I just need to vent and hopefully some of you great nurses out there can help me!
I am currently a nursing student in my junior year enrolled in a BSN program. And over the past summer I worked as a student nurse/PCA at a very prominent hospital in the area. One day as I was coming on to start my shift when the clinical nurse specialist told me that she and the nurse manager wanted to speak with me, which I was fine with...a little confused but whatever. I never would of thought I was in trouble because I never had any issues with the staff or patients, or so I thought. In fact I always got high praises, letter and flowers from patients coming back to visit.
Since the nurse manager wasn't on the floor when at the beginning of my shift, I started my daily routine of taking vitals etc. When she returned I was brought into the office and was told that a complaint was filed against me in the beginning of the week. Anyway, apparently the complaint was that when I was doing my 3:00p.m. vitals on a patient, I never recorded them in the chart, and that I never completed them in its entirety. The person that complained (to my understanding) was the wife of a patient who was a nurse on a different floor of the same hospital. Of course, I denied the allegation to the fullest because it was completely untrue. And she had no proof, it was her word against mine. I even requested the chart and lo and behold the vitals were charted and initaled by ME. I was actually told by the day nurse who started his vitals to just finish them up, but with me not knowing what she completed I did them over myself. While I was in the meeting I never got to explain anything that happened, I was talked over, and told I was lying. I tried explaining to them the wife wasn't in the room when I was taking them so how could she have known? The wife probably didn't see me do everything including write them down, considering she was always in and out the room. So at the end of it all I was told that I was being suspended with pay until she could "investigate" the situation. I simply obliged and went home (very sad and angry) and prayed that she would see the truth.
Now a little background. I am the only African American person on the entire floor. And I always felt that was an issue for a few of the nurses, but me being me I still treated them the same utmost respect. I tried talking to them during free time, and made cookies for the 4th of July, and went out of my way to help all of them even if I wasn't assigned to that particular nurse all in an attempt to warm them up to me. To my surprise I walked in on a few situations where I was being talked about with them saying the only reason I got this job was because of affirmative action, and one time I was referred to a "N....." (yes, the "N-word", something I NEVER say). It hurt of course, but I took it like a grain of salt and held my head high still respecting them and doing my job the best of my abilities. The nurse manager never got to know me on a "personal level" as I contributed it to her always being busy. But I realized that she was always more welcoming to the other student nurse/PCA who started with me who was coincidential causcasian often inviting her to lunch, and plain showing favoritism. Again, I never said anything, I just did my job not wanting to make a fuss or come off as a pansy. To me the nurse manager was very influential to the staff nurses in a negative way. She only engaged in the staff she liked etc. I honestly think the "investigation" consisted of her just asking around about me to a bunch of women who didn't like me to begin with. I am not one to pull the race card considering the time we live in, but I just can't shake the fact that discrimination is exactly what I experienced.
Fast forwarding to the day after the meeting less than 24 hours from the inital meeting. When I was at home, I received a phone call from the nurse manager saying that I was terminated for "not making progress within 90 days of hire." However, what was more odd about it all was that she called me in her office about 3:30p.m. the previous day and she leaves at 4-5:00p.m. If there was an "investigation" made since her decision came less than 24 hours, when did she have time to look into it considering she wasn't even in the hospital? Being in shock all I could do was cry because I was so upset and hurt by everything. I asked her what the "investigation" consisted of she never answered the question directly which was suspicious to me. But again, I swallowed my pride, took the outcome and thanked her for giving me the opportunity to work with them. According to another nurse manager on another floor, if I was being fired for that reason the CNS or NM was required to give me at least one warning. Something I never received.
I called my mother at work in tears and told her what happened. And she started to cry with me, because the money I was trying to earn that summer was to help pay for school. As a result of this all I had to work full time Fall, 2006 to earn that money back. She told me to call HR and check on the policies. Of courses, all the policies that were recited back to me protected the decision of the NM. I filed my incident with a state agency, and when I got the hospital's response to everyting amung a bunch of legal documents etc. I saw that I am no longer eligible for rehire for that healthcare system here. Meaning when I do get my RN that eliminates 3+ hospitals that I can work at all because of this. It is literally little ol' me a nursing student against this HUGE organization that happens to be one of the biggest employers in the state.
I have never felt this way before in my entire life. I truly hope that no one has to ever experience this. Please give me insight on your opinions regarding this. I can use it right about now!
