I Don't Think So!

Town & Country · Nov 7, 2003

one day we may all be in a facility like that, in pain or have fallen and no one is there to help you!!

omg, that scares the crap outta me! i just sent a complaint letter to jhaco....with details.

burns me up. it's not like there was no one who could have worked the shift with me!

arrgh!

most places just don't like "uppity" nurses who have the temerity to actually wonder about safe staffing......oh my goodness.....what gall, lol.

stevierae · Nov 7, 2003

Originally posted by jemb
My passive-aggressive side would have taken over.

I would have told the supervisor that I would work alone only if I was allowed to clock in one hour early , and do no hands-on nursing care until my shift, but use that hour to prepare for what I needed in order to be there alone. Then I would have spent that hour methodically calling the residents' emergency next of kin #s to ask if it was possible for them to come sit with their relative overnight because "I will be the only nurse here for 60 residents, and I don't feel that it is safe".

Then before the beginning of my shift, I would turn in my two weeks resignation.

Bet they wouldn't staff so poorly for that two weeks. And even if they did, I bet there would be fewer residents to care for!

It doesn't hurt to fantasize anyway.

Whooo hoo, good one!!!! Could take it one step further, and call the media; rather, encourage the families of the patients to call the media and invite the local news team to show up and film live.

I don't think you are being passive aggressive at all--I think you are doing whatever it takes to advocate for these patients, as is your responsibility (even if so far it's just a fantasy!) I commend you .

stevierae · Nov 7, 2003

Originally posted by Shezam!
Thank all of you for your replies.
However, it's a moot point now.

I DID have a meeting set up with the Admin. and DON, however, I called the DON again and she advised me that, since this incident (my refusing to be the only nurse for 67 residents), "other things" have come up.
I asked her what she was talking about.
She told me that she had a "signed statement from a CNA" that I did XYZ (all false.)
I know who she got it from and the CNA worked with me ONE time.

Anyway, what it boiled down to is that the DON was trying to justify firing me after-the-fact.
I'm sure she was busy all day, interrogating people "have you seen anything unethical out of her", etc.
She probably BACKDATED the statement to look at though I had had a warning before.
I've never had any problems there, no verbal or written warnings....just BOOM, you're fired.
When I realized what she was doing, it became very clear to me that the best thing I could do would be to cut my losses and move on.
What a disgusting state of affairs.
All because I was concerned about the residents.
I swear, I think THE ONLY WAY THE KEEP A NURSING JOB is to not give a d**n!
Makes you wonder........!
Anyway thank you all for the support.

Call the media and spill your guts about all the unsafe staffing and "near misses" (I am sure there had to have been a few) that occurred due to unsafe staffing. Let them interview you live and show it on all the news channels. Contact AARP and let them know. Contact any local ombudsmen who advocate for long-term care residents. Contact the agency that investigates nursing home complaints, and file one on behalf of the residents.

Also, get yourself a good employment lawyer and file a wrongful termination lawsuit. Even in right-to-work and no union states, this is serious business.

Print out the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, and let them print it in the local newspaper to show how YOU were doing what is ethically required of a nurse, and were fired for it.

Let us know what happens--feel free to p.m. me if you want someone to talk to outside this discussion area.

Town & Country · Nov 8, 2003

Well, I am lawyer-shopping now.

If I can find one who'll take it contingency I will file a lawsuit.

The DON established a precedentwhen she gave me permission saturday night to call a nursing agency.

I had no reason to think there was anything wrong with my asking for another nurse.

As for going to the media, forget it.

Everybody knows that no place around here is safely staffed ~ at least, "everybody" in healthcare.

I'm not going to be the sacrificial lamb by going to the media and them turning around and interviewing OTHER NURSES AT THE SAME FACILITY WHO WILL LIE THEIR AS*ES OFF, just to keep their jobs.

You've got to be kidding.

Nurses don't hang together ~ certainly not in a situation like this.

I haven't had any support from them YET ~ somehow I doubt I would get any if I went public ~ they would probably REFUTE everything I said!!!!!

Town & Country · Nov 8, 2003

example:

the one lpn (the one who worked the entire facility by herself for 3 years); she was always saying "i got your back," etc., and she said if it ever came down to it and they tried to get rid of me or anything like that, she'd be right in there with me, blah blah blah.....

....well when i had my meeting scheduled with the don and the admin, i was talking to her about it and told her that i was "taking a witness."

did she volunteer to come with me?

no.

as far as i know, she is working this weekend.

nurses don't support each other.

Cheyenne RN,BSHS · Nov 20, 2003

I don't get to read these nursing boards often, but I think that you are to be commended for taking a stand. It IS important to protect yourself, your residents, and your nursing license.

Staff who call off at the last minute may leave things short occasionally, but to knowingly permit such unsafe conditions and accept it as the norm says little for management.

Accepting the conditions to work with one nurse and sixty plus residents is absolutely unsafe.

I have worked in long term care and enjoyed it tremendously. It is hard work and often offers the lowest pay of any nursing field I have seen...or so it seems.

Administration will do as little as possible to spend money, and when they do it is rarely on additional staffing. They will only focus on the issue when there is a lawsuit with the "right" patient.... and by that I mean one with money and power and a family to push the issue. When it hits their pocket books, then they listen.

I think that you did the right thing. You told them ahead of time and more than once.

You let them know that you would not work under their present conditions, and clarified that you were willing if they found that additional staff.

You also did so in more than enough time for them to start correcting the problem and to get staff for the night.

Administration will not give nurses respect until we start respecting ourselves.

I would consider it an experience not worth repeating and move on. There are too many places that do need and want nurses and I used to tell them I worked too hard and too long to GET my license to let some blankity-blank place make me risk losing it, and I mean it.

Good luck with whatever you choose and don't beat yourself down about it. You did the right thing for the right reason and management was wrong pushing things this far.

Town & Country · Nov 20, 2003

thank you for posting that.

it makes me feel better, because i have two children to support.

people who aren't nurses just don't understand.

my ex-husband asked me if i "lost my job"....i tried to explain to him that nursing is not like other jobs ~ there are "ethics" {{{gasp!}}} involved ~ and that i felt it was unsafe for the residents.

however, being concerned about such [sarcasm]mediocre matters as residents' safety[/sarcasm] doesn't exactly make you a candidate for "employee of the year."

i know i did the right thing, and my fiance agrees with me. but it's so hard. i miss the residents. you get attached to them.

and i'm a nurse. it seems unfair that someone can stop me from doing what i am.

i'm a nurse and now i have no one to care for, and being fired doesn't look good on one's resume.

i am thinking of relocating to where there are more jobs, somewhere around the lexington/louisville area. i miss working.

Town & Country · Dec 9, 2003

as gomer pyle so eloquently said:

"surprise, surprise, surprise!"

~~~not!~~~

update:

"the one lpn (the one who worked the entire facility by herself for 3 years); she was always saying "i got your back," etc., and she said if it ever came down to it and they tried to get rid of me or anything like that, she'd be right in there with me, blah blah blah.....

....well when i had my meeting scheduled with the don and the admin, i was talking to her about it and told her that i was "taking a witness."

did she volunteer to come with me?

no.

as far as i know, she is working this weekend.

nurses don't support each other."

guess what?

well, i just heard from her and they fired her!

it was all made up. some b.s. about a cna complaining....anyway, no i didn't gloat as i still like her. in fact, she proposed that we take weekend option in a nearby state and ride together ~ hey, sounds good to me!

the hospital supposedly will let you do two twelves, put you up, and pay you for forty hours!

we could work weekends, like we were doing.

i'm going for it, already downloaded the app.

~woo!~

:roll

callbabe · Jul 21, 2004

Just an FYI,
No call, no show is grounds for losing your liscense. I think I would contact the BON about the situation before the DON does.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Robert

callbabe I beg to differ with you. Accepting a job and bailing out is abandonment. He told his boss he would not work under those circumstances. He had every right. I have just recently spoke to a RN,JD on this very subject. Although speaking to the board is a good idea. they do have rules and regs on staffing.

KacyLynnRN · Jul 21, 2004

Shezam,

Very similar experience here...was working PRN at a 110-bed nursing home on the day shift...DON calls and asks if I could work an evening shift, say OK and come in to work...I had only been working at this place maybe, 2 months tops and turnover was high so I didn't really know many of the people working there...well, this nursing home was set up to have 2 'sides', each with about 55 residents. I never went over to the other side, mostly because I was busy. About 8pm, this girl calls me and asks if I can come and give a resident their insulin, I'm thinking she must be drowning over there, walk over there and it's quiet, I asked why she didn't want to give the insulin, and she says "oh I can't...I'm a QMA." (a person certified to pass meds but NOT a nurse!) I then discover I am the ONLY nurse in the buliding!!! I called the DON at home, and she acts like it is no big deal, I am SOOOOOOO pissed at her for putting my license on the line like that!!! She calls me at home the next day and asks if I can work anymore that week and promises it won't happen again, well I said forget it! I never worked in that facility again. And from what I hear from other nurses I have told this story to, in LTC this kind of stuff happens frequently. I know how you feel, but when it comes down to it, it is your nursing license you worked hard for, and don't let any job threaten that. May advice is too look elsewhere. Especially if you are willing to work night shift, you should have tons of oppurtunities available to you since that tends to be the lowest staffed shift. Good luck!

boggle, ASN, RN · Jul 21, 2004

A very interesting thread. I notice the original post was from last November.

Shezam!, can you give us an update? What happened after you were fired? Was your license actually threatened? Any trouble finding a new position?

Hope everything worked out OK for you.

stressednurse · Jul 21, 2004

Wow, guess I am lucky where I work.

I did work agency for a while though and was put in uncomfortable situations as far as staffing in the past. The state of PA requires a minimum hours of care per patient in a 24 hour period (HPPD). This is calculated daily and kept on record. A sub-acute unit requires more hours of care than a LTC or dementia unit. Personal care requires the least amount of care hours.

I admire you for sticking up for what you believe is a bad or unsafe situation for the patients. When I worked in ICU I used to write incident reports for unsafe staffing situations explaining the patient acuity and how I gave the best care possible under these situations but ultimate care was not possible. These reports went to the DON, unit manager and administrator along with the head intensivist. I did that once where I work now and it was accepted without repercussions.

If a facility dosen't have staff, then they need to look at why.

Once again, I stand in your corner as a patient advocate.