Is this a VALID reason to terminate someone?

[lllenjolll]

I NEED OPINIONS. THIS REALLY MADE ME SO DEPRESSED FOR DAYS NOW.

Recently I got terminated on my 5th month for an incident that did not happened of my shift. I'm a new nurse. Barely on my 5 months on the facility I worked for(so im still on probation being an orientee).

DURING MY 5 MONTHS

For the first few months I was working hard. I got very good feedbacks from other staff member, from patients to families for being attentive to their needs and whatnot. All in all, I was doing really well. Even my manager and director commend me because they've been hearing good stuff from peers. Not to brag but I'm really the kind of person who likes to balance things out. I worked for a rehab/LTC and since it has gloom atmosphere, I try to put in a cheery attitude. So that really keeps my job a breeze. Despite all this efforts, I don't fit in to my working environment. Most of them have 5-10 years of experience. Mostly, they are beyond my age range. As I'm only on my 1 year. Some of my coworkers warned me about others being a snitch but I brushed it off. I'm just there to do my job. But then again, I kept this 1 or 2 time subtle informal counseling from my unit manager about this and that. But being new, I just signed away it not knowing it will go on my records. Again, it did not bother me because I consistently getting smiles and good feedback from them. It gave me this illusion that it's a team and everyone got each other's back.

ON MY 4th MONTH

Anway, a month before this incident, I got a nursing job under the new grad program from an affiliated hospital. Being a new nurse, I couldn't be happier. But all my coworker had been telling me that that I have to be a 6 months employee to get a hospital transfer. The human resource manager from the hospital said that they requested my director if they could make an exception for me. The director agreed on one condition; they have to find a replacement for me before I leave. After a month of waiting, they finally found a replacement for me. But on my final week of working in this rehab, this incident happened:

Last week, I was so in distraught I got terminated for 1 time mistake I'm not even aware of! An IV line that was found clogged last week of February. They found out that IV dressing wasn't change since from the patients admission to the facility (which was early feb). They said it was supposed to be change every week.

I was the nurse on duty during those shifts that it needed to be change. They saw on the treatment records my initials, indicating that I have done it.

Mainly, they blame the unchanged needle connector for getting clogged.

In my defense, and in all honesty, I took it as a PRN because a PRN was added in the instruction. So on those both shifts I only did an assessment,; the IV line was patent, clean and intact. I really thought it appears every day so I did not worry. Also, the change needle connector wasn't stated on the instruction. So even though the IV dressing was changed, it will still be clotted since it's not stated there. I also asked them how come other nurses didn't notice that the IV dressing wasn't change (I'm only part time and I'm not there all the time). Regardless of my explanations, they kept emphasizing how I did not do my job on those days. AND it really make me so nervous because my director is lawyering me.

For confidentiality, the incident happened like:

Day 7 of week 1, I was nurse on duty.

Day 7 of week 2, I was nurse on duty.

Day 7 of week 3, Other nurse was on duty. (No one initialed on this day)

Day 7 of week 4, IV line was found clogged. Dressing was found not changed.

Week 5, they did an investigation based on grievance. The next day they find I'm at fault and fired me.

Day 7 of week 5. Supposed to be my LAST day.

On week 5, they summoned me at the office. They told me that I am terminated for falsifying a documentation. (DESPITE MY EXPLANATIONS!!) I never been so devastated. What's more crushing was that they said I won't also be getting my hospital transfer. What's really aggravating about my situation was that they terminated me 1 day before my last day.

I am also confused with the number of compliments I am getting, they fire me over this kind of incident. When I told this to my friends, they told me it sounds like there's discrimination because normally, incidents like this has a process. Start of from a verbal warning, to written warning and to a suspension.

I did not get any counselling, nor warning... and I will gladly accept if it's suspension, but I feel like termination is an extreme consequence.

So I'm asking you guys if you think it is justifiable to terminate me over an incident that didn't happen on my shift? (

For weeks since I got the hospital job, I kept following up with them because I feel like they were stalling me and I don't want to miss out the program. I also never get a return call from HR after at least 3 calls per week. But then again, my director reassure me she's communicating with them and that they extended the position for me. Being a motivated new nurse, I was hoping I'm not being a bugger. I can't help but to think it was all a set up because this all happens right after they found a replacement for me.

Do you guys think I irritated them for asking when my hospital transfer would be. I really feel like I pissed of my director and kept getting my hopes high so I won't leave until she find a replacement for me. Then decided to screw things up for me. What do you think?

I don't know what to think anymore.

*sorry for typos and grammatical errors

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Just a thought, but even if an order did say "PRN", surely the facility DID have a policy. And in absence of another directive, you should have followed that facilty's policy. Ignorance is not an excuse; it's up to employees to read the P&P manual, ask questions....in other words, be an advocate for our patients. You did not do that. You accepted what was there as status quo, not to be addressed, not to be looked into in any way? Not the best nursing practice, I think you'd agree?

You signed off that you did something you didn't do. As should now be drummed into your head, that's never going to come out in your favor, you can't explain it away as "I didn't know" or "everyone else was doing it".

Nurses are charged with maintaining the highest level of care possible for their patients, safeguarding their safety. Do you believe you did that, in this case? If your answer is "yes", you might want to reconsider this career. If your answer is "no"....why should you not be fired?

[thevez]

So sorry please make this a learning experience. They should also let those other nurses who were on weeks 1 and 2 be notified.

[LessValuableNinja]

From what I read: 1) It was supposed to be changed at least once a week. 2) You were on multiple shifts where you knowingly did not change it at least once a week. 3) You documented changing it on at least one shift.

I'm not sure where the confusion is, if that's the case.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I cannot imagine an order being written to only check a central line dressing PRN. If you think about it, that clearly makes no sense. If I saw it written as such in the MAR, I would immediately assume it was a transcription error.

In any event, if you initialed you did a PRN treatment, and then didn't do it, that's fraudulent charting just as much as if you signed off on a scheduled treatment and didn't do it.

I understand the stress and distractions of LTC. Having 49 skilled residents on day shift. Demented and fall-risk people all over the place. Unending med pasess. None of that makes it okay to not check on a central line.

One thing I have noticed in LTC is that the task-oriented nature of the work, and the all-mighty med pass, sometimes interfere with judgement. I've noticed that nurses who claim they didn't have a chance to check a central line, nonetheless have time to go floor to floor looking for the raspberry yogurt Mrs Jones likes with her pills. Makes you think.

[MatrixRn]

I feel for you OP, it sounds like you needed more instruction than what you were given in IVs and PRN orders. When you come out of nursing school you are not expected to know everything that is what mentors and instructors should teach.

You stated, 'I don't consider it lying. It was a stupid mistake and assumptions'

And I absolutely hear you.... you did not lie you made an assumption as to what PRN meant.

The order more than likely did not read Line care PRN [but to be honest I have seen it written like this.]

It probably read Line Care Q weekly and PRN.

Neither gives the option of not changing the dressing per protocol.

If you sign off on either order it means that you are saying that you administered care to that line.

For what the line care means we revert back to our nursing books, which say the area is clean and dry, line flushed, no sign of infection, caps changed, and dressing changed.

The PRN in this case means we change it MORE often than once per week if needed, not less.

In my last facility that I worked the MAR had a spot to document that the line was assessed OR changed. If assessed a date had to be placed to show that the dressing was not greater than a week old.

Did you notice if there was another spot on the MAR for line assessment? That would have been the one you needed to sign off on.

Good luck, we all make mistakes in the beginning. However, It does not mean that you cannot be successful in nursing.