Disciplined For Helping With Disaster

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  1. Disciplined for attendance

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I was scheduled to work the night a tornado hit the next town taking the town totally apart. A friend of mine who is a state police officer notified me of the disaster because he knew I had been a firefighter before I became a nurse and asked me to help. I called the LTC facility I work at and the ADON said I would have to find my own coverage. I couldn't believe she didn't say ok and try to cover my shift for me or the management cover for me as there way to help. I understand every nurse should not just drop everything and fly to the disaster but my skill set is a little different than most nurses with my firefighting experience. I tried to get it covered myself but the girl I asked said she would if she could get her child picked up by another family member. I don't know why she did not call back, it could have very well been because of lines down, towers down, and electric down. When I didn't get an answer within fifteen minutes or so I left for the tornado victims. The next week they wrote me up for attendance and said I put the the residents at the facility in danger by not having adequate staff. Please...this certainly was not the first time the facility would have been short staffed as anyone who works in LTC can tell you. Tell me what you think. Should it have counted against me?

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Specializes in Pedi.

What happens when someone calls out sick? Are they expected to find coverage for that?

I would not have told why I was calling out and would have called and said, "I won't be at work tonight." I've found that when you give reasons, they find a way to create trouble out of it.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Though you have a special skill set, the residents where you are currently working also have needs - ones you were commited to attending to. While your intentions were good, I don't see how management should have been responsible for covering your shift because you wanted to take your skills elsewhere. If there was a disaster in the area there was even more reason for you to show up at work if you were able to.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Isn't health care sort of about helping others? Isn't being a responsible citizen putting yourself out there when people need it the most. Next time don't give them the respect of telling the truth, just call out sick. What a crock of ****! Thanks for stepping up!

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You could have avoided this by calling out sick and not trying to explain an absence that your supervisor would have to excuse you for. They chose not to excuse you and that was their prerogative. They were correct in pointing out that you placed the care of your residents second to someone or something else. I would consider what happened this time, the next time you are faced with a situation where you are considering not reporting for work.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Unless you were mandated as a member of the National Guard or other organization, you had a previous responsibility to your workplace. Wanting to help in a disaster is commendable, but without confirmation from the person who said they might work for you leaves your workplace in need. How do you know that there weren't people who had already called out because they were physically unable to work because they lived in the area and were injured/related to injured/trapped by impassable roads? Your residents needed care too.

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Poet, I work in a very small LTC and the ladies I would have been working with that night did not live in the area. However I do not know if they had family in that area or not. I did but was not even able to drive to my sister's house until 2 days later. She was ok thank heavens. Also I have volunteered with the American Red Cross for over 3 years now.

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Specializes in Renal, Tele, Med-Surg, LTC, MDS.

Were you called by the ARC to assist with the disaster? I understand due to your previous work as a firefighter, you felt the need to help out, and I do commend you for your willingness to help, but I have to agree with the other posters here. Not knowing the attendance policy of your facility, or your personal attendance history, I couldn't really make a judgement whether you should have actually been written up or not. I am sure you are not being disciplined FOR helping with the disaster, but for laying aside one responsibility (your job) for another (your skills and personal desire to help in a time of need).

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Not knowing your attendance record it is difficult to say whether they should have disciplined you or not. In the event of a disaster your first obligation is to your own facility unless of course you are search and rescue and they are aware of your obligations. As a search and rescue person myself(in the past) If the group was deployed my facility understood I was unavailable. If I was at work my group knew I was unavailable until I was relieved. I have always worked acute care so my loyalties were always to the hospital but I have been deployed all over the US when I had my dog.

If this is something you wish to pursue, make yourself legitimate and join a volunteer fire department to cover yourself. Unfortunately you are an employee at will and they can do as they wish unless you are military and National Guard. Many towns have civilian disaster/epidemic volunteers and medical cores......If you want to serve, join one and you are covered. I am glad your family was ok.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

They were absolutely right to discipline you. If you didn't have coverage secured, you should have reported for work. I understand your desire to help, but your first duty was to your patients that evening. It doesn't matter if they're even short-staffed before; you were supposed to be there and you didn't show. Next time (and there's always a next time), make sure your coverage is secured before you go help.

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Specializes in Cardiac, PCU, Surg/Onc, LTC, Peds.

I myself don't find it fair that you were disciplined for this one sole event. Certainly these are special circumstances and if it was a small town with limited resources they definitely could have used your skills.

The ADON could have made a few phone calls to *gasp* go above and just slightly beyond her job description. I'm willing to bet she didn't have any family in that next town where the tornado hit.

I've worked before in LTC and expected to find coverage for illness. Really? Just pull these magic phone #s outta my butt while I can't get out of the bathroom. Yeah I refused to call and the staffer hired and being PAID EXTRA to take calls for after hour call offs promptly did his job and found replacement for me.

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You left them hanging. Unless you are on some sort of actual disaster relief team and they were aware that this could come up, you dropped the ball on them. When you go to sleep at night, you make your own sense of peace. In the end, we answer to our own conscience on what the right decision was. You have to do what is right for you, but you also need to consider the patients you were scheduled to care for that were let down. I am guessing, many of them would understand your desire to help.

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