Advice needed

Nurses Relations

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To make a long story short, my manager wants me to come in before my next shift to discuss "something that happened over the weekend." I'm not sure what she's talking about but I can only assume I missed something important with a patient, judging from her tone. During the shift in question, I was given what I considered to be an unreasonable assignment considering I am pumping every 3-4 hours (I recently returned to work after having a baby). There were times throughout the day when I asked for help and my charge nurse was unresponsive or responded too late. My question is, how do I document this to protect myself? Do I put my experience in an email and send it to my boss? Do I put it in writing and present it to someone in hr? I am a relatively new nurse and I'm not sure how to handle this.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Just because you considered it an unreasonable assignment doesn't mean it was unreasonable. I am confused why fellow nurses have stopped being empathetic to their co-workers and allowing them to pump...or whatever. Where has all this anger come from?

However breast feeding is not a disability that is recognized by the ADA so technically a "reasonable accommodation" doesn't need to be made.

All you can do is listen to what your manager has to say.....don't be defensive or aggressive. Find out if it is a legitimate complaint for we all make mistakes....then write your response. But you have to find out what is being said first. Don't point fingers and don't lay blame. Listen to what she has to say and then tell them you would like to respond...in writing. Be ;polite and professional and if you made a mistake...own up to it and say I'm sorry.

It is sad that in America that we don't allow more time for our families with infants all the while preaching this new "baby friendly" initiative

Health care systems should ensure that maternity care practices provide education and counseling on breastfeeding. Hospitals should become more “baby-friendly,” by taking steps like those recommended by the UNICEF/WHO’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.”
and apply that philosophy to their staff.

That could be a point if your if your facility supports the Baby Friendly Initiative

The criteria for a hospital's Baby Friendly accreditation include:

  1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
  2. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
  3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
  4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one half-hour of birth.
  5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and maintain lactation, even if they should be separated from their infants.
  6. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breastmilk, not even sips of water, unless medically indicated.
  7. Practice rooming in - that is, allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
  8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
  9. Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.
  10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.

The program also restricts use by the hospital of free formula or other infant care aids provided by formula companies.

Since the program's inception, approximately 15,000 facilities in more than 152 countries have been inspected and accredited as "Baby-Friendly

Then they need to support that in their staff
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Don't put anything in writing. I know how tempting it is, but someday when you receive something like what you are about to write, you won't like it and ill probably be in a position to exercise some power over the author. Do not cede that now.

Listen.

And perhaps it's something that has nothing to do with lactation. I dunno, maybe you did something else. Maybe you gave a wrong med or said something to p*** off a visitor without meaning to. Maybe you need an attitude adjustment. Maybe you sideswiped the supervisor's car in the parking lot. Wait and see and try really really hard not to say much.

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If you are unionized make sure you have a union rep in the meeting.

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Specializes in ICU/CCU, PICU.

It might not even be about you. Maybe its about another person and wants to know what happened from another source - like "hey did you see Susan throw a muffin at a patient? That patients family member said it happened but Susan denies it. "

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Agree with the above posters -- do yourself a favor and check your emotions before this meeting. Deal in facts, not emotions. And please remember that unless your patient assignment somehow violated policy or was grossly skewed (like having a ratio way out of proportion to other staff nurses on the same shift) ... a complaint from you that your assignment was unfair *because you need to pump every 3-4 hours* is not likely to be received well.

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This is why I am choosing to leave my job after I have my baby this winter. There's no way I would reasonably be able to stick to a pumping schedule and work in acute care. It is important to me to give this baby the opportunity to be exclusively breast fed for 6 months. I'll get a new job when it's time.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
This is why I am choosing to leave my job after I have my baby this winter. There's no way I would reasonably be able to stick to a pumping schedule and work in acute care. It is important to me to give this baby the opportunity to be exclusively breast fed for 6 months. I'll get a new job when it's time.

If you are able to do this financially and have other access to health insurance for yourself and the baby for that time, that is wonderful. Wishing you & your little one blessings!

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