anyone ever have a position, and feel like your doing great, and things are moving along smoothly, and then you hit a glitch, and all of a sudden your managers start bringing up things that you were lead to believe were not problems, but now all of a sudden its like they've been part of your record and they use it to give that one thing more clout.
I had some minor stupid things - not mistakes, not anything to do with anything I did -but my name was mentioned, and it was mainly gossip, and a manager creating more out of weird thing a patient with behavior issues said - nothing I did wrong.
However, this manager/s are making these things issues now to lend more clout to something that happened more recently that I am accused of - that would have been very wrong if I had done what this patient said I did - but I absolutely did not. However, they are siding with the patient and embellishing upon these oddball things to say they were actually "hints" that I may not be a good fit all along. They are doing this to allow this one thing more clout, and so it can be fast tracked past initial warnings to a final warning.
It feels really dishonest to me. I really love this job, and really loved the people I worked for. I can't afford to leave this job, and I really don't want to, BUT 1- sounds like they are going to let me go soon anyway which I don't want on my resume and 2 - I really don't trust the management there now after hearing this manager flat out lie about the facts in the other two things. That or the mgr has fallen prey to gossip that they all laugh about in their offices - either way - that's not a comfortable place to be working with that going on.
So, I'm off to update my resume. grrrrr. Not happy about this at all. There needs to be more in place to protect nurses from this kind of immature crap. :)
Oh very much so. My recent position....on Friday, i was a "great part of the team...etc." By the following Tuesday, I was suspended and by Thursday, I was applying for unemployment. The "reason" was some trumped up crap that I did not do and there was no evidence of me doing. The one issue that occurred only happened because there was no policy in place to deal with it. Whatever the case may be, I knew exactly who was gunning for me and this person frankly was a narcissistic, psychotic freak that was unqualified (that's not an opinion) to be in the position she was in because she had neither the degree or the experience for it. My downfall began when I considered applying for an open management position where I'd have been her supervisor. I ultimately decided against that thought for a variety of reasons.
My advantage was that I kept records of every slip of paper that was exchanged. I had no write ups, so the "fast track" to discipline/termination was used. My records are strong enough that this will not be the last they will hear of me.
In some respect, I almost want to say thank you for turfing me, because I landed in a much, much better environment, making more money and being happier. This has nothing to do with revenge, but rather to maybe prevent this happening to others (it's something of a track record for this place). I have nothing to do now except sit back and watch the lawyer make hay. In a perverse way, it might be fun to watch....
Running people off and then having to replace them must get expensive. You'd think by now the bean counters in your hospital would have a talk with your unit management about the high cost of turnover.
Turnover in the whole hospital is pretty bad. We actually have greater than 30% of RN positions in my hospital unfilled - which gives us a whole extra layer of differentials ("high vacancy incentive") hospital-wide on top of the unit incentives for my unit being short. I doubt the bean counters have noticed my unit in particular when the whole hospital is a wreck.
Also, we have at least 11 employees with greater than 10 years of nursing experience on my shift - and we have five or so who have been working on my unit for 20+ years. Our ability to retain people looks pretty good on paper; it's just very, very difficult to break in as a new hire.
If they have started a paper trail, you need to find a new job, post haste. If you don't think you'll last after you resign, do what KatieMI said and take medical leave. It might very well keep you off the do not hire list.
Besides a paper trail, some hospitals with bullying and racist atmosphere may even collect "objective" evidences such as syringes, patients verbalized reaction, IV site reactions, or even undocumented notes from MD and other health professionals. Resigned asap, go to HR and go to an open door policy HR supervisor eval unless the place is an intact discriminating fraternity/sorority type of place
that's just it - they do have a progressive discipline - however, they are using these two items that weren't really problems, or anything I got in trouble for - I just happened to be involved - but not "problems" of any kind - the one manager is using them to say they are "hints" and in our policy it gives them the option to skip A and B and go directly to C if they choose to....but its really shady.
Sorry to hear this - sounds like management isn't being fair to you. I don't understand how nurses' jobs can be threatened over some obscure, round a bout complaint / or "hint".
Still take the advice given and look for another job.
Are you union? What policy does your facility have in place for discipline? Many places have a "progressive discipline" policy in place wherein they can't do C before they do B or A (meaning, that other stuff that you didn't know about should have been part of an informal coaching before it was brought to a written reprimand or whatever you received).
They can always write something up and say you refused to sign it - even though they never wrote it up before today.
OP - sorry you are having to deal with idiot bosses. Sounds like you need to seek life elsewhere. Good luck.
What do you think is the reason they are doing this to you?
Yes, you could probably use up your Leave time. Why not? Use the time to get your head together and to find a new and better work place.
Oh very much so. My recent position....on Friday, i was a "great part of the team...etc." By the following Tuesday, I was suspended and by Thursday, I was applying for unemployment. The "reason" was some trumped up crap that I did not do and there was no evidence of me doing. The one issue that occurred only happened because there was no policy in place to deal with it. Whatever the case may be, I knew exactly who was gunning for me and this person frankly was a narcissistic, psychotic freak that was unqualified (that's not an opinion) to be in the position she was in because she had neither the degree or the experience for it. My downfall began when I considered applying for an open management position where I'd have been her supervisor. I ultimately decided against that thought for a variety of reasons.
My advantage was that I kept records of every slip of paper that was exchanged. I had no write ups, so the "fast track" to discipline/termination was used. My records are strong enough that this will not be the last they will hear of me.
In some respect, I almost want to say thank you for turfing me, because I landed in a much, much better environment, making more money and being happier. This has nothing to do with revenge, but rather to maybe prevent this happening to others (it's something of a track record for this place). I have nothing to do now except sit back and watch the lawyer make hay. In a perverse way, it might be fun to watch....
I wish you the best.
When I was let go, it was disturbing at first because of the lies and unfairness of it. However, I did land softly. My situation became and remains much better than it had been.
So, OP, take heart, do what you need to do. Look for greener pastures ahead and go in peace.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
If they were still in their probationary period, then often time that is the ONLY time someone can be let go without out significant documentation. If there is an inkling that a nurse is not going to work out, it's often the best choice to let them go.
And I think social issues is nearly as valid a reason as performance issues. If a nurse doesn't fit with the culture of a unit, it's going to interfere with teamwork and unit morale.
There was a time when I would not agree with you about "social issues", but I've changed my mind. Several years ago, my unit hired a nurse who had graduated from a well-known Bible college. On her very first day, she plopped herself down next to me where I was minding my own business (charting while watching the monitors for the unit) and announced "The men in this unit are all immoral." WHAT? On her very first DAY? What did she expect from me -- the men to whom she was referring were my friends, colleagues and even my own husband.
For the five and a half months she was employed, "Born Again Barbie" continued to judge -- she judged her coworkers, her managers, the physicians and the patients. My husband was "immoral" because he had a child out of wedlock for whom he was paying private school tuition. I was "immoral" because I had divorced my abusive ex-husband and remarried. Jesse and Mitch were immoral because they were divorced, Robert was immoral because he was homosexual, Lynn was immoral because she was supporting her partner who was unable to work due to her breast cancer, our manager was immoral because she allowed her daughter to wear those skimpy cheerleading uniforms . . . it goes on and on. The only people who weren't, in Barbie's opinion, immoral were those who went to her same Fundamentalist church, and she had questions about some of those. Barbie's employment ended after one of her patients insisted that her partner was to be her medical power of attorney and decision maker. Barbie wasn't able to deal with that . . . she told the patient she was immoral. Yes, that's a good reason to fire someone (especially when they don't see it as a problem, aren't sorry and plan to do it again at the first opportunity), but it didn't need to go so far before cutting her loose. Her attacks on the staff should have been a sufficient reason to let her go.
And then there was Time-Insenstitive Tilly who showed up for work every day -- usually 5 minutes to an hour late. And she was the very first person to complain if her relief showed up late. At first, we were forgiving about it -- new job, new city -- not knowing where to park was an understandable offense. But after several weeks of it, it got old. Preceptors initially waited for Tilly before they started getting report, but the off-going shift ended up staying late. Her preceptors all discussed it with her -- I was one of them -- but Tilly really didn't see the problem. Even after several conferences about the attendance policy and several signed improvement plans, Tilly claimed to be completely blindsided when she was let go.
A nurse who doesn't fit in to the unit culture can be a real problem. A nurse who doesn't see the need to fit in (or who thinks the unit culture ought to change to accommodate them) is a bigger problem. Otherwise good nurses who "just don't fit in" can find good jobs in areas where they DO fit in, and everyone will be the happier for it.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
They can always write something up and say you refused to sign it - even though they never wrote it up before today..
At our facility, there must be another witness present. If the person refuses to sign, the witness signs it, attesting to the fact that the meeting took place and a written documentation was provided to the nurse.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
There was a time when I would not agree with you about "social issues", but I've changed my mind. .
There was a time when I wouldn't have agreed, either. However, being in a leadership role has opened my eyes to what all goes into a high-functioning team, and mutual respect and an ability to get along with each other is pretty huge.
being in a leadership role has opened my eyes to what all goes into a high-functioning team, and mutual respect and an ability to get along with each other is pretty huge.
Amen to that! And sometimes resignations or terminations are the best possible outcome, unfortunately.
catsmeow1972, BSN, RN
1,314 Posts
Oh very much so. My recent position....on Friday, i was a "great part of the team...etc." By the following Tuesday, I was suspended and by Thursday, I was applying for unemployment. The "reason" was some trumped up crap that I did not do and there was no evidence of me doing. The one issue that occurred only happened because there was no policy in place to deal with it. Whatever the case may be, I knew exactly who was gunning for me and this person frankly was a narcissistic, psychotic freak that was unqualified (that's not an opinion) to be in the position she was in because she had neither the degree or the experience for it. My downfall began when I considered applying for an open management position where I'd have been her supervisor. I ultimately decided against that thought for a variety of reasons.
My advantage was that I kept records of every slip of paper that was exchanged. I had no write ups, so the "fast track" to discipline/termination was used. My records are strong enough that this will not be the last they will hear of me.
In some respect, I almost want to say thank you for turfing me, because I landed in a much, much better environment, making more money and being happier. This has nothing to do with revenge, but rather to maybe prevent this happening to others (it's something of a track record for this place). I have nothing to do now except sit back and watch the lawyer make hay. In a perverse way, it might be fun to watch....