HR wants meeting or report me to BON

Nurses Recovery

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So about a month ago I came here looking for advice about being suspended for a co-sign waste discrepancy. I just got an email from HR saying they need to meet with me this is the email

i copied the email...

“As you were informed by your manager, ***** **** on Date deleted..., HR, Management and Pharmacy are conducting an investigation into your medication handling and administration practices. We need to meet with you in connection with the investigation. Please contact me at your earliest convenience. Failure to contact me or otherwise cooperate with the investigation will result in the termination of your employment. If you’re employment is terminated, we will be obligated to report you to the State of Michigan Licensing Bureau.”

this happened a month ago, I’m contingent so I started looking for work right away. I secured a job. I feel like this is a trap and I was under the impression they are required to the state anyways.
I talked to a lawyer when this all went down and he said, hospitals usually don’t let lawyers attend internal meetings.

any advice would be great appreciated

On 2/19/2020 at 1:28 PM, AbbeyR said:

@SpankedInPittsburgh

The first thing the HR rep said was: “Please be completely honestly. It will only help you”.

Yeah they call that lying

6 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Nothing like false accusations from someone hoping to make a chilling example of you. It sounds to me like you've handled it admirably up to this point. You consulted with an attorney, you secured new employment, you attended their stupid meeting, you didn't admit to anything you didn't do.

It is going to be nerve-wracking to wait for the BON shoe to drop. But the onus is on your employer to show that a documentation error is actually diversion. Meanwhile, generate a good reputation with your new employer. The longer it takes to hear from the Board the better your reputation will be when you do meet with them.

This, too, shall pass. Sending you best wishes and positive energy.

9 Votes
Specializes in OR.

Yeah, given that you did not admit to anything (like to what? You can’t ‘admit’ to something that you did not do) they can wail to the board all they want but there’s no drug test or anything that would put this out as anything other than documentation issues. If they’re still doing paper documentation for narcs than they don’t really have room to to talk about accuracy.

Like the others said, it sounds to me like they are looking for a scapegoat for their own shortcomings. If you actually do hear from the board (and I doubt it will be with any urgency) I would pass it off to a lawyer and let them deal with it.

9 Votes
Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Stressful day for you but it’s over. Now to work on the future.

i don’t know much about these meetings but I am always curious to follow: you mentioned this was a co-sign issue. Was the other nurse there? Why is it that you feel the admin is using you as a scapegoat?

2 Votes
Specializes in Educator.

Hang in there - work your new job like a pro. The wheels of the BON turn slowly and there is always the chance that your old employer will not report at all. They may not want the BON sniffing around their mess. I am sorry that you have to go through this - but it will pass.

4 Votes

I'll be honest, anytime you don't want to participate in an investigation, it makes you look like you did something wrong. If you ignored that email, that was a huge mistake on your part.

Now...when you go, check the laws in your state to see if you can record the meeting. Michigan is a one-party notification state. You don't have to tell them you are recording it.

Answer honestly. Tell what you know, be honest about what you don't remember, anything that you are not 100% sure of...say, "I can't answer that because I am not entirely sure". Don't let them bully you into guessing.

1 Votes

@Jory

I did attend. I was terminated. They had their termination paperwork already typed up with there “proof”. They just wanted to see if I would admitted to to diverting. I only answered to questions I was sure about

I was asked to sign the termination letter and that I was able to write my statement on the document.

as advised by my lawyer, my official statement was “ I do not agree with the above statement”.

I understand my medication documentation errors are not something I take lightly, I also know that being forced into a monitoring program wouldn’t be right.

I wish I would have brought a recorded

3 Votes
Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.

So all of you out there who are always saying "I don't need a union". How do you feel about that sentiment in light of situationslike this? In a union facility not only would her representative have been present, but the hospital would have the burden of showing that they "terminated" other nurses who made the same errors (requiring lengthy and tedious record examinations), which they probably didn't. It is too bad that you could not have taken an attorney and served them with paperwork for defamation and libel. These corporate cowards make me sick. They overload nurses with impossible workloads, outdated equipment, and inadequate systems and then not only do they "throw them under the bus" when the inevitable errors occur they want to turn their system error into a criminal offense on the part of the nurse. There is no grave to shallow for these jerks.

9 Votes

@myoglobin Wow! you’re spot on. I was able to secure a new job while I was being investigated by my employer. My new job is only 1 of 2 hospitals in my state that are union. When the BON gets involved eventually( I was told I would be reported) I hope that when they audit their narcotics system they see how many nurses are having the same issue. I was told I couldn’t bring a lawyer to an internal meeting. I know I’m in for a major battle now, but if it shines a light of my former employers fails I’d be trilled.

2 Votes
Specializes in OR.
5 hours ago, myoglobin said:

So all of you out there who are always saying "I don't need a union". How do you feel about that sentiment in light of situationslike this? In a union facility not only would her representative have been present, but the hospital would have the burden of showing that they "terminated" other nurses who made the same errors (requiring lengthy and tedious record examinations), which they probably didn't. It is too bad that you could not have taken an attorney and served them with paperwork for defamation and libel. These corporate cowards make me sick. They overload nurses with impossible workloads, outdated equipment, and inadequate systems and then not only do they "throw them under the bus" when the inevitable errors occur they want to turn their system error into a criminal offense on the part of the nurse. There is no grave to shallow for these jerks.

There was a time, many, ....many moons ago when I thought unions weren’t necessary. Y’know, why would you even think of striking, we’re here to take care of others....I was of the thought that your should be able to talk to your employer like adults and blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda. That tune changed real fast when I figured out, the hard way, that ‘adults’ will also be the first ones to be driving the bus you get thrown under if it means covering their own a** and the world revolves around money. I’d trust my cat around an open bag of treats more than I’d trust most people.

Needless to say, after some hard hard experiences, I have done an about face and do not go into ANY closed door conference with any employer personnel without someone to speak for me and no, Sally from HR does not count. I’m not in a union facility at present but our current management at least seems to recognize appropriate ways to address issues....for now.

5 Votes
Specializes in Psychiatric.

I'd go to the meeting, but email then a resignation before the meeting. Here in Ohio, we are an "At-Will" state, so just like they don't have to give you 2 weeks notice to can you, you don't have to give 2 weeks notice to quit. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE, should you sign anything!!! They already plan on reporting, so let them and deal with the BON on their terms with your attorney.

1 Votes

@Catedi I signed a termination letter and the box were I could write a statement I wrote” I do not agree with the allegations brought forward”

they were pissed. Probably because I wouldn't admit I was diverting or have a substance abuse disorder.
I just hope I have some time during the BON process so I can save and work to prove a good track record with my new employer

6 Votes
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