Another nurse fired from HCA for speaking out against staffing

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
19 hours ago, Crash_Cart said:

Sounds like they need all the propaganda they can get. ?

It's their way of damage control because back in the late 90's and early 00's they had a long standing investigation by the feds for Medicare fraud. They were forced to pay over 600 million dollars in fraud settlement, the largest amount for any hospital corporation ever. They have been trying to rewrite history and change their image yet the bad publicity keeps coming:

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/legal-regulatory-issues/hca-accused-of-billing-fraud-3-things-to-know.html

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/hca-healthcare-s-ceo-made-312-times-more-than-median-employee-in-2017.html

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Staffing issues are horrible with HCA, they staff by the number of patients, not acuity. One time I was split between the East and West side had a patient on each side towards the farthest wall one at the nurses station, three with CBI's running (2 were fresh post-ops) and a fresh bariatric r-y surgery, and one psychiatric patient who had an unstageable pressure ulcer big enough to place your whole hand in who screamed the whole shift and ripped his dressing and packing out 17 times that shift. A typical day at HCA and a horrible charge nurse.

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Specializes in geriatric, home health.

I heard a story the other night where many of the nurses bought shares of the their hospital system, showed up for the share holder meeting, and voiced their concerns. The board was recommending the CEO to get a 10.7 million bonus. The share holders voted no for the bonus and also approved of a proposal the nurses had wanted. The CEO did not engage in the customary Q&A at the end of the shareholders meeting. I think I heard it on Nurses take DC.

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Worked briefly for HCA this summer...lasted less than 2 months. I quit. Not a good company to work for in my experience.

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I've been an RN for 19 + years and moved to El Paso, TX to be close to my daughter and granddaughter while my son in law deployed. I chose Las Palmas Medical Center Ortho-Surgical unit and HCA hospital. I received a huge sign-on bonus in addition to a relocation package. After a positive week of typical classroom orientation, I hit the floor running. Most days I did not take breaks not even to get a drink of water. I would clock out for lunch typically around 5 pm and be called back to the floor during lunch break and forced to clock back in by my preceptor even though I had not even sat down or taken a bite of food. I learned later that the state of Texas does not require employers to provide breaks or lunch breaks. If not for the Union presence within Las Palmas no nurse would receive breaks...and believe me when I say management does not care. As I started to ask my peers (mostly nurses in their first and second years of nursing) about the slavish work environment, high nurse to patient ratios, no CNA or Nurse techs vs my experiences outside the HCA network and how much better the work environments were and are. I was quickly (3rd week of orientation) brought into the manager's office (who btw wore stilettos work daily so no floor help from her other than to seek out ICARE violations during patient roundings) for 2 patient ICARE violations and 2 unprofessional conduct allegations.

ICARE violation allegations:

1) I told a patient who was on universal (which means they are not at risk for falls) I did not have time to toilet him.

2) I told a Spanish speaking family member via an interpreter to leave anything she had eaten off the tray as the patient was ordered to have strict I&O's. Apparently, this offended her (the patient's daughter)

Unprofessional Conduct:

1) I was taken off orientation and given a full load of patients in my third week of orientation because they were short-staffed. I questioned the charge nurse and requested to view the email in which the unit manager requested that I be taken off orientation for that day. And sure enough there it was in black and white. I was frustrated and upset. I said my peace in a professional tone and got on with my day.

2) I was accused of an "altercation" with a night shift nurse because I requested she allow me to perform the change of shift dialogue per HCA policy and procedure. I was being reprimanded for trying to do my job within the strict policy and procedure of HCA.

Needless to say, I was put on suspension. WOW!?????? Then I was asked to come into Human Resources for what I thought would be an opportunity for me and my concerns to be heard. I have never been so wrong about a situation in my life. The interview was HOSTILE, STERILE, and DEVOID of any interest in my perspective. I've never felt so undervalued or professionally demeaned as I did in that 50 min interrogation. I did record it and listened to it. They only positive words said to me about me was that I was "clinically perfect."

It's been two weeks since my interrogation and I've yet to hear from them. I'll just assume I've been terminated.

I spoke to the Union rep about my case. Even though, I had not been afforded the opportunity to sign up for the Nurse's Union I was still entitled to representation during the meeting. I now know a nurse must ask in the "AFFIRMATIVE" for representation.

HCA is a horrible organization...who has left a perfectly clinical nurse indebted to them for speaking out about HCA's abhorrent treatment of their nurses.

ANYONE interested in forming a petition for dehumanizing labor practices?

Maybe a Class Action to get sigh-on/relocation bonus's waived and for pain and suffering?

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