Written warning for something I did not do! Feeling beat down by DON!

Nurses General Nursing

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I recently received a written warning from my DON and ADON which I refused to sign. The photocopied MAR's that we're attached to the warning were from two different patients.

First: Norton scale to be done by the 7-3 staff

Second: weekly skin checks to be done every Wednesday on the 3-11 shift.

I refused to sign the warning because I've only done one shift on that floor which was this past week on Monday 3-11. I told them it was not fair that I should get a warning because the nurses on the 7-3 shift haven't been signing off the norton scale as done and they haven't been signing off as doing weekkly skin checks on Wednesday. I don't work the 7-3 shift and I was not there any of the Wednesday's from 3-11. How is it right that I should get a written warning if they weren't even supposed to be done on my shift. The DON said I should've caught the missed signings and brought it to their attention. First off, I work in a Rehab/long term care facility where I have 30 patients with extremely heavy med passes that include a ridiculous amount of narcotics, extremely time consuming. We get many new admissions, discharges, orders, lots of treatments done. We're told we need to take a break, if we need help someone should cover us so we can take a break (keep in mind we currently don't have a 3-11 supervisor). I typically clock out for break and return to working during my break so I don't get written up. I'm at work anywhere from an hour to two hours past my shift just so I can document all meds given, finish my treatments and chart. How can they expect me to flip through every chart to look for my coworkers errors?!? Yes, if I come across something glaring I take the appropriate steps to correct the error. Shouldn't it be the supervisors/managements job to find missed initials? I don't feel like this is my responsibility and feel it's unfair that I'm being punished for someone else's mistake! I made this very clear to them and the DON and ADON response was that it's sloppy and lazy nursing. They refused to take back the warning even though I didn't make a mistake and said it would still go in my file! I feel like I'm being targeted and harassed by them. I literally started shaking and tearing up while having the conversation. Help!

Has anyone had a similar experience or advice?!

Also, stop working off the clock. This is an illegal labor practice!! Their writeups DO NOT TRUMP FEDERAL LAW. Either your DON/ADON are ignorant or they are comfortable breaking the law... personally I have no use for admin who is guilty of either.

Hugs!!

Please look for another job. I'm assuming you are working off the clock the one to two hours you are staying over each shift in addition to working on your breaks that you "clock out" for. This is so wrong yet there are numerous posts on this site of nurses doing the same thing.

The only way I would sign that form is if the nurse who should have done it and every nurse until it was done also signs it.

Please take the good advise you have received to heart!

And yes, STOP working off the clock! If you were to get hurt, and this facility seems very unsafe, Workers' Compensation isn't likely to cover you since you were "clocked out."

Get out of that hell hole ASAP.

If and when you leave and you're working in a

Corporate LTC, I would be making phone calls to let someone in corporate know what they did and that's the reason you left. I'm sorry you are not responsible as you were not even there. If it didn't get done the DON is a nurse let her do it instead of blaming someone that isn't responsible. Sounds like a ****** place to be working. Get out while you can.

You are being targeted and harassed. Start looking. When you have a new job lined up, leave.

THIS.....a hundred times over.

It has been many years since I've worked in a clinic setting, but isn't it standard practice for a nurse to initial, then circle his/her initials, if a med was not given or procedure not done, with documentation about why it was not done? I'm asking because if this is still standard practice, your DON and ADON should have talked to or written up the nurses that failed (or forgot) to document why they didn't do the skin checks or scale. Those nurses were the "lazy" and "sloppy" ones [i hate to even say that...the type of nursing you're doing is usually very challenging, even for seasoned nurses].

That was absolutely rotten of them to target you.

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
THIS.....a hundred times over.

It has been many years since I've worked in a clinic setting, but isn't it standard practice for a nurse to initial, then circle his/her initials, if a med was not given or procedure not done, with documentation about why it was not done? I'm asking because if this is still standard practice, your DON and ADON should have talked to or written up the nurses that failed (or forgot) to document why they didn't do the skin checks or scale. Those nurses were the "lazy" and "sloppy" ones [i hate to even say that...the type of nursing you're doing is usually very challenging, even for seasoned nurses].

That was absolutely rotten of them to target you.

Bolding mine... based on OP's experience, I tend to think it probably not done because their workload exceeded their shift... Not so much sloppiness or laziness. :(

I recently received a written warning from my DON and ADON which I refused to sign. The photocopied MAR's that we're attached to the warning were from two different patients.

First: Norton scale to be done by the 7-3 staff

Second: weekly skin checks to be done every Wednesday on the 3-11 shift.

I refused to sign the warning because I've only done one shift on that floor which was this past week on Monday 3-11. I told them it was not fair that I should get a warning because the nurses on the 7-3 shift haven't been signing off the norton scale as done and they haven't been signing off as doing weekkly skin checks on Wednesday. I don't work the 7-3 shift and I was not there any of the Wednesday's from 3-11. How is it right that I should get a written warning if they weren't even supposed to be done on my shift. The DON said I should've caught the missed signings and brought it to their attention. First off, I work in a Rehab/long term care facility where I have 30 patients with extremely heavy med passes that include a ridiculous amount of narcotics, extremely time consuming. We get many new admissions, discharges, orders, lots of treatments done. We're told we need to take a break, if we need help someone should cover us so we can take a break (keep in mind we currently don't have a 3-11 supervisor). I typically clock out for break and return to working during my break so I don't get written up. I'm at work anywhere from an hour to two hours past my shift just so I can document all meds given, finish my treatments and chart. How can they expect me to flip through every chart to look for my coworkers errors?!? Yes, if I come across something glaring I take the appropriate steps to correct the error. Shouldn't it be the supervisors/managements job to find missed initials? I don't feel like this is my responsibility and feel it's unfair that I'm being punished for someone else's mistake! I made this very clear to them and the DON and ADON response was that it's sloppy and lazy nursing. They refused to take back the warning even though I didn't make a mistake and said it would still go in my file! I feel like I'm being targeted and harassed by them. I literally started shaking and tearing up while having the conversation. Help!

Has anyone had a similar experience or advice?!

I received a written warning when a coworker decided to retaliate against me and lied, but the other person had a longer tenure with them so they chose that side, so I feel your pain OP. This is my advice, tell them you disagree with it and write a written response explaining your side of things and request in writing it be attached to the written warning in your file. My opinion is this, you will never win a fight with management or human resources, even if 20 people ahead of you made the same mistake its usually the last person caught who gets the pain and punishment. Its horrible, but its the reality.

Bolding mine... based on OP's experience, I tend to think it probably not done because their workload exceeded their shift... Not so much sloppiness or laziness. :(

I agree!

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