Falsely Accused Of Patient Neglect

[Anna0029]

3 weeks ago I had helped a pt who was high fall risk who needed to use the bathroom and I used my nursing judgment and suggested she use a bedpan instead of walking to the bathroom because she was also complaining that she can't move her knee. A CNA and I placed pt on bedpan and later took her off and no complaints whatsoever. Son was in the room at the time. Next day I go to work am told I can't work because pt son complained that I was careless with his mom, forced her to use a bedpan and that I "grabbed" her hand when rolling her over on one side to place a bed pan. There's no other way to roll her over other than hold her hand. I asked her to give me her hand which she did and I did not grab her like am being accused of. Then the manager said that the pt son recorded me which I thought was weird. I asked if I can see the recording to see what I did wrong they refused. Am really stressing over this and I need advice. I have never done and procedural thing without asking pt permission and I wasn't forceful at all in any way shape or form. I have not seen the CNA I worked with that night since I have been suspended for 3 weeks. She was also agency I haven't seen her before that night. Need advice. 

[Anna0029]

I have also been suspended without pay which I feel is very unfair. Is this even Lagal to do?? 

[Guest1198722]

Suspended for 3 weeks? You didn't mention whether or not you sat down with your Nurse Manager/Director, HR, etc. Depending on the state your in , recording without consent is illegal. It sounds like there's more here than meets the eye with the paucity of details.

[Anna0029]

So the day I was suspended directors told me that I am being suspended because a patient’s son complained that I was rude and did not help the PCT which is absolutely false. I help the PCT place patient on bedpan then left to assess other patients and I was not rude to the patient or the son either. The only thing I said that I think upset the patient’s son is let him know visiting hours end at 8pm. 

Yesterday which is three weeks after the incident HR calls me and tells me something totally different from what manager said I was suspended for. She told me that the complaint was that I forced the patient to use a bedpan, I was careless and I grabbed pt arm that has IV when rolling her over with PCT to place bedpan. So I wasn’t aware of any of these extra accusations until yesterday. Even when I wrote my statement I explained my communication with patient’s son and wondered why what I said would be perceived as rude. I also explained how I helped the PCT place patient on bedpan but she took pt off of bedpan by herself and that’s maybe why he said I didn’t help?

Am really confused because now I feel like within those three weeks something malicious happened and the complaint changed? 
HR asked several times what director told me I was being suspended for. And that was the alleged rudeness and not helping PCT. The grabbing and forceful bedpan and careless I was not aware of till HR called me. 

[Anna0029]

And when they call it neglect to me it doesn’t make sense. I did not withhold anything from patient, I did not threaten patient in any way and there was no harm to the patient. So how did I neglect the patient within 5-10 minutes of my interaction with the son? 

HR said that the patient recorded the incident. Am in Florida. This patient had just arrived in the unit as a new admit. And I had just gone in to introduce myself and that’s why I find it weird and maybe malicious. 

[Davey Do]

I commiserate with your situation, Ana, and experienced a similar situation at the state hospital back in'92.

I too, was suspended for two weeks for client neglect/abuse AND for speaking inappropriately to a doctor.

Since I was not working, I applied for IDES unemployment benefits. There was a fact-finding session, and the adjudicator ruled the suspension was not warranted. I received a week's worth of benefits, since there is a waiting week where no benefits are paid.

So, I had documentation by a government agency to the effect I was not guilty of the accusations.

I also filed a grievance with the INA (Illinois Nurses Association) and had the accusations sponged from my record. INA also got me back pay for the two weeks that I was suspended.

I hope the best for you, Ana.

[Guest1198722]

18 hours ago, Anna0029 said:

And when they call it neglect to me it doesn’t make sense. I did not withhold anything from patient, I did not threaten patient in any way and there was no harm to the patient. So how did I neglect the patient within 5-10 minutes of my interaction with the son? 
HR said that the patient recorded the incident. Am in Florida. This patient had just arrived in the unit as a new admit. And I had just gone in to introduce myself and that’s why I find it weird and maybe malicious. 

Something stinks here.  From what you've said, I can't see that you did anything wrong, and EVEN if you did, a 3 week suspension? What was the nursing standard/practice that you neglected and what was the injury, if any?  The guy that recorded you, was he "connected" to any of the higher ups?  I hope you filed a complaint and have applied for a job elsewhere.

[summertx]

This is  your license. If you are falsely accused, get an attorney if you can afford one. 

[Anna0029]

The guy that “recorded” me was the patient’s son. I don’t know if there’s any connection with higher ups. But I find it hard to believe that someone would just be sitting in pt room waiting to record me the first 5-10 minutes of meeting me and we’ve never met before unless it was planned. This whole situation is weird to me and I don’t believe I did anything wrong or out of the way I have been trained to do. 

The HR person that called me said that pts son said I was careless with her mother, that I grabbed her by her hand that has IV to roll her over for PCT to place a bedpan underneath her and that I forced her to use a bedpan. Pt was in her 80s, confused and her knee was bone to bone and painful barely able to move it and that’s why I suggested a bed pan instead of her walking to bathroom because to me she was a very high fall risk. So I really do not know how that is perceived to be forceful in any way. She did not voice at any point that she did not want a bedpan and neither did the son. Placing pt on bedpan was a safety call that I made using my nursing judgement. Am so confused to be honest. There’s no injury. 

[NotFlo]

I'm wondering why the son even stayed in the room while his mother was put on a bedpan.

[Anna0029]

The son did not excuse himself when I suggested we were going to place her mother on a bedpan. He stayed there watching. 

[toomuchbaloney]

You need a different job.