*HELP* being accused of gross negligence

[heather7781, BSN, RN]

I have worked at my outpatient surgery unit for 8 years and have never had any type of write up. Yesterday my manager called me in to give me 2 page write up with several incidents starting April 23rd! This document contained many outright lies and some creative twists on truth. I didn’t document at all on a cardiac post op. LIE. And I checked back and the documentation is there. She is Also blaming me for a circulating nurse taking my patient to surgery before the Doc had seen her, marked her and updated his history and physical. How is that my fault! She assigns us patient admissions sometimes 30 minutes apart. So I am doing my next admission when the circulator came and took the patient. I did the best I could to watch for her to give report but if I have to be around the corner and down the hall admitting a different patient I am not psychic. Not to mention there was a yellow note on the chart the said H&P wasn’t there. She also quoted practioners meaning other nurses on sure saying I said things that I know for absolute sure I have never and would never say. Like telling a anesthesiologist I didn’t know an answer to a question and telling him to look it up himself. NEVER HAPPENED. This write up accuses me of gross negligence! I’m heartbroken about it. Truly. I love being a nurse and I really do my very best to be the best nurse I can be. I can not tolerate this bunch of lies in my file. What do I do!

[Daisy4RN]

So sorry for what you are going through!

I am afraid that for whatever reason they are starting a paper trail. I would start looking for another job asap. In the meantime I would write a rebuttal to the alleged allegations (and keep a copy). Keep it simple, to the point, and keep emotions out of it (for instance don't use words/phrases like "I am not psychic"). Just state the facts: the documentation was there, it was written in a timely manner on such and such date; (assuming you didn't break policy) policy/unit protocol states such and such for the circulator to take pt; manager was not able to name the alleged anesthesiologist or obtain statement from him/her and only stated what other staff allegedly overheard etc. It more than likely won't stop what is already in motion but it could protect you in case they go further with these allegations.

These things happen for a number of reasons and I agree it is heartbreaking to have it happen after so many years of service to this organization.

If you really really love it there you could try talking to the manager but just keep in mind that there is a reason s/he did this and take whatever they say with a grain of salt.

Again, sorry this happened. It has also happened to me and it is not fun but you can learn from the experience and move on. In my case it was the squeaky wheel that did not get the grease but instead got replaced.

Good luck going forward!!

[TriciaJ, RN]

I agree with Daisy. I don't know why your manager is doing this. She is collecting allegations and flat-out lies from anonymous sources (or making them up herself).

I take it you don't have a union. Every time I read a post like yours I just gnash my teeth that there is still so much misinformation about unions.

By all means write up a coherent and objective rebuttal to each erroneous complaint.

Is it possible someone is suing them for something and they're lining up someone to throw under the bus?

If you don't carry professional Liability Insurance please line some up today. NSO has a good website and might be a good place to start. Good luck.

[heather7781, BSN, RN]

I did turn in a detailed documentation based rebuttal. Almost every thing she accused me of I found documentation to prove was false. The few things I couldn’t we merely “complaints from anonymous providers”. I am requesting a meeting with Human Resources, this manager and the director. I refuse to accept anonymous providers told her abc.. to be used as a reason for write up. She needs to name these people if it’s not her made up BS. Funny thing is I have her my rebuttal statement at 10am yesterday and she never said a word about it. Which is surprising considering what a hot head she is. I am wondering if she decided to throw her write up out, after realizing I could disprove the majority of it, since it was full of lies. I guess we will see. Side note, she decided she to use this timing because I start vacation today and won’t be back until the 3rd or June.

[JKL33]

I know this isn't the answer to everything but I absolutely would lawyer up with the most aggressive person I could find if this happened to me. This is libel/libel per se.

One of my fantasy jobs would be advancing workplace conditions by attacking this BS aggressively as a lawyer even if it barely paid the bills. If a licensed professional employee is a problem and needs to be terminated for any work-related reason, then the one making the accusation of such should have no problem supporting that premise without bald-faced lies. I'd love to see some recoveries for this type of workplace maliciousness.

[Enarra, BSN, RN]

Time to call your malpractice Liability Insurance and talk to an attorney. And while you’re at it I’d not post anymore details here this not private.

[nursel56]

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. My one job where I was treated in a similar fashion led me to realize a lot of backstabbing was going on under the radar that I was not aware of and the meeting, "counseling", etc was the manifestation of it.

This was a job I was relatively new at, and the place where I had worked for 6 years had always been supportive, and pretty good at resolving issues before they escalated.

I despise two-faced behavior in my co-workers. Honestly, you're better off without them, but I would also fight like hell to defend myself! Best wishes.

[JKL33]

I'm also not a fan of willy-nilly reporting of everything under the sun. But I certainly would report serious ethical concerns to the BON regarding a nurse who operates this way. Is it likely to be high on their list of priorities? Probably not, but it should be. It's significantly more compromising than some of the things employers report to BONs. It is way, way past time for nurses who are hospital management representatives to stop being relatively immune to what they are dishing out. All of this maliciousness affects patient safety in a BIG way overall.

[heather7781, BSN, RN]

It is really upsetting because I’ve been at this job for 8 years. We go through managers like crazy. This one started a year ago, no management experience and only a nurse for 7years herself. I could read her for what she is from the start. I thought I would stay out of her radar and she’d be gone soon enough. I have never had a write up or any other type of disciplinary action. So this was shocking! I didn’t see it coming at all.

[amoLucia]

Hate to say this, but OP is a prob victim of a witch-hunt. And she prob has a big old red target marking her regardless of any defensive vindication.

Unless there is something else going on that even she doesn't see now, the work environment will likely be non-supportive. I don't have any suggestions to direct her future plans whether to stay & fight or move on. But putting up a big defensive effort might not help either, except for some sense of relief

[FloForLyfe, BSN, CNA, RN]

I am a new nurse who is not working now. I left my last hospital job after harrassment from administration. I was in front of the Director of Nursing and Human Resources. She (HR) casually diagnosed me with Parkinson's and suggested that I take smoke breaks if the shift gets too hard. I do not smoke and I do not have any signs or symptoms of Parkinson's. This is just sad to me. This is one of those funny jokes that hurts to laugh at right?! I moved to nursing in search of positive role models and a supportive environment. It makes me sad that behavior from leadership will ruin other potentially great nurses.

[caliotter3]

OP now that you have submitted your rebuttal it goes without saying you must keep vigilant. Get out of there as fast as you can even if it means taking work with an agency. Daisy pegged it, they want you gone so badly that their paper trail consists of lie after lie. Save yourself from a termination. Better yet, make your resignation effective the last day of May. Just get out of there. Good luck.