cnas get fired the pass two months i've been there. i've been warned by co-workers to leave this job asap and that nurses that work there often get fired and reported to the bon.
ltcf expects so much to to be done in so little time with so little staff. every nurse should be guilty of falsifying records at this facility. i know for a fact that not every resident is toileted and turned q2h, i know for a fact that every cream is not applied every shift, i know for a fact that every tylenol is not given in the middle of the night when a resident is asleep. how do i know? nurses tell me all the time. however, i'm the one that got reprimanded today. i take full responsibility for my actions, however i know that i can't do it all. i'm one nurse to 30 residents, every day i feel like i'm putting my lic. on the line.
i did write a late entry that the tx was not done on such and such day. i just hope and pray that this mistake did not cost me my career.
Thank you for all your support, encouragement and opinions. I guess I'll go somewhere so that I can be stoned to death. I'm such a terrible nurse! Who is willing to throw the first stone?
NLJ88, please know that some of us do believe in the culture of safety and transparency, where we support each other and do try to figure out how to do this nursing thing better.
I worked one day in a LTC that I thought would be awesome, and it turned out to be a lot of backbiting among the staff...CNA's yelling at each other about towels left in the shower room...it was such an angry place. People that write each other up about minor stuff, rather than working together to support a better culture, can be a big part of the problem.
Since you came here looking for answers, I suspect that you really do strive for excellence. There were some very good advices here. Cape Cod Mermaid speaks from experience as a culture-changer-for the better, and there was one other poster who mentioned just circling tx not given "bam you're good," I forget who that was, but that was very good advice. Of course errors in charting are never good. But none of us has never made an error. Figuring out what happened is what makes us all better.
there's a difference between writing an addendum to an incomplete or erroneous record (an acceptable action) and "falsifying." i hope you know what that difference is, and how it's done properly.
Thank you for all your support, encouragement and opinions. I guess I'll go somewhere so that I can be stoned to death. I'm such a terrible nurse! Who is willing to throw the first stone?
This thread isn't about throwing stones. It started with your concerns that you might (if not now, then at some point) be reported to the BON.
Your initial post contained two problems. The first is your own admission of making mistakes on the job. The second is the unsafe and inconsistent approach of the facility. While you could well be right in thinking that you need to get away from this job because the place itself is problematic, you can't escape the fact that, wherever you decide to go, you'll be taking yourself along with you.
That's what some of us have been concerned about.
For whatever reason, you have had problems, including four previous write-ups on this job alone. That history suggests a number of possibilities, including disorganization, inconsistency, ADD, and other challenges that can undermine the best of intentions. You can change jobs, but if you don't change the underlying difficulties on your end, even the most understanding and consistent employer may discover errors and be forced to discipline you, up to and including reporting you to the BON.
That isn't throwing stones. It's telling you an unpleasant, but necessary, truth.
You have been given all kinds of encouragement to seek counseling and take other measures to identify where the breakdown occurs. Now the ball is in your court.
Of course, you should look for another job if you can see that this one isn't going to get any better. But, I encourage you to look within, as well. That way, if you find your ideal position, you'll be ready to take and keep it.
Hmmmm, dramatic much? YOU started the post about how you knowingly documented that you completed a treatment that you in fact, did NOT do. This is on the heels of a very recent post where you made FOUR medication errors in one night. A terrible nurse? I'd hesitate to go that far since I'm willing to believe that you did not do these things with malice or intent to harm. An unsafe nurse? I'm definately leaning that way in my opinion =(
If you don't like the responses that you sometimes get when posting about these cringe-worthy errors, perhaps posting in a public forum is something you should avoid....
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Thank you for all your support, encouragement a, nd opinions. I guess I'll go somewhere so that I can be stoned to death. I'm such a terrible nurse! Who is willing to throw the first stone?
Your posts concern me. I see a pattern of behavior that's dangerous. I think that your behavior as a nurse is careless. I don't believe it's malicious, but I think it's dangerous, nonetheless. I'm concerned that at some point, one of your patients will get hurt. I find it concerning that at your most recent job, you have been written up FIVE TIMES and you are still on probation. I think that perhaps you need to look within yourself and consider whether this is the right career choice for you. Based on what you post here, I don't think you are a safe nurse.
SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS
1 Article; 1,406 Posts
NLJ88, please know that some of us do believe in the culture of safety and transparency, where we support each other and do try to figure out how to do this nursing thing better.
I worked one day in a LTC that I thought would be awesome, and it turned out to be a lot of backbiting among the staff...CNA's yelling at each other about towels left in the shower room...it was such an angry place. People that write each other up about minor stuff, rather than working together to support a better culture, can be a big part of the problem.
Since you came here looking for answers, I suspect that you really do strive for excellence. There were some very good advices here. Cape Cod Mermaid speaks from experience as a culture-changer-for the better, and there was one other poster who mentioned just circling tx not given "bam you're good," I forget who that was, but that was very good advice. Of course errors in charting are never good. But none of us has never made an error. Figuring out what happened is what makes us all better.