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Thread moved to the Psychiatric Nursing forum to improve member support and feedback.

Do you have a lawyer yet? I'd get one ASAP if I were you. I'm sorry this happened to you, but maybe it will ultimately be a good thing. It sounds like your facility is a disaster waiting to happen (or on the way to closing down). Please let us know what happens.

Lucianne: Thanks for your support and response. I've contacted my insurance coverage as they help with this sort of thing. They have their own lawyers on call for RN/LPN, so yes today after calming down a little bit I did send a detailed explanation of what happened and what my rights are.

I want to know if I can sue for something.....slander? lies???...whatever. I just can't take this and do nothing. So again, thank you for your reply and I'll keep you updated.

Teh

Just a reminder: the board here is not a legal advice board....seek this through your attorney.

Thread to move on to continue support to member.

Thunderwolf: I'm sorry, I wasn't actually seeking legal advice, just talking about doing it. If that makes sence...anyway, I won't mention legal again, sorry. Teh

Thank you.

providence works in strange ways but that unit sounds sick++++++ and you're better off out. unfortunately supervisors ( with a number of notable exceptions) often tend to abandon the lower ranks if they are hammered from on high. maybe your supe copped it for not being elsewhere in the place and so passed it on. it doesnt really matter why, the best thing is you've got out alive and live to fight another day.

Leonogist: It's beginning to look just that way! I am glad to be out of such a sick situation 1 RN, 2 or 3 Counselors and 19 patients, some on 5", rest on 15" checks, patients that really belong in a prison setting. After being threatened 3 times by a 17yo with a long hx of hard jail time (a&b on police office just one offense) I must agree with you, I'm out alive and can lieto fight another day! Thanks so much, Teh

Hi Nanaie4ever,

Just want to echo some of the comments already made about your own welfare being far more important than any job. The advice about a lawyer was also well said, given the scenario you paint, chronic understaffing (which through your own payslips you should be able to demonstrate), and lack of support to staff who are being threatened I cant for the life of me see this facility being able to defend firing you for abandonment. Its the sort of story that if it makes the papers soon gives the facility enough bad press to encourage closer investigation by the relevant authorities, not that Im suggesting that.. no not at all.

regards StuPer

Hi to all of you: I am so thankul for your responses. I have finally come out of the shock of it all somewhat and have started with head hunters to find another job. However, today I found out that if they actually put "abandonment" down as the reason for firing me that they are "bound by the state" to report me to the Nursing Board. So I contacted my insurance company and they are going to handle all the specifics so we are prepared in case they do report me. But there is the slim chance that since they know they don't have a leg to stand on that they haven't actually put in writing in my file the word abandonment. So, it's wait and see. I have been so lucky. Usually when something this hurtful happens to me I close up and go in a dark room and just isolate. I feel good that this time I have reached out to family, friends and forums of new friends and have been blessed to receive so much support and understanding. Thanks so much to all of you again, Teh

Hi - it's Teh again. Just wanted to update you all on what is going on here. I requested thru a registered letter to have my entire HR file sent to me. Unbelievably they did send it. I asked for it because when they fired me there was no letter, no paper for me to sign, nothing. So after reading it, I am appalled at what the statements are and how they differ with what I said was going on. The nurse manager called the Nursing supervisor to "inform her I was "walking off the unit". Then the n.s. states that she spoke with me on the phone (true) & offered to come over (not true) to talk wiwth me to discuss the reason why I had to leave and to offer her support(sort of true, but misstated). She then states"Teh said No I can't talk with you. I have to leave right now." The ns. then states she said"Iwill be right over". She states she walked over to the unit immediately and when she got there Teh had left. She then notified the acting DON that I had walked off the unit". I can't believe how misconstrued this whole thing is.

Then for the "counseling/corrective behavior - "job abandoment in middle of shift. Terminate. I was never shown this paper and there is a spot for my comments and I was never offered the chance to write any thing down. It was witnessed by the HR guy. Then on the Personnel Action Form it states that I resigned because I am "not reliable".

Other than the hurt and injustice of this, does it sound like because of the voluntary resignation they state I made (or I guess agreed to somehow), that they are not going to report me to the boards? I am just getting so depressed over this whole thing. The Nurse Mgr has been telling people who work there and who I have respected so much, and thought they respected me, that I have been calling her home multiple of times begging her to call me. I called once - the day after this happened. When the Nurs Mgr. met with my best friend who works there, she told my friend the opposite - that she didn't return my one call because what can she say to me???? She is mgmt and I am staff. I informed this friend to not trust her at all and never turn her back to this mgr. I heard this on the best of sources from one who has nothing to gain and has never lied to anyone on the unit about anything and has always stayed out of the overall gossip that goes on.

I guess another question, I have is how could I have been so wrong about the people I worked with?? I have been in psych for 23 yrs. I can't believe I did not see the manipulation, the back handedness, the CYOA first and by all means best attitude.

Thanks for all the support, most of the jobs I've been offered are out of state, I don't think this is a good time to be without the support of my family and friends. So, I'm still waiting for something to pop up. Have talked with others (networking) and put resumes on the internet with almost every agency out there. Hope you are all doing well. Teh