Honesty is NOT the best policy?

[Ambersmom, BSN, RN]

Anyone been told that creating a safety net (or incident report) was non-punitive and then discovered it was, and by doing so they put a target on their back. I filled out reports on 3 issues that were basically sentinel level events. I did them for patient safety, told my manager the circumstances I found, did not name names or make comment or judgement other than "this is what I found", I made a minor mistake, did a report, and find myself being retaliated against, as someone said to me, you put a target on your back, today I was fired over something rather ridiculous. I guess I thought that reporting them was truly something to learn from and an opportunity for education, instead I find that they are highly punitive against the person who "finds" the issue. I am so upset right now I thought I had done the right thing in the best interest of my patients.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I am sorry to read that you were fired and can understand that you are very upset. Find yourself a shoulder to cry on and set the issues aside for a little bit. Then come back to them when you are ready to move forward.

You should not post the details of the incidents online ... but without a few details, it will be hard for anyone to discuss those situations and give you good quality feedback here on allnurses. So if you want to discuss things here online, you'll need to be very clear-headed so that you don't reveal too much online.

So ...focus on grieving for a bit. Then come back if and when you feel ready to share a little more online -- and have the clear head to do so safely.

[Ambersmom, BSN, RN]

I appreciate your response, I am broken hearted over this and am really feeling down and wondering if I want to continue as a nurse. But honestly I did not want advice in my situation, I was just wondering if anyone else has heard the typical party line about not being punitive and discovered it was not true. It makes me question whether I would ever want to report a patient safety issue again.

[caliotter3]

Management typically does not want to hear about any problems, much less do anything about those problems. Employees who bring problems to the attention of management are seen as THE problem and not the "problem" or those who cause the "problem". This is a general rule of thumb. If you want to remain employed, or have less stress at work, you will make the choice to turn a blind eye to a lot. Not saying this is the right way to go about one's worklife, just saying that it is a general rule of thumb.

And yes, I have heard the party line more than once. No one is going to say that they do the opposite of policy or general common sense. That would be leaving the door wide open to litigation.

[Axgrinder]

I'm so sorry Ambersmom - that sucks and I don't know what to say. I try to make myself as unnoticeable as possible at work. I don't want recognition for good or bad - just pay me, and leave me alone on my days off.

One would think doing the right thing is the right thing to do, but stories like this make one wonder. I hope you have found a much better place to work - a place that values you for the great person and nurse you are.

People can be strange - manager's included. One would hope at this employment level they would all be forthright people who made good decisions, but honestly I've seen some manager's who made some really bad personal choices which bleed under the management door into their workplace decisions (things that would make your hair curl and the milk go sour - things that would scare the cat to scrabble up the chimney). Scary things - things that left me scratching my head thinking, "Really?".

I wish you the best and hope you are feeling better elsewhere. Lessons learned are sometimes painful (thankfully it didn't end upon even worse).

Hugs.

[Ambersmom, BSN, RN]

Thank you for the kind words. I have not found another job. I doubt I will. I wish I could tell what happened because it is so ridiculous... but because union is involved I can't. I doubt they'll do much, its pretty weak union. I just wish that one vindictive person hadn't most likely cost me my career. Oh well, Live and learn.

[Sue Damonas, BSN]

Sending hugs!!!!! So sorry this happened to you!

[Accolay]

Sorry this has happened. Hopefully all for the best. I don't think I could work for a place that treated event reports as punishment. Bad culture... best to move on.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Hugs. Getting fired from Dirtbag General is probably going to be the best thing that ever happened to you. It's just going to be hard to see that at the moment. A quality, reputable hospital absolutely wants incident reports. They want a heads up before they get hit with a lawsuit; they also want to be constantly evaluating policies and procedures because many errors are systems errors. At the last hospital I worked they used to notify us if there were too few incident reports. The thinking was that errors do happen; few incident reports just meant they weren't being reported.

Any hospital that would just rather not hear about things is on the wrong path. Firing the person who gives them the heads up is a red flag. They are headed for catastrophe and will happily throw nurses under the bus when it happens. You will be thanking your lucky stars that you are not one of them.

Dust off your resume and look for a job with a reputable employer. You deserve no less.

[Ambersmom, BSN, RN]

Thank you all for the kind words. I really appreciate it! Happy Holidays to all.