I graduated in May and I began working at a LTC in July. I was suspended today because of a mistake I made yesterday when the state surveyors were there. The ADON told me to call her on Monday to make an appointment to meet with her after they finish their investigation.
If I do get fired, how would I address this when looking for a new job? What do I say when hiring managers ask why I left?
I'm sure everyone wants to know what happened. A surveyor came to me and asked what I would do if a CNA told me a resident had a pulse ox of 78%. I said I would put her on O2, check vitals, assess, and try to titrate her back up to 90%. Then the surveyor said she saw the CNA take the pulse ox of the resident and it was 78% and asked if the CNA told me this. I told her the CNA did not tell me, and I looked at the vitals sheet from the CNA and saw that she put down the resident had a pulse ox of 92%. I made an unsafe assumption that the CNA had retaken the pulse ox after it was 78% and it was 92%, so I did not follow up on it and assess the resident.
I accept full responsibility for what happened. It was my responsibility to check vitals and assess the resident myself given the information about the 78%, and I didn't do it. I do feel it was an honest mistake, especially for a new nurse, although I didn't fully think through what was going on and what I was told. But it was a mistake nonetheless, and I accept the consequences of it.
