HR for facility. Not for employees.

[Angelsofmercy]

I work in a toxic environment where nurses gossip about each other and hate each other. in my 23 years of practice I have never worked in such a toxic environment where I dread going to work. All these things are considered professional misconduct. These nurses watch every move you make, file incident reports and when these reports go to HR.

I feel as if I am going to lose my license to practice! In this facility, HR is not for the staff, it's for the institution. I have already been told by the HR director that I have no rights when I injure my shoulder and could not work.

i have already been to a peer review committee in which I was targeted as the "bad" nurse who sent a pt to icu due to changes in clinical status. I felt I was being reprimanded for doing the right thing. The day nurse whom gave me report never said a word!

Now some of my nurses notes are missing. What should I do if the case were to go to court and have no nurses documented to protect my license because the facility does not have a reliable computer system?? I have already contacted risk management and they are unable to locate my notes? I feel like I'm being sabatoged!

Help !!

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

If your charting is missing, and you are being reviewed because a patient went to ICU and you didn't do anything wrong, this is a situation where I'd just leave. I don't know why they are doing that, but you'd best get out.

[Daisy4RN]

I have worked with those type of nurses who feel the need to "write up" every little thing. I have never understood this because it is a much better environment when unit nurses work together, helping each other, having each other's back etc. But, it also sounds like there is much more going on here. HR is never your friend, anywhere you work, period, the less said to them the better. I don't see why it is your problem a pt was tx to ICU, didn't you get a MD order, the nurse (usually) doesn't just transfer, the MD does. As, far as the missing documentation, have you searched everywhere, did you speak to IT and have them try to find it, maybe you charted under the wrong name? I would put on my PI hat and do my best to find it, even if deleted from the computer the IT person should be able to see who and when it was deleted. If no luck there I would write a paper note as "late entry due to missing nursing note" and start over, saving a copy for myself (to CYA). And, while doing all this, look for a new job because that environment does indeed sound toxic. Hope it all works out for you!!

[Daisy4RN]

Did you file a workers comp claim when you first injured your shoulder? Sometimes you have to get an attorney if you are being denied workers comp. I don't understand why you are in trouble for transferring someone to ICU. Better the patient transferred than code on the floor! This has happened where I work because we are getting ICU patients when they are short on nurses in ICU, which is all the time since they are leaving in droves and also we are forced to hold pt's that have a transfer to ICU order until they scramble and find a nurse to take them. I honestly don't understand how corporate doesn't realize you can't run a hospital without ICU nurses! It seems I too am working for Wrongway Regional Medical Center!

This happens all the time, ICU or stepdown patients on med-surg floors because of all the reasons you stated. It seems I too work at Wrongway Hospital!! Admin sees nurses as one size fits all, especially the younger ones who are cheaper to hire. They come in, get discouraged because of little and/or no good training, and leave. At the same time med-surg nurses are leaving because they are not equipped to deal with ICU patients, maybe if just the 1-2, but not with a whole list of other patients. No win situation!