My birth story offended our OB's now they want me fired!

[Bridget41040]

I'm a postpartum, L&D and nursery nurse. Had my baby 3 weeks ago and was called in for a meeting with my manager today. I posted my birth story on facebook for all my friends to see. I had a planned home birth, with midwife and had a 10 pound baby girl naturally at home. It was a wonderful experience. However, one of my coworkers must have forwarded the story to all of our staff and OB's. At the end of my story I compared and contrast my home birth with my last hospital experience which was a traumatic hospital shoulder dystocia. I didn't mention our hospital name or any OB's or nurses names, but it was clear I favored my homebirth experience. My old OB read it and became extremely offended... he gathered with a few of the other OB's and complained to my manager and nursing officer saying they "don't want me taking care of their patients anymore OB or postpartum because they don't trust me."

Now, instead of firing me they are giving me the option of working med-surg (which I have never done) until the OB's "cool down." How can they do that? I shared my personal experience. I provide great care to moms and babies. I never try to persuade my patients to a homebirth, most would look at me like I'm crazy. But apparently, if the OB doesn't like you, you're gone. What would you do? What are my rights? I have done nothing wrong so it seems so unfair and unethical. How can they become offended at my personal experiences and try to get me demoted.

My passion is moms and babies and if these OB's don't like me and want me off their unit, I might need to get another job. It's really sad because I love what I do. Thanks for your insight.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

You might remind your management that nurses, not physicians, are responsible for evaluating, hiring, and managing nurses, and that your annual evaluations indicate that you are doing just fine in your job. Tell 'em to grow a pair, as it were, and stand up for nursing, and tell those physicians that they will be just fine without physician input on evals and assignments, thanks. You (and they) can look it up in the ANA Scope and Standards of Nursing.

Exactly! When patients get in a tizzy and tell me they're telling the doctor on me, I inform them that my boss is NOT a physician, but a nurse.

Furthermore, the OBs are not trained as charge nurses and therefore cannot assign nurses to patients. If they would like to have that ability, they should also be willing to work for the money that the charge nurses receive.

You know full well if a nurse said "I can't take care of Dr. McSteamyDump's patients," it wouldn't matter. We would have to do it anyway.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

My old OB read it

My question is, how was this physician privy to your post?

BTW, congrats! (Sorry I didn't say that earlier!)

[dishes, BSN, RN]

If you get a lawyer involved and a legal fight results in reinstatement, you will be returning to a hostile work environment.

[MunoRN, RN]

Whether you intended to or not, you weighed on a hot-button issue for where you work. The OB/hospital birth vs midwife/home birth is a touchy issue and you've pretty much slammed the OB/hospital method and more specifically, the OB's themselves. I agree the OB's should be more willing to take criticism, although that may not have been the best way to do it.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I think when you post on the internet, whether FB or AN or any site, you risk being identified.

As there was some action taken or being contemplated, I am going to close this thread and strongly urge you NOT to discuss this anywhere.