A Cautionary Tale

**Warning: parts of this may sound like the ravings of a paranoid conspiracy theorist but I guarantee you every bit of it is true and verifiable.

I had worked in a particular ER several years ago for about a year and then worked there again this past year for about 5 months. I had requested an assignment to the main hospital ER but was told that they wanted me at this hospital again. (I know now it was a total set up). There was a certain nurse "T" who would be super sweet to my face but incredibly vindictive otherwise. She was bitter that I got the charge position and that I got selected for a few different high profile committees among other things.

During my first go-round with her, I noticed she was always in the conversations...she was always there and she was constantly texting. Turns out she was texting our Nurse Manager about every detail of the shift from "Joe ate a potato chip at the nurse's station" to "Mary took 35 minutes to transfer a patient" etc. She was a "mole" and very adept at getting staff members to open up to her, tell her things she later used as ammunition. The professional irritations we dealt with as they came, always a source of anxiety for the whole staff but complaining to the Nurse Manager just made her behaviour worse with no consequences for her. In one instance, a sexual assault patient was almost sent home before being admitted to the ICU because "T" didn't believe her story...she had been strangled and the strangulation marks were clearly on her neck. "T" stated that she had just missed them but the patient stated "T" never examined her even though she had tried to show her multiple injuries. Twice she told patients they didn't need to be seen in the ER because they were faking and just wanted drugs...one of them turned out to have a bleed in his brain.

Then she got personal. I'm just now learning the extent of the damage she caused for others but for me, things were close to catastrophic. I presented to the ER one night with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. (I have an extensive history of bowel obstructions and other GI abnormalities). This nurse, "T", stood outside the door to my room and told the ER doctor - who I had never met - that there was nothing wrong with me, I was just a drug seeker. The doctor walked in briskly, with no assessment told me to follow up with my primary, then discharged me home. A few hours later, I was having surgery at another hospital to remove part of my colon which had been strangled. I did go back to work there but the stress was too much I ended up quitting after a few weeks of my return.

My second round of employment there, things were even worse. They assigned "T" as my preceptor (she requested it) though I asked several times for it not to be so. She had me in tears on several nights with an overwhelming patient load and no help. One night she tried to send a patient home without being seen...the patient ended up falling in the parking lot and required more interventions than she originally would have. I reported this to my Nurse Manager as an EMTALA violation (nothing was ever done) Then, inevitably, I required the services of the ER as a patient again. She told the doctor I was faking. He ordered a drug test and tried to give me Haldol "for pain". My drug test came back positive for the prescription I had taken at home trying to avoid the ER. I ended up walking out and by the end of the week was having surgery for a blocked bile duct. A few days later the Nurse Manager called me in on a day off and asked for a drug test. She said "some nurses" were concerned about me. In all actuality, "T" had told her - a clear HIPPA violation - that my drug screen was positive and that I was acting "strange". I had been off work for three days. I refused and quit on the spot. It turned into a big mess with TPAPN and the BON, but eventually with legal assistance and the truth on my side, everything was dropped. It cost me thousands of dollars, my 20 year spotless reputation, a significant hit to my health, etc.

Yes this is super long but really it is a cautionary tale for anyone dealing with a nurse like "T". Had I documented things, she would have been the one trying to defend herself. To this day, many of my former co-workers and I wonder what exactly "T" had that afforded her so much immunity. Probably never know. My advice though...if you report something, do it in writing and keep copies so you can go up the chain of command if your manager doesn't resolve it. Document all of your work thoroughly AND if uncomfortable things are happening, keep a journal at home about it. Do not share personal information with your co-workers...keep your personal and professional lives separate. If it's possible...if you need medical attention do not utilize the facility for which you work...the HIPPA law is akin to a restraining order: words written on paper will not prevent someone from disobeying it. Do not underestimate the damage an unscrupulous and vindictive nurse can have. Maintain your honesty and integrity...I firmly believe that the truth will always win out in the end.