Got injured on the job...........

[lumbarpain, ADN, RN]

I have been a Long term care nurse for many many years....and in the course of that time I have had my fill of injuries....that was 30 years ago when I first started...now I am back to square one after returning to full time work in a LTC facility.. ....I had some time off due to my right knee....I took care of it.....but I was compensating my weight on the left knee and felt it ache at times..but I took care of it.....I had come off the elevator at work and there were a few patients I had to zig zag through in order to get out in the open hallway and to the nurses station...when I found a clearing...I felt a severe pain in my left knee...I almost dropped to the floor...I was in terrible pain as I hobbled down the hallway without any one offering any kind of help.....I was incredibily humiliated and upset over this cause people watched me but offered no help...and there were plenty of staff to assist me. As I got report and my DON actually saw my plight with my struggle to walk.. ...one concerned fellow nurse asks me...what happened....as I spoke, my sentence was cut short by the DON sitting there who just happened to have to do floor work due to shortness of staff....she started to talk about her plantar fasciitis....I couldn't believe my ears....she was highly aware of my injury but yet failed to say or do anything. I gave my meds in a wheelchair that night...I should've went home but I did my job and accomplished getting home which was with terrific difficulty. Since then...I filled out a incident form and had to mail it in cause all I was in such pain all I forgot to put it in the DONs box .....I was practically an invalid for over a week...I had gone to the nearby urgent care 2 days later...it was very scarey.

since then I have been declined by the companys insurance saying...the injury/accident wasn't within the scope of my employment.....which means what???? that I wasn't working when I walked out of that elevator after I punched in and had to fish my way through wheelchairs of patients? ..what do they think I wanted to be incapacitated to the point of not being able to walk? I have called my company 4 times since this happened....spoke with insurance people and then notified the workman comp people cause I feel that I should be compensated for my time lost on the job at least........I haven't applied for workmans comp since the 90s . my question I am concerned abou tis....I haven't heard from my DON....I called her twice....in the past 4 days....could I have lost my job without them saying anything...don't they have to give me a reason or a notice by mail? I cant see this happening cause I am feeling better, (50 percent) and I am able to do 2 night at the facility which I think will be less physically taxing. I know jobs can just fire you at will...but I haven't heard a thing from them and I am getting very perturbed.