Published Dec 6, 2008
grannyhopper
2 Posts
Hi, I am dying a slow death here:cry:. In my area we complete patients records for surgery. We see patients draw lab,do E.K.G.s, complete health histories ect. My supervisor wants her dept. to be viewed as 100% perfect:yeah: and my responsibility is to review and make sure all charts are complete. If I find an error I am to take the chart back to that nurse or if that nurse is off I take the chart to her. On many occasions I have witnessed her signing another nurses name on a consent, health history or whatever it was they didnt sign. She does not put any notation that says so&so by MeR.N. Recently she drew lab on a patient and didnt label it so the lab tossed it.She was furious :angryfire because she had labels she could "run over to the lab to them". The patient was to be redrawn on admit.:confused:At that point she used liquid paper and covered up her initials on the orders made a copy and rewrote draw on admit where she had prviously wrote her initials,date and what vials she'd drawn. Now we are going around and around:argue: because I wont put my own initials on a surgery checklist along side checkpoints for the chart if I dont know its complete.I have told her I wont take resposibility for any thing on a chart that I had nothing to do with. Yesterday she sent me home for insubbordination and monday we will meet with the nurse manager. We both have worked at the same place for over 20 years and stress is high because of recent cutbacks so I have been afraid to report her false chart documentation because I dont want her to fire me. I am at a loss , how should I handle my meeting monday,,,,Can anybody out there help me:scrying:
Virgo_RN, BSN, RN
3,543 Posts
I would make sure to focus on the topic of the meeting, which I am assuming is the insubordination incident. Just tell your side of what happened, giving your rationale for your actions. Stay calm and be concise. Leave the other stuff about false documentation out of it for now. You don't want to look like you're finger pointing to take the focus off of you, or like you are retaliating. At some point, the false documentation needs to be reported, but I'm not certain that this meeting is the time or place.
ernrs2b
46 Posts
I agree with Virgo,RN....I'd just show up and see what they have to say, remain professional and don't back down on something that may cost you your liscense in the end...then address the false documenting at a later time..good luck
FireStarterRN, BSN, RN
3,824 Posts
It sounds like she is breaking the law by altering documentation. I would start keeping a record of these alarming instances such as you describe. She sounds like a loose cannon to me.
Batman24
1,975 Posts
Whay she is doing is falsifying documents and that's illegal. You are 100% not to give in on this issue even if it costs you this job. It's not worth risking your license.
As it sounds like the insubordination is directly tied into you not falsifying records so I don't see how you can get around discussing it. If she says to the NM, "I told C to sign and she didn't" you absolutely have to state honestly why you won't do it. Tell the NM calmly and in a professional manner, "I cannot and will not sign off on a patient's surgical chart where I can't verify what has and hasn't been done. It's illegal and dangerous for the patient and our hospital. It puts every one at great liability."
If you need to ask them to call the BON to verify or get Risk Management and the hospital attorney involved. They will set them straight in a jiffy. Your supervisor is dangerous. I'm sorry.
loricatus
1,446 Posts
Just a word of warning: Someone who is willing to falsify documentation as easily as your manager, will falsify other things. No doubt that she is lying her (you know what) off about you to save her job.
Exactly why I think you need to stick to the issue at hand, and don't dredge up past examples of her behavior. She will deny them.