New nurse here. How do I overcome a suspension from work?

wish_me_luck, BSN, RN · Apr 4, 2012

Braden, I have heard a nursing home is a lot worse in staffing. Was it a med error? Because if so, that is easier to make in a nursing home. Maybe home health? It's one on one. Same patient load; but you can spend extra time to "cross your t's" and "dot your i's".

That's my opinion and I am a student. Good luck to you :)

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Apr 4, 2012

agreed. There is not a facility of any type that is overstaffed and most are understaffed - hospitals, home health, hospice--you name it. My advice is to learn from your mistake and, if needed, contact the hospital educator for any remediation. I do that role and it often ends up more of a counseling session to give the nurse some confidence. We all make mistakes. Just push on till you know for sure what you want to do. Good luck.

chevyv, BSN, RN · Apr 4, 2012

How horrible for you! I'm so sorry you're going through such a difficult time. It's hard enough to adjust as a new nurse and having this happen to you is understandably super scary! Long term care is crazy busy and always understaffed. You mentioned that all of the new nurses have made mistakes and I'm wondering if your facility is cutting the training down to get the floor staffed? With only being about 5 months out, is the facility supporting their new nurses?

Fngrpntsnotasin · Apr 4, 2012

Nursing homes are super busy. Like any where from 20 to 40 patients (depending on your shift) busy. A lot of what is done is medpass and charting. Also you need eyes in the back of your head to watch out for the sneaky ones.Why not Stay where you are and get your year of hospital experience. Then think about going into geriatrics. Do you really think that you still won't be worried about other mistake just because you work somewhere diffrent. Also I feel like honesty is the best policy.

caliotter3 · Apr 4, 2012

At this point you would not be making a good decision to make the move from med surg in an acute care hospital to a LTC facility. Stay where you are and tough it out. Running away from the problem is one thing, but running to an environment that is going to be exponentially worse is something else.

OnlybyHisgraceRN, ASN, RN · Apr 4, 2012

I have made mistakes too, everyone does. Don't beat yourself up. Good thing is that you Learned from them. I currently work in LTC and want out because staffing is much worse. You may have from 20- 60 residents ( depending on shift). This is way too much. Hang in there for 7 more months til you have your year under your belt and you can start looking for another area of nursing.

Fngrpntsnotasin · Apr 4, 2012

Sorry, but I am curious about why you were suspended for 3days? Sorry, you do not have to share but just wondering.

BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN · Apr 4, 2012

Do you use a cheat sheet?

Write down every major task on each patient for the day, add as orders come in. Check often for orders.

I use a "Box Grid" type set-up with pts. last room number only [139-B would be "9"] (incase I loose it, it's loaded with pt. info)

I time it vertical down the side in 15 min increments. Room numbers horizontal across top.

I list Medications, Allergies, Lab to check on/check in, Procedures, Tasks (dsg. changes, turns and repositions, ROMs), Consults, Pt's Doctor, VS/Pain Assessments, Basic Assessment, C/Os, Diet Type vs. NPO, %eaten from meals, Activity level, and I/Os. Cross things off as you do it, Draw one line through your VS when you chart them, so they are still legible.

It also helps when a physician asks, "How is Mrs. XXXXXXX today?" or your shift end report. Have some blanks for new admits, and cross off discharges when of floor.

If your depending on memorization, you are setting yourself up for failure, Most mistakes I see new nurses make is organizational related, or wouldn't have been missed. Omission errors are the highest I see, or something is "missed."

I have a time check-off every hour for new orders check, once its off my list, it's off my mind.

The sheet is invaluable when I start charting!!! I cover my bases well with it! Mistakes will happen, but the more prepared you are, the less they will come.

If you get this "art" mastered, you will be amazed how much time it can save you! You cannot remember everything!!!!

If I sound to harsh, it's because I want you to succeed, and have a long happy and fulfilling career! I want your patient's to be safe (and I know you do too), we have all made mistakes-but we HAVE TO learn from them!!

NO NO NO, LTC is not the answer!! More patients, more medicines, and more treatments=more potential mistakes.

The easiest person to change is ourselves. I just want the best for you. And, Remember our problems can outrun us!! You can never outrun them, they will follow you until you face and defeat them.

Great Luck in Your Career, Sorry this Happened to You!!!!

BradenRN30 · Apr 4, 2012

Thank you all for your reply!! The mistake that I made was sort of an omission, but a very bad omission. I had a patient transferred to me that I did not have on the tele monitor for about 2 hours. I assumed the nursing aid did this because I saw her in there fooling with it, and then I trusted the monitor to alarm if anything was wrong. In report I got that the patient was in sinus rhythm, and again I trusted other people and technology too much. I cant even believe that I did this because knowing what rhythm your patient is in is part of your assessment. Since then I have totally changed everything I am doing, and I am constantly checking and rechecking myself. I do have a checklist that is quite long and it does help me.

The position in the nursing home that I was thinking of applying for is a supervisor position, so there is actually very little direct patient care. I dont know if that is the same as what you guys are referring to or not?

The reason I am so scared to stay is because my manager said that "one more mistake like this will lead to your termination". I know that I will make mistakes because I am human, (though hopefully not such big mistakes!) and I am scared that she will fire me before my year is up. There is also an older nurse on the unit who does not like me at all , heard about my mistake and is now trying to get me in trouble for every little thing. (She went to my manager to tell her that I walked right by a call bell that was ringing--this is true but I only did it because I had a STAT med in my hand that I needed to give). Thankfully my manager could look and see in the documentation that it was true, but it worries me that this nurse seems like she is out to get me. The last thing I want to do is get fired from my first nursing job!! I have never been fired or even gotten in trouble at any job before.

chevyv, BSN, RN · Apr 4, 2012

I can see your point of wanting to move somewhere else. Once a staff member starts in on you, it will be hard to manage; especially being new (as if that's not hard enough). That would be a big part of me looking for another position.

A supervisor position in ltc may not be such a good match though. With very little experience, you may find yourself even more miserable. If you're gonna leave for ltc, then take the plunge and hit the floor before taking on a management role.

Following up with other staff is time consuming. Many times I just do tasks myself rather than ask someone to make sure it gets done.

Is there any way you could switch shifts so you don't have to work with someone who has it in for you? If not, I'd be looking for another position.

DroogieRN · Apr 4, 2012

First things first, you have learned from your mistake, and you need to re-gain your confidence! I agree that might be hard if you believe you have someone breathing down your neck. I am finding it difficult to believe you were suspended from this one omission and given no more chances. I reflect on the things I've seen where there were no repercussions to speak of, ie, infusing a 250ml bag of Heparin in one hour; two RNs fist-fighting in a patient's room, etc. That said, skipping over everything else, it might be in your best interest to seek another position. Rather than going to LTC, does your hospital have a Skilled Nursing Unit? Slightly slower pace, slightly less acute patients, but still a hospital. Might be a good place to get your footing and your confidence back. If someone really does have it in for you, that could be difficult to overcome.Regardless of what you decide, don't leave this employment off your resume. Always be as up front and honest as possible.Best of luck! We have all made mistakes. The key is that you've learned from it.