Devastated after 17 years

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:angryfire I have been an L&D nurse for 22 years and have worked in the same place for 17 years. I have been having some trouble with our new manager who has only been employed with us less than 1 year. I went down to the DON with my concerns. Recently I attended an NRP class that i was scheduled to attend in October, before my card expired, and was told I could not have the night before off, so i couldn't attend that class. Our NRP classes have always been casual, we share answers and talk among each other. Some of the girls fro a previous class had answer sheets and shared them with us. We had them with us but were not using them.The answers were given to us as the class went on. The person instructing the class was previously a staff nurse who had just been promoted to asst. manager. One of her friends reported us for having an answer sheet.She went to the manager and complained & Without any warning or representation we were asked to meet with her after the class, @ which time we were accused of cheating, suspended & susequently lost our jobs. I have a perfect record @ this hospital. Do I wait for the union to arbitrate or get my own Lawyer? An OB went to bat for us & the DON told him to mind his own business. We were never given the opportunity to defend ourselves.Even the co-instructor asked why she was making such a big deal about it, because they gave us the answers. Now we have heard that they are reporting us to the BON. Please advise if you can.

Specializes in nursery, L and D.

As someone who has taken NRP in two different hospitals, and also PALS and ACLS, NRP is alot more casual than either of those classes. I never really had an answer sheet, but by the end of the class, you were sure to know the answers. Since you weren't using the answer sheets in class, I am assuming you just studied with them. Is there a rule against having a study guide?

I hope you get this resolved, although if that NM is going to still be there, I don't know if I would want to go back!

In my opinion, as someone who has taken that class, you did nothing wrong. I would fight to at least get the benefits you deserve for serving there for 17 years. This is part of what is wrong in nursing today, people not respecting nurses that have years of experience! Who do they think will train grads, especially in L and D, where most of the assessment skills, and technical skills are not taught in nursing school!

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:angryfire I have been an L&D nurse for 22 years and have worked in the same place for 17 years. I have been having some trouble with our new manager who has only been employed with us less than 1 year. I went down to the DON with my concerns. Recently I attended an NRP class that i was scheduled to attend in October, before my card expired, and was told I could not have the night before off, so i couldn't attend that class. Our NRP classes have always been casual, we share answers and talk among each other. Some of the girls fro a previous class had answer sheets and shared them with us. We had them with us but were not using them.The answers were given to us as the class went on. The person instructing the class was previously a staff nurse who had just been promoted to asst. manager. One of her friends reported us for having an answer sheet.She went to the manager and complained & Without any warning or representation we were asked to meet with her after the class, @ which time we were accused of cheating, suspended & susequently lost our jobs. I have a perfect record @ this hospital. Do I wait for the union to arbitrate or get my own Lawyer? An OB went to bat for us & the DON told him to mind his own business. We were never given the opportunity to defend ourselves.Even the co-instructor asked why she was making such a big deal about it, because they gave us the answers. Now we have heard that they are reporting us to the BON. Please advise if you can.

Marcirnc:

Please get a labor lawyer ASAP - I can't speak to any specifics, just my outrage at the kind of Kafkaesque tactics some people resort to in the workplace. Subterfuge is their style, and it sounds like somebody is out to get you. Just remember, whatever our problems, this is the US, where workers have clear legal rights - The only legal advice I can give you before you talk to a lawyer is don't speak to anybody else about this - as they say on "Law and Order" all the time, whatever you say can and will be used against you. You did nothing wrong, and even if you did, it has nothing to do with your excellent work record. Maybe some people like to play with other people's lives for amusement, but lift up that rock they're lurking under, and they'll run for cover. Pursue this, and do it now! All the best to you. Just remember you have lots of pals at allnurses.com, but also remember that anything you post creates a permanent internet record, so better to pm people about stuff that may end up in court.

Diahni

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:angryfire I have been an L&D nurse for 22 years and have worked in the same place for 17 years. I have been having some trouble with our new manager who has only been employed with us less than 1 year. I went down to the DON with my concerns. Recently I attended an NRP class that i was scheduled to attend in October, before my card expired, and was told I could not have the night before off, so i couldn't attend that class. Our NRP classes have always been casual, we share answers and talk among each other. Some of the girls fro a previous class had answer sheets and shared them with us. We had them with us but were not using them.The answers were given to us as the class went on. The person instructing the class was previously a staff nurse who had just been promoted to asst. manager. One of her friends reported us for having an answer sheet.She went to the manager and complained & Without any warning or representation we were asked to meet with her after the class, @ which time we were accused of cheating, suspended & susequently lost our jobs. I have a perfect record @ this hospital. Do I wait for the union to arbitrate or get my own Lawyer? An OB went to bat for us & the DON told him to mind his own business. We were never given the opportunity to defend ourselves.Even the co-instructor asked why she was making such a big deal about it, because they gave us the answers. Now we have heard that they are reporting us to the BON. Please advise if you can.

By law, you have to "jump through the hoops", and exhaust your administrative options, before you are able to be represented by an attorney. You will not find an attorney to take your case until you do. As long as you are represented by a union, you have to go with them first.

If you get reported to the BON, that is another story. That is your license. If you have , I would call them and explain what is going on, and follow their suggestions.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

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Wow. These people are ruthless. This is what you get after 17 years?

I'm so sorry this has happened. Fight the good fight.

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Wow. These people are ruthless. This is what you get after 17 years?

I'm so sorry this has happened. Fight the good fight.

so much for loyalty, huh? It stinks.

Diahni

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so much for loyalty, huh? It stinks.

Diahni

It stinks completely. I do not know how I would deal with a betrayal of this magnitude.

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Specializes in L&D, Psychiatric, home care.

Thank-you to all who responded to my thread. It makes me feel better to read all of your responses. I will keep in touch with you as I find out any new information. Thank-you again for caring. This web site renews my faith in humanity.

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Jeez! Nice co workers ya got there! :icon_roll

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(((marcirnc)))

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

marcirnc - I sent you a pm but just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. I hope all gets resolved but I don't know that I would even want to go back there and work for that type of person.

I know that as nurses we are supposed to be honest, but I have worked ER, L and D, ICU, and taken the classes, NRP included. They were an informal atmosphere and yes, things were shared. It was not like we were sitting for state boards or something.

I can not believe they fired you for the class and certainly they wouldn't be low enough to contact BON about something like that!

We'll be thinking of you

Anne, RNC:sstrs:

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Thank-you to all who responded to my thread. It makes me feel better to read all of your responses. I will keep in touch with you as I find out any new information. Thank-you again for caring. This web site renews my faith in humanity.

but why are there so many jerks out there? it's a mystery to me - everything is better if people are nice to each other, even our health.

diahni

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
but why are there so many jerks out there? it's a mystery to me - everything is better if people are nice to each other, even our health.

diahni

diahni - you are so right! After over 16 years nursing and seeing the "nursing attitude" (I don't know what else to call it), but the old eating the young nurses, and backstabbing among co workers, and on and on, I decided to hang up my stethescope for good. I ended up with a lot of health problems, cardiac and BP and it just got to not even worth it anymore, as much as I love my profession. It is the other that drives you nuts. I always promised myself I would get out before it made me mean, so at least I kept that promise to myself, and my hubbie who is also a nurse.

Now, I am NOT saying that it is like that everywhere, but is spreading around here like wildfire!

Anne, RNC

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