HELP!need advice on situation

Specialties Operating Room

Published

Specializes in OR,ICU.

My first travel assignment has ended in a negative state.I went to a very small hospital's very small OR,(28 cases in one day is considered "swamped".)I was expected to be lax about some JCAHO rulesconcerning marking ,as said by the charge nurse/current nurse manager "It's a small OR and we let the doc's slide on some things so they will post cases and we can keep the OR open."My first day I had to make it clear that I would adhere to JCAH rules without exception when it came to marking the correct site prior to bringing the patient to the room.I should have known then that this did not go over well even though I tried to be very nice about it.They were several more instances involving how they check their Pixis machine as far as how to deal with an incorrect narcotic count,refused to accept a permit that was signed by an obviously disoriented elderly patient,basically I just wasn't playing ball.After 7 weeks on a Friday afternoon I get a call from my recruiter that my contract had been cancelled,reasons given were that I was "slow","hovered at the desk",didn't "assess situations well","couldn't find equipment" and couldn't position patients well. I was devastated, I retired Feb.09 from a 900 bed hospital after 25yrs,the last 5 in a very busy OR.If I had done any of those things in the first 7 minutes I would have been immediately written up or other things much less after 7 weeks. I went from doing a great job to horrible nurse in 7 weeks.The thing is I saw many things at this hospital that just have me ill at ease. I have never had to call my board of nursing or JCH about something but I think the time has come.I am just afraid somehow I will catch some fallout.My last 5 yrs in this major OR,I always had good evaluations.Could I really be this bad or is something else going on?Need advice/suggestions.Has anyone else had a situation like this?:crying2:

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Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

I would simply be grateful to be out of this situation and walk away. This facility has to undergo routine checks and I would leave it to the authorities to sort this mess out and just count my blessings that I won't be involved.

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Specializes in Hospice, ONC, Tele, Med Surg, Endo/Output.

It is very easy for hospitals to cancel traveler's contracts--i had the same thing happen to me after a stellar 15 year career in med-surg tele. A patient had a simple complaint; i was not allowed to give my side of the story; and the next day my contract was cancelled by the hospital--just like that, without any warning. This is horrible to be happening in this economy.

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My first travel assignment has ended in a negative state.I went to a very small hospital's very small OR,(28 cases in one day is considered "swamped".)I was expected to be lax about some JCAHO rulesconcerning marking ,as said by the charge nurse/current nurse manager "It's a small OR and we let the doc's slide on some things so they will post cases and we can keep the OR open."My first day I had to make it clear that I would adhere to JCAH rules without exception when it came to marking the correct site prior to bringing the patient to the room.I should have known then that this did not go over well even though I tried to be very nice about it.They were several more instances involving how they check their Pixis machine as far as how to deal with an incorrect narcotic count,refused to accept a permit that was signed by an obviously disoriented elderly patient,basically I just wasn't playing ball.After 7 weeks on a Friday afternoon I get a call from my recruiter that my contract had been cancelled,reasons given were that I was "slow","hovered at the desk",didn't "assess situations well","couldn't find equipment" and couldn't position patients well. I was devastated, I retired Feb.09 from a 900 bed hospital after 25yrs,the last 5 in a very busy OR.If I had done any of those things in the first 7 minutes I would have been immediately written up or other things much less after 7 weeks. I went from doing a great job to horrible nurse in 7 weeks.The thing is I saw many things at this hospital that just have me ill at ease. I have never had to call my board of nursing or JCH about something but I think the time has come.I am just afraid somehow I will catch some fallout.My last 5 yrs in this major OR,I always had good evaluations.Could I really be this bad or is something else going on?Need advice/suggestions.Has anyone else had a situation like this?:crying2:

The BON is not an organization that can help you with this -- they are concerned with the practice of individual nurses. The state agency that licenses healthcare agencies in that state (where the hospital is located) is who you would want to contact -- every state has one, and, although they typically have different names in different states, they are usually a division of the state Dept. of Health and Human Services (or whatever that's called in that state ... :)) JCAHO is also a possibility. However, JCAHO accreditation is voluntary and the state agency controls that hospital's license to operate. (Also, I worked as a state and Federal surveyor for several years, and every state surveyor I've ever met consideres JCAHO a joke ...)

If other states operate like mine, hospitals v. rarely have "routine checks" for compliance with state and Federal rules/regs -- they may only be inspected when a complaint is made, and only the rules/regs relating to the specific complaint will be involved in the complaint investigation.

When I first graduated, from a diploma school in a big hospital in a big city, I took a job at a small, rural hospital and was amazed at how many things were different there and how many rules and expectations that were simply part of daily life in the urban hospitals in which I had been educated were just ignored (or the people in the small, rural hospital truly, sincerely weren't aware that those rules and standards existed). You're not going back there anyway -- if you have genuine concerns about safety practices in this other hospital, I encourage you to make them known to the applicable regulating agencies.

This is a tough situation for you to be in, I know -- best wishes! :balloons:

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Specializes in Operating Room.

I agree with TakeTwoAsprin however I would keep a detailed report on the unit's practice and send a copy to the recruiter. That way they can warn other persons that they send there.

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