Newbie nurse afraid of her job she MAKES up stories, HELP< HELP<HELP

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Let me start by saying I have been nurse for 5 years, the nurse I am speaking of has been once since Nov. 06. She replaced me the other evening at 2:30pm but I thought I would be nice and help with the 2 new admissions she had received. BOY I GOT SHAFTED FOR THAT ONE......Anyway one of the admits was a bit fussy, want this, want that, not oriented to time nor place. She wanted to go to bed at 2 pm. Her daughters were there and both decided it was too early for that. I had assessed her head to toe, no dyspnea, WNL VS, few scrapes and tears from IVs and such. She was a left side hemiparaesis patient. Not a biggie. She had a Gtube with feedings, IDDM, small hole where a trach "had" been but otherwise no biggie. She stated while family in room and while roommate was there as well, "I cry if I don't get what I want." She had just had a pain pill prior to admission. She stated she was SOB shortly after I left the room: mind you this is app. 2:45 (15 min after the other nurse came on). I assessed 96% RA, no labored breathing, talking (yelling) just fine. I went to hunt up the neb equiptment for her but couldn't find the nurse. GUESS WHAT SHE WAS DOING?????? She was calling the Administrater to tell the adm. I wasn't giving a pain pill, being mean and refusing a breathing treatment to the new resident. The new nurse was Actually bawling about it?~?~?~?~?~?:devil: :devil: While I was busy doing what she should have been doing I was hauled down to the Assoc. adm. office and made to call the adm. to describe what I was doing. The adm called me a liar and said I never passed any info to the other nurse. That might have been fine and dandy but this other nurse is always too busy telling you she knows the owner of the facility. I have worked there over a year now. That is what the administrator held over my head. She states she has to file an investigation against me. I am at a loss for what to do. :confused:

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Specializes in ER,ICU and Progressive Care Unit,Peds.

I think I'd tell the administrator to file that investigation, while she's at it why don't she speak with the pt's family. And then I would confront the lovely co-worker who tattled on you! In the mean time, I would be looking for another place to work. There are too many nursing jobs out there to put up with BS like this. I'm sorry but I don't toterlate bs like this; with the nursing shortage as bad as it is there is no sense in coworkers acting like this. I just don't understand why the nurse manager automactilly believes what your lovely co-workers says and doesn't even give you a chance to give your side of the story!

I'm sorry that you had to go through this! I feel your pain!

Hang in there!

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Specializes in Operating Room.

Why would she randomly call about this? why wasn't she helping you? Were you rude to the client or maybe quick with them?

She is obviously new because she wasn't communicating with you. If you are in the right, than you should have no problems...but you need to stand up for yourself. You need things written down on paper, from the family, and you need to make it very clear that you were working after your shift helping the new nurse out...

I would make a big fuss about this. And don't worry, you won't loose your lisance or anything over something like this, but I'd be very clear to your manager that you are going to be leaving and may even take this to a lawyer. Be tough.

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Make sure the family backs you up on the fact that YOU were in the room, doing the assessment, the patient was talking and had no difficulty in breathing, also note the time the pain med was given, do this in writing, keep a copy for yourself. I would then ask for a meeting with this new nurse who likes to stretch the truth. I would make my point, I do my work and assist you, but in the future you are on your own. I would quietly start looking for a new job, give notice, and never look back. Document, document, document and CYA.

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I agree make sure the family backs you up, cause the administrator and the nurse seem to have an agenda that is not going to be clear to you until you are explaining yourself to the BON. Dont panic but do take this seriously. Definatly try to get the family to make a statement in your favor , better yet if they will do it in writing.I have seen too many nurses set up to be fired this way, and some are fighting to prove their innosence to the BON.Dont let the administrator or the nurse know that you are getting a statement from the family, they will try to stop you, be careful.It is a darn shame that these things happen SO OFTEN .

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Just a nursing student here...but....

How would you go about getting the family to make/write a statement on your behalf? I mean...how would you approach the subject with a patient or their family if the patient is not oriented, etc. ?? It seems to me that it might appear that you did something wrong and that you are asking them to help you to "CYA"-- you know some people look for a reason/any 'ol reason to file a lawsuit.

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Just a nursing student here...but....

How would you go about getting the family to make/write a statement on your behalf? I mean...how would you approach the subject with a patient or their family if the patient is not oriented, etc. ?? It seems to me that it might appear that you did something wrong and that you are asking them to help you to "CYA"-- you know some people look for a reason/any 'ol reason to file a lawsuit.

You would need to ask the family that was there when she was admitted, I simply would be honest, ask the family if they had any problems or complaints as to how their family member was admitted, if they say no, ask them if they would mind talking to the administrator with you and telling him that, or even better putting it in writing.This nurse may very well be finding herself dealing with the BON, if she can get it striaghtened out before then, she will be the better for it.If the family had no complaints , there would be no reason for a lawsuit.This nurse may be the one that may actually find herself involved in a lawsuit IF her administrator fires her and reports her to the BON, for a false allegation.
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That is very strange, mizzou. What could her motivation possibly have been? I hope the truth comes out quickly and things are put to right.

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I wonder if she's aiming to oust you and get a dayshift position? If she has some sort of in with management, who knows?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

wow. I would definitely request a meeting with this nurse present. If you did the admissions, your signature will be on them along with the time they were done. This will prove you were doing the job this other nurse should have been doing on HER shift, not yours. If you plan on staying at this facility, I would inform this nurse that from now on she will be doing her own work and also explain the meaning of the term "co-workers" and how you need to work together, not against each other. I wouldnt let this one go. That just burns me up. If you had good rapport with the patient's family, you may mention to them your situation and see what their response is. If you are going to be investigated, this family may be questioned anyway. I am so sorry you are going through this. Please keep us informed. It's sad how people throw their weight around because of "who they know".

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Thank you to all that have responded...here's the end of the story.

I was called to the "principal's" office today to sit across the table from the nurse that accused me of abusing a resident:nono: . I already was in the office bright and early with my written statement of the facts of what happened. So I was prepared. She backtracked her story only to tell the administrator that I wasn't mean to the family I was mean to HER. I was confused at this point because I thought this was all about how I took care of a res. UNTRUE. Her pitiful statement was, "I saw that Nurse A was having a hard time so I thought it best to call the adm." OMG!!!!!!!!!! Instead of asking to help me or take over her resident (it was past my time to go) she thought she should call and tattle. She said I was too intimadating for her.

Her statement at the end of the convo, "Nurse A I look up to you I only want to be like you. I don't want any hard feelings, blah blah blah." :angryfire

She was asked to leave the office and I got a write-up for being un-professional. HOW DOES THAT BITE THE BIG ONE?????? I was helping her out and got thrown to the wolves. I will not apologize for something I supposely done to her nor will I help her in any way ever again. I have learned my lesson and got burnt.!!!:flamesonb

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Mizzou,

Get yourself a new job quick. This type of "poor me/bad you" treatment has been reinforced by administration. Any further complaints she makes will only make you look like you attempted to "bully" her at work. It could lead to a law suit against you, not the facility, since they wrote you up for unprofessional behavior. I am so sorry this happened to you, I know it's unfair to have you move on and start over at another facility with a loss of seniority, but better to move on than to trust this nurse or the administration at the present job. Good luck.

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