Falls

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I worked at a retirement home for 18 years. I was since terminated. One of the reasons is that I had two falls happen at the same time and apparently didn’t handle it up to standards. I quickly assessed one woman and moved her and got her up. I then brought her to her room for further assessment by which I saw a cut on her head. I then sent her out to the hospital. I didn’t get a chance to take her BP or do a neuro assessment. I moved her and got her up without doing them first. Would you say that was negligent? I sent her to the hospital where they could do all the tests?

I guess the issue at this facility is how the staff have been trained. None of the nurses have done a neuro when sending someone off to the hospital. Nobody has ever been disciplined for it until now. If we were never trained properly then how can we do everything right? What’s missing here is that management is not doing their job properly. We are only as good as our management. The other res was not sent out to the hospital due to her injuries being minor. There is only so much one nurse can do in this situation. I am actually confused as to what you aren’t understanding here? I get you are trying to help but you aren’t seeing the bigger picture here. If most of the nurses there don’t do this it speaks volumes to the training we received!

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I also don’t comprehend why I would be terminated for this. Especially since they still have nurses there that have not followed the protocol.

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.
11 hours ago, Marija1 said:

My facility didn’t have a neuro protol until 2014, the nurses that have been there for a long time have never done one when sending someone to the hospital. My sister that is a RN doesn’t do one till the patient is up and back into bed. So in reality this has not been the protocol so I did things as we have done for years.

That was 5 years ago! You've had plenty of time to get used to the new policy. It's pretty common sense - especially with the elderly - that if someone hits their head you at least check pupils and orientation. Did you maybe do these things and not chart them? Certainly, you talked to the resident and could have noticed changes in their mentation. But still...if it's not charted it wasn't done. How have your

I'm sure getting let go stinks, but falls are a huge deal.

10 hours ago, Marija1 said:

making new protocols for us to follow after years of doing things differently

?

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.
3 hours ago, Marija1 said:

If most of the nurses there don’t do this it speaks volumes to the training we received

Did you, or anyone, ask for more training or clarification of the policy? What kind of training would you have liked for this policy? Regardless, if you knew the policy was there...every nurse knows how to take vitals and do a quick neuro assessment. Just because no one else does it doesn't mean you don't have to. That kind of excuse would never fly with the BON. Hold yourself to a higher standard.

4 hours ago, Marija1 said:

I also don’t comprehend why I would be terminated for this.

If you live in a right to work state they can let anyone go for just about any reason they can come up with.

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No I am in Canada and have a union so no they can’t just find any reason to do it.

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When the paramedics arrived they hesitated to take her as the laceration ended up being very tiny and she appeared her normal self, I myself questioned whether the hospital was necessary, she ended up checking out well

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Specializes in Medsurg.

For future reference, include a set of vital signs in your assessment at the very least. Your patients, license, reputation will thank you.

God bless

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The problem I had was I don’t carry the bp monitor with me. It’s not easily accessible on every floor we only had one on the first floor. I did at least learn to grab it right away next time. Thank you, that makes sense.

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Specializes in Medsurg.
1 minute ago, Marija1 said:

The problem I had was I don’t carry the bp monitor with me. It’s not easily accessible on every floor we only had one on the first floor. I did at least learn to grab it right away next time. Thank you, that makes sense.

Your welcome!

How are you handling things thus far?

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Handling the termination?

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Specializes in Medsurg.
10 hours ago, Marija1 said:

Handling the termination?

Yes

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Working on reinstatement. Otherwise not the greatest.

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