Published
I was on the phone with my mom in public and basically talked about how I wouldn’t want to be brain dead and have my family keep me alive forever and how I don’t want tube feeds and to just be a burden to my family. I also talked about how there’s been lots of shooting recently in my town and how in a new unit I will be on I will see lots of gunshot wounds and stories that are on the news.
I look over and see my patients daughter (my patient who has been on my unit for like 3 months) standing right next to me.
Can she get offended and then I get fired for this?
2 minutes ago, Crash_Cart said:I think that pretty much sums it up. Be cognizant of your surroundings as they say.
True, but I could have been talking about anyone- my mom and I were discussing end of life care because of her friends mom and an accident she had. I wasn't in the store when i mentioned I knew someone like that- I could have just been talking about a story of my moms friend. The patient's of the family member I saw is not on life support- she is not intubation or braindead in any way.
1 minute ago, Mortaaaay said:True, but I could have been talking about anyone- my mom and I were discussing end of life care because of her friends mom and an accident she had. I wasn't in the store when i mentioned I knew someone like that- I could have just been talking about a story of my moms friend. The patient's of the family member I saw is not on life support- she is not intubation or braindead in any way.
You could also have been talking to someone on the phone about a fictional situation occurring in the latest episode of any popular medical TV show.
1 hour ago, Sour Lemon said:You can get fired if someone doesn't like your hair cut, or for no reason at all ...so, yes.
And you can also be let go because the employer has decided upon a reduction in the workforce and you won the lotto. Try to be more careful about what you say in certain places in the future.
Just now, MSO4foru said:So call me paranoid if you want, but any conversations I have that are even remotely connected tend to my work are done at home, without any specific identifiers. Maybe that's just me. But as Sour Lemon pointed out - your employer can fire you for anything.
True. But it honestly was in relation to my moms friend
10 hours ago, Mortaaaay said:she was kind of far from me- she just looked me in the eyes and looked away- i don't even know if she recognized me cause i was wearing my glasses and had my hair down and was wearing makeup
IMO, because you were dressed differently (hair/glasses/makeup), there is a real possibility that the daughter was looking at you because she thought, "hey, she looks familiar". There is also a possibility that she did not hear a thing you said.
I honestly do not think this is a firing offense.
11 hours ago, Mortaaaay said:True, but I could have been talking about anyone- my mom and I were discussing end of life care because of her friends mom and an accident she had. I wasn't in the store when i mentioned I knew someone like that- I could have just been talking about a story of my moms friend. The patient's of the family member I saw is not on life support- she is not intubation or braindead in any way.
I hope you are better at handoff than you are at story telling ? Seriously though if your patients relative isn’t even brain dead why on earth would she think you’re talking about them?
1. Can she get offended?
Of course she can get offended. People get offended over less. It's what she does with her feelings of being offended.
2. Can I get fired over this?
Eh. So many variables. #1, maybe she wasn't listening or paying attention. #2, she can't prove it. I'd tread lightly around her when she see her on the unit. And hey, no matter what happens, this is a good lesson/reminder that you just never know who's around you when you're out and about in public. ? I hope it all works out.
Your thread title asks if you can lose your license for your conversation, but your actual post asks if you can be fired.
Secondly, exactly what did you say that was offensive????
You aren't losing your license over this. Look at your BON site or newsletter and see why people are losing their licenses. "While speaking to a family member in public, out of uniform, and not on the clock, verbalized her preferences for her own end of life care" will NOT be found. I also see no reason why this should result in your being fired.
Call me confused about the whole issue here...
Mortaaaay
26 Posts
she was kind of far from me- she just looked me in the eyes and looked away- i don't even know if she recognized me cause i was wearing my glasses and had my hair down and was wearing makeup