could get fired!

[RNmoms]

Nervous, my daughter is a very good nurse and after 6 months on the job got a really good raise. However, the other night a male nurse was really busy and he asked my daughter if she would take a test for his other nurse friend because she didn't finish and is on vacation and the test was due by midnight. Erin tried to help out and said yes, and he gave her this other nurses codes and passwords. Well, my daughter got caught and was yelled at. Now she is worried she will be fired. Does anyone know if this has ever happened before to anyone and do you think she will get fired. she is so mad at herself. she knows better.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

If I am understanding this scenario correctly a nurse that was on vacation gave her log in credentials to somebody else [the male nurse] to complete a mandatory test for her at work and then he in turn passed them on to another nurse [the daughter] who then took the mandatory test for the nurse that was on vacation to "help her out."

If this was a work related mandatory test why didn't this nurse that was on vacation make alternate plans to test either before she left or when she got back? Obviously the employer knew she was on vacation and wouldn't be there to take the test that day. So was this even a work related test, or was it for a school program? I don't think the OP ever really specified what the test was for. Either way this nurse should be fired if it was work related or turned into the school for cheating if it was school related.

Did this male nurse [by the way what difference does it make that it was a male nurse??] get cold feet and pass the job along to a more gullible nurse? Either way, it sounds like he didn't do anything other than pass the request along, so maybe a write up is in order but not a termination.

Now to the daughter that took the test using somebody else's log in credentials. Definitely should be fired. Doesn't matter if this was work or school related as this shows a level of dishonesty that should not be tolerated in the work place. If she is lucky it will only be firing as the employer could [and probably should] turn this in to the state BON for further investigation.

[Creamsoda, ASN, RN]

Why she would do this is beyond me. But Id suggest she start looking and applying for a new job now. I would imagine she could easily get fired. But if this is a first time offense they may be lenient. But I doubt it

[Everist Ware]

I read this article. Please share this with your daughter. I have been a nurse for well over 40 years. There are mistakes to be made. Do not let someone lead you down the wrong path or your journey will be full of obstacles along the that you might not be able to overcome.She need to take her practice very serious. Good intentions is is not a good nurse make. Although we would like to believe that every nurse is a good person with good intentions, we can't ignore the fact that every year, state nursing boards revoke dozens of licenses. While some of these men and women lose their ability to serve as nurses because of non-nurse related activities, others suffer the consequences of patient endangerment or worse. The threat of having your license revoked is ever-present, and it is important to know just what activities can take it away. My advice to all nurses new and old:Avoid Hearing You're fired!”With so many people worried about losing their jobs due to the economy, why would you want to place your nursing career on the line by committing some of these popular reasons for termination. After all, unless you are being fired by Donald Trump himself, hearing the words you're fired” isn't all that thrilling or exciting.Follow the hospital rule in regard to using your password and assumie someone else idenfty. Remember protect your practice. You want to follow the hospital policies and procedures even with the use of the computer. Avoid drawing attetion to yourself by breaking these rules.Nurses need to learn how to address concerns and problems they may have with their work environment in a respectful and politically correct manner that won't attract the attention of upper management or those in charge. Too much attention drawn on you from upper management could result in having all aspects of your job placed under a microscope and examined until they find grounds for termination

[norlns24]

Probably depends on how much paper work is involved and who will look good or not look good if this situation gets exposed to a wider audience w/in the agency and how much pressure the department is under to keep costs in check. Firing a new nurse to turn around and hire and train someone else is very costly. If the daughter was hired by the same manager who caught her, she might actually be safe. At my current company, when the labor market was tight and we needed employees for staffing, it was a well known fact that people who normally would have been fired during probation were kept on to cover staffing. I realize in most places, the nursing labor market is ANYTHING BUT tight, but in some areas of the country it is. Also, when one of your hiring choices messes up, the individual or committee who approved the hire looks bad, too. I am not arguing the charges are not serious (as has been outlined in this thread in detail). Just stating a lot depends on external factors in this case as to whether the daughter will get fired.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

Why is this even a question?

[Guest343211]

Is this a serious post?

Most people sign online and/or on paper saying that they will not use someone else's PW/UN, etc. It's all in the info given at the beginning.

The reply is absolutely "No." After that you document it the request somewhere, in case the person that asked you to do the wrong thing has clout and tries to get you in trouble over something stupid or misrepresented later on--which happens a lot more in nursing than I would want to admit in a court of law. It's embarrassing really.

Unless you can prove (very difficult if not impossible) that she was made to do this under duress, she doesn't really stand a chance. She should begin looking for another position ASAP.

[Guest343211]

"She knows better" but did it anyway? She deserves to be fired for violating facility policy that forbids sharing of passwords/login information, taking a test for someone else, and poor judgment. Everyone involved deserves to be fired for sharing passwords/login information.

Also, if your daughter is a nurse, she is an adult. Let her make her own mistakes and learn from them. You can't fix all of her problems for her.

True, but will that ACTUALLY happen? There is a lot of looking the other way when you are in the right "crowd," and I have seen a fair share of NM's complicit with this sort of thing. Very few strong ones that function out of principle and don't ride off of the "special" inner-crowd's micromanaging and being their set of eyes. Do do otherwise can get in the way of their next move up the ladder; so they keep their inner circle, and it's amazing how exceptions are made of the inner circle and their allies.

So, I'd like to know that if the nurse gets fired, will the other people involved get fired also? I'd be very surprised if that is how things went down. And if they really want to cover the inner-crowd people with screwed up ethics, they may slap her on the wrist, so to not bring the others to a disciplinary hearing if the original nurses protested about it. I love hospital/unit politics.

[Guest343211]

The nursing home I worked at for awhile paid a med aid to take the online continuing ed classes for other nurses so every body was up to date. How illegal is that?

Holy crap!

[canigraduate]

Is this the same daughter with a DUI?

I am beginning to see a pattern of poor decisions on her part.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

At my place of employment, I would be canned in a heartbeat. Along with the other two nurses that passed along the login credentials.

[melissamabd, DNP, RN]

One of my favorite axioms is "Learn from everything". If she does get fired, this will be a character-changing moment, and one she will never forget. Sometimes it takes this much to help us see things more clearly. I hope she is given only a warning, but am also sure she can recover from this incident in one way or another. Good luck to you both.

[elijahvegas, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

I'm really enjoying how people are bashing the concerned parent asking on behalf of her child. Ever occur to anyone that maybe the girl wanted to solve it on her own, and didn't want to run to a forum of strangers and ask their opinion? Ever occur to anyone that maybe mom is so concerned for her daughters career that she wanted a better insight as to the possible consequences her daughter could be facing ?

I know many times that I have an issue, I'll do research on my own without actually sharing it with many people. And I do this because I know my folks would react in a similar fashion ---freak out and ask everyone they could find and have ever met to try to help me through the situation. I'm grateful for the concern but I personally don't like people in my business too much, to the point where at times I'll altogether refrain telling people anything, just so I won't be asked about its progress.

Hope things turn out for the best for the daughter, but as echoed by many others, termination seems likely, but not definite. If she's as good a nurse as described and doesn't have much other infractions, administration may be inclined to pursue a less severe course of action