I just got fired. Well, actually, my contract with the VA has been terminated, effective immediately. The reason given was that "nursing management" has decided that ALL employees of the clinic will now be RN's. Funny thing is, there is only one other RN in the entire hospital that has any experience running a Hyperbaric Chamber, let alone the entire department, and he is needed elsewhere. So far, I have fielded twelve calls from freaked out nurses asking me how to do various things, from transferring patients from other VA hospitals, to actually running the chambers!
To say that I am livid is an understatement. More than twenty years of experience completely set aside because of the initials behind my name. More than many LVN's, I, mistakenly, believed that I was a valuable component in providing quality healthcare to our veterans, and that I was immune from the struggles faced by so many other LVN's.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
While I can certainly appreciate this point of view, please keep in mind that the majority of my hyperbaric training was conducted by the government. The USAF, more specifically.
Dude you are a veteran!? As adverse as the VA is to bad publicity I would think a few letters to the editor about the VA is firing VETERANS without cause would cause a panic among VA admin.
Specializes in Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care.
Dude you are a veteran!? As adverse as the VA is to bad publicity I would think a few letters to the editor about the VA is firing VETERANS without cause would cause a panic among VA admin.
Yes, I am A Desert Storm vet. But, technically, I was not a VA employee, I was a private contractor.
I know how you feel because after working at the same hospital for 32 years I and all the LVNs were laid off. I felt so sad, mad, betrayed,humiliated, disgusted and depressed about the whole thing. I also got screwed out of my 960 hours of sick time because if you have 20 yrs service and are age 55 you can cash out a percentage of your sick time, unfortunately I was 54 years old. I wouldn't help them at all in your dept with what to do. Let them figure it out themselves. Good Luck to you. Let them realize how valuable you are!
I am so sorry that this happend to you. Although that pales in comparison to how you were treated.
There are so many of us who put our hard skills out there for everyone's benefit, only to be then let go. Or some of us to be put in "other positions" that have not a thing to do with the nursing we have done, but around long enough to teach other nurses how to do what we successfully did for many years.
I get that you are for the patient, therefore, you are feeling as if you should continue to field calls. But do not. And here's why. Most BON will tell you that it is against the scope of practice for an LPN to clinically direct an RN. And given the underhanded way they let you go, I would not want to get into a place where my license was at risk. Nor the liablity of not being a contracted employee and giving any advice.
It is humbling, devastating, and one is left wondering where all of the loyalty went. Apparently, even the government has drunk the kool-aid.
All to the detriment of the patient. And your brother/sisterhood. Which is just so wrong.
Thank you for your service to our country. Thank you for your hard work for so many years so that the men and women who served could be able to function thanks to your dedication and expertise.
You are among many who were put in similiar circumstances. Looking forward, between an EMT certification as well as being wound care certified, you may find it a nice change of pace to do home health or a wound care clinic. Or pick up a few shifts with your local ambulance company. You just may find (as I did) that to not be responsible at the level you are used to is a good thing.
I would still go that route, can't hurt. also try your congressperson.
That is exactly what I was thinking. Your Sen. as well. Also, a newspaper writer looking for a good story. You got one. With the VA being in the news lately, this will make it a more buy able story. Cause, the moment they fired you, and the only had one other person who could work that chamber, they were understaffed when it comes to qualifications.
As for your friends who were co workers, turn off your phone. If they ask about it later, you was to stressed to deal with well meaning calls. Just assume THAT is why they would be calling you.
Specializes in Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care.
Here is the letter that I sent both of my Senators and my local Congressman:
For the past 2.5years, I have held the position of Clinical Staff Nurse of the Hyperbaric Medicine
Department at the Long Beach VA Medical Center. My duties included overall daily management of
the department, including operation of two hyperbaric monoplace chambers,wound care and
dressing changes, assisting the Hyperbaric Physician in wound debridements and management, and charting, using the Electronic Medical Record CPRS program. Additionally, I was responsible for managing and arranging the patient schedule more than 90 days in advance, transferring hyperbaric patients from outside the geographical area, ensuring the appropriate travel arrangements, communicating with referring care teams, and managing the daily schedule and the in-house referrals to the appropriate Medical Services.
My education includes graduation from the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Aerospace Physiology Technician Course, which trains Airman in the physiological aspects of barometric pressure changes. I have completed additional training from International ATMO, a private firm instructing hyperbaric medicine professionals in the theory and practice of hyperbaric medicine. Additionally, I am a Licensed Vocational Nurse, having received my diploma from Kaplan College, and passed the NCLEX for my Nursing License in April of 2009.
While under contract at the Long Beach VA Hospital, I performed the above referenced duties with absolute professionalism. I was responsible for writing the standard SOP for acquiring Transcutaneous Oxygen Pressure Measurements, as well as writing the SOP for how to properly operate the hyperbaric chambers. I was responsible for the safe application of Hyperbaric Oxygen, resulting in nearly 3700 effective treatments, resulting in the health improvement of over 150 military veterans.
Not once during my employment was I ever reprimanded, nor was I ever given a less than satisfactory performance review. In fact, as mentioned previous, I was asked by two different Nurse Managers to write SOP's regarding the safe and effective application of different aspects of Hyperbaric Medicine, a task that I performed with absolute professionalism. Additionally, I was tasked with explaining Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to new VA nurses and interns, and was responsible for conducting VIP tours of the HBO clinic, the only such clinic in the entire VA medical system.
On July 16, 2014, I was informed by Katherine XXX, in a face to face meeting, that I was being terminated. The reason presented was that I did not posses the requisite qualifications to continue functioning in my present capacity, and that new-hire nurses would be trained in my absence, even though they had no experience administering Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
I find this decision on the part of the VA to be shortsighted, and has the potential to be dangerous in regards to the application of Hyperbaric Medicine upon American veterans, especially considering that this is the only VA hospital that has the capacity to administer this form of medicine.
Todate, I have received a dozen calls from nurses forced to work in the HBO clinic. They are calling me with questions ranging from how to properly operate the hyperbaric chambers to howto successfully interpret and perform TCOM acquisitions, to how to input proper orders in order to transfer ill veterans in to the Long Beach VA system. I have offered my professional knowledge, but I must cease to do so without compensation.
I am deeply concerned about the continued treatment of America's veterans at the hands of untrained, and ill-equipped nurses. Without a solid,fundamental understanding of what hyperbaric medicine can do to a patient, there is a potential to do gross physical harm. I wish to prevent that.
To do that, I need your help. Please look in to this. Veterans are being shortchanged,and this decision on the part of the Long beach VA has the potential to cause gross physical harm to one of them, and they don't deserve that. None of us deserve that.
Please Please please stop answering the calls for help.
This is now management's issue.
How will they ever figure out that the way they have gone about this was absolutely unsafe for their patients, unethical, unfair to their staff (old AND new), and not good for their all sooo important bottom line, if you are behind the scene saving their behinds. Because that's what you are doing. It may feel like you are helping the new nurses, and in a way you are, but believe me, you ARE ABSOLUTELY saving the behinds of the geniuses that came up with this policy. For free at that.
I agree but I would say that you are enabling them to function without you. The next time you hear from someone with questions about hyperbaric oxygen therapy, just say "did you call Ms. Smith, she is now in charge of that unit. I am very sorry but I no longer am employed there and I can not provide any suggestions." Be very cordial, sorry I can't help you with this, good bye.
Eventually the administrator will call you for asking for assistance with the equipment. To which I would calmly and politely say "I was hoping that you calling to reinstate me in my position as a HBO therapy nurse."
Listen and wait. The first person who speaks in any negotiation is the loser, so to speak.
PMFB-RN, RN
5,351 Posts
Dude you are a veteran!? As adverse as the VA is to bad publicity I would think a few letters to the editor about the VA is firing VETERANS without cause would cause a panic among VA admin.