What gives?! Within this month and a two week span, I've been called into the office TWICE regarding "patient complaints." I've been working as a PCT full time and going to school full time as a nursing student in my final year.
Apparently, these patient compliants were complaints such as I didn't knock on the door maybe once out of the 20 times I entered the patients room that night or that I closed the door too loud or that I even didn't look like I wanted to do my job. I just don't get it. I've always done my job the same way since being hired and up to then, nothing... now I have this long ass paper trail out of nowhere.
I don't know if it's my matter of fact, blunt personality or what, but I don't want to lose my job over petty issues. And I'm pretty sure I screwed myself out of a graduate or new nurse position too.
I want to give you some advice. I was in a similar situation as you...everything was going well and then I felt targeted. My advice? Don't do what I did. I stuck it out and tried to make the best of the situation. The fact of the matter is, PCT work (and the field of nursing in general) is very, very hard. As an employee you cannot do everything "perfect" because "perfect" is a matter of perception. If you feel you are being targeted, I highly suggest that you start looking for other jobs ASAP and keep your head down at work (don't ruffle feathers, don't pick up extra shifts if you don't have to just work what you have to work and then leave). Put in your two weeks notice and quietly leave.
I know it sounds like this situation sucks. You know what sucks worse? Getting terminated because you have been targeted.
I'm sorry, i'm not trying to be a downer but believe me leaving a job on your own terms is infintely better than getting terminated.
Ive had patients praise me to death and go on about what a great and competent aide I was when they were surveyed later on, and others complain....during the SAME SHIFT, and despite the fact I treated them absolutely no different. In fact the ones who complained were the ones I spent half my time running into the room answering call lights all night.
I remember one ridiculously busy shift with a lot of admits, really sick and incontinent patients, bed jumpers and isolation precautions, and I thought I did an awesome job. As im walking to the exit I heard this one patient going ballistic to the oncoming aide because...get this, I didnt change the date on the board in their room overnight.
Specializes in ER/SICU/Med-Surg/Ortho/Trauma/Flight.
Come on over to er we dont kiss butts at least me and my nursing staff dont! We are there to take care of patients not to kiss @ss*s!Rod Rn, BSN, er nursing supervisor
First of all, I feel bad that you work somewhere like that and are CLEARLY being made an example of. I work in a Med/Onc unit, and though we are VERY focused on patient satisfaction too, we would NOT get written up or suspended for what happened to you. It's something that is talked about in meetings and the whole staff is warned about, but no particular people are singled out for because it is TOOOOO hard to accurately pinpoint who did what, and honestly patients often blame the wrong person for things too. Keep your chin up girl, and definitely look for another job!!!
IHeartPeds87
542 Posts
I want to give you some advice. I was in a similar situation as you...everything was going well and then I felt targeted. My advice? Don't do what I did. I stuck it out and tried to make the best of the situation. The fact of the matter is, PCT work (and the field of nursing in general) is very, very hard. As an employee you cannot do everything "perfect" because "perfect" is a matter of perception. If you feel you are being targeted, I highly suggest that you start looking for other jobs ASAP and keep your head down at work (don't ruffle feathers, don't pick up extra shifts if you don't have to just work what you have to work and then leave). Put in your two weeks notice and quietly leave.
I know it sounds like this situation sucks. You know what sucks worse? Getting terminated because you have been targeted.
I'm sorry, i'm not trying to be a downer but believe me leaving a job on your own terms is infintely better than getting terminated.