Did i really do anything wrong?

[lizzyreg]

Hello there, just had some issues happen to me at my job recently that I want to share with you all, I work as an LPN in a subacute unit of a rehab/ltc as a PRN nurse.

I was approached by the staffing person in June of this year to work temporarily as the charge nurse until they fill the position of the unit manager&charge nurse. I agreed and I worked usually mon-fri, however I always inform them in advance if am not able to come in. The administrator agreed that we should take it week by week and would let me know in advance if am no longer needed.

Anyway, I went in to work this last Monday(labor day) I had told the staffing person the day before that I would be leaving early on Monday. When I got to work, I realized that there was actually nothing for me to do around there since it was a holiday, doctors offices and most places were closed, practitioners didnt want to be bothered( I usually communicate patient needs to the doctors) and the lab was only doing stat lab orders only. I got to work at 9am and did s few things, then I went to the D.O.N and said I was leaving, he says" what do u mean, you're leaving" I replied that I already told the staffing person that I was going to be leaving early plus there's really nothing for me to do, plus am PRN. He then replied saying ok, it's fine, just go.

About 4 hours later, I received a text from the staffing person saying that the D.O.N says not to come back to work the desk anymore, that my services is no longer needed. I was shocked and I called the DON asking what the problem was and why, I got a voice mail and left a message requesting a call back. I never got a call back, instead, I received a text msg from the D.O.N saying, I was not instructed to leave the facility, that I just wouldn't be needed at the desk anymore that since I am PRN, I should pick up shifts to work the cart like other nurses. I never received a call or text saying WHAT I did wrong and WHY.

Mind you all, I worry about working the cart at my job because I feel like the work load is so much and even though I work there PRN, the only time I pick up shifts is when I can work the desk, do MARS at the end of the month or assist with admissions. I am sharing this with my fellow nurses and other health care providers because, I felt cheated by the D.O.N especially since I have been working the charge nurse position since June and I have asked to be put permanently in the position and I had been told no, that it was only temporary, I shunned my other PRN jobs and gave my entire time to this facility only to be cut off without any notice, I don't feel like I did anything wrong especially when am PRN and I didnt just walk off, I asked permission to leave when I got ready to and I also informed staffing a day prior plus there really wasn't anything to do.

I Am picking up shifts to work the cart at this facility against my will because I couldn't get any shifts at my other jobs based on a short notice but I have decided that am leaving this facility once I get back on track with my other PRN jobs. Also since I don't work the desk anymore, the whole place look a hot mess, papers everywhere, pt's labs sitting there without being called in to the MD, f/u appts not being scheduled. Just sharing my experience with you all.

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[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Was there an issue with having a certain number of licensed personnel in the building?

I've never heard of agency staff being in charge, but I don't work LTC so that may be something common there. I've also never heard of someone coming in to work and then just picking up to leave. I can understand why the DON might look askance at such a thing. But again, I work ICU so maybe it's common in LTC.

[lizzyreg]

I don't work for an Agency, am a PRN nurse with this facility, we agreed( the administrator and I) that am still going to have my flexibility as long as I notify them in advance, staffing was informed a day prior that I wouldn't be there but for a short period, also there was more than enough nurses in the building, my job duties are mainly being able to be performed on a business day, therefore, I was just sitting there idle. I don't know where or how the D.O.N was right, I didn't just walk off, I told when I got ready to leave plus the fact that I had told a day prior.

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[mazy]

It's not common for a PRN nurse in LTC to be assigned an acting or interim management position, and it's not all that common for an LPN to be working in that capacity -- although I've seen it happen -- so I think that at first glance the OP was put in a difficult situation, and it makes me wonder what the standard of care was in that facility.

That said. It was a mistake to leave early, especially when it was clear from the conversation with the DON -- who came in and stayed, even though there wasn't much to do -- that the DON was not really comfortable with that decision.

The OP may have told staffing she wouldn't be staying, but the DON didn't seem to be fully aware of it. And the message received there was that the OP didn't feel there was much need for her to be there, and the DON picked up the ball and decided that there was no need for her to be doing that job at all anymore.

Given the fact that the OP was hoping to be assigned permanently to that position, she probably should have been more vigilant about proving that she was committed to the job. By leaving early she was basically saying that she doesn't think her job is that important.

As a result the OP has been placed back on the cart and I imagine management will be stepping up there search to find someone to permanently take on that job.

It would have been better to just take the day off.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

Really? There was nothing to do? No pts needed help with their exercises, no nurses needed help with care? All Kardexes were 100% up to date?

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

I think it's a matter of you saying you were leaving rather than asking if it was ok. It probably wasn't ok...well, obviously it wasn't. The boss just didn't want to tell you right when you said you were leaving...

[Simply Complicated]

Granted I have never worked in a nursing home, but anytime I have ever picked up a shift, it was either the entire shift, or it was set ahead of time the exact hours I was working. I would never think to go up to a manger and say Ok, I'm just going to go home now. That looks completely irresponsible and makes you look unreliable. Regardless if you had said prior you wouldn't stay the entire time. Unless you agreed to work X amount of hours. From the managers point of view you do not look reliable or committed. I agree, you say working the cart or other areas are work overload. The charge nurse doesn't step in and help? All I ever hear is people complaining about how over worked and understaffed nursing homes are, I find it very difficult that there is no work for a charge nurse to do.

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

I don't know jack about nursing homes, but in any area I've ever worked we would have called that abandonment and you would probably have been reported to the BON.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I don't know jack about nursing homes, but in any area I've ever worked we would have called that abandonment and you would probably have been reported to the BON.

She didn't have a patient load.

[lizzyreg]

Thanks for all the contributions but I believe most people misunderstood my explanation of this whole thing, #1; I have been doing this since the start of June and have dedicated my self to helping the nurses on the floor, the work load at this facility is pretty difficult and I really feel for the nurses that work the cart; I call in the lab results to MD's on 40-60 patients, write out orders and fax them to pharmacy, schedule f/u appts for new admits, arrange for them to be transported, answer all the calls coming in,and route as requested, I file all kinds of paperwork into the patients chart. Get vital signs ready and charts ready for any visiting physician, address family members concerns, call family members or responsible party on abnormal labs and scheduled appts, write out the MARS for any new admit, get report from the hospital on new admits, I can keep going on and on, mind you all, this is a unit without a nurse manager for a long time so I was doing two in one duties, I never take fifteen minute breaks, sometimes I don't even take lunches, the nurses thank me everyday for all am doing, only for the new DON to think am incompetent because I asked to leave early in one day, c'mon guys!!

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[Whispera, MSN, RN]

My concern is that you said you told the DON you were leaving, rather than asking. In your last message you say you asked. If you asked and it was ok'd then you didn't do a thing wrong. If you told, that's another story. It's still a tangled thing and I think you should make a big effort to go talk to people about it...

[lizzyreg]

The main thing that bothered me in this whole thing is that the administrator and I agreed that I would be allowed to have my flexibility as long as I let them know prior to, it's not my fault that the staffing co-ordinator did not let the DON know and I did ask " is it ok if I leave". So another thing that bothered me was that the don did not contact me directly, instead, the staffing person is the one that contacted me, then I called the DON, left a voice msg and asked for a return call, I got a text from the DON instead, it's like the don is afraid to call or something. Meanwhile, there's been a major shortage in staffing at this facility, the DON, had to assist with admission and also with MARs since it was the end of the month. You can see stress all over the DON and I have done my part to help. Also, the Monday am talking about is labor day, this facility pays no holiday pay & no time& half to anyone other than full time employees,.

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