Not treated fairly

[ntvan07]

I don't know if this is in the right place but was just looking for some General feedback. I'm a tech in an ICU, I started in October. I was taken off orientation in the start of December. There have been no issues with my evaluations, except minor things, like just slowing myself down a little and not rushing while doing tasks. I thought I was doing great. And then my boss calls me into her office and has done her own evaluation, and it was horrible. She basically says I'm not a team player, I don't take direction, she says all this stuff which makes no sense to me. She accuses me of putting my hand in another coworkers face and saying I don't need your help... Accuses me of saying a mean comment about the VP. None of this is part of my character at ALL. So she tells me she will be letting me go if things don't change. Has me sign a paper and etc. Of course I was VERY upset. She even made comments about how I should invest in an iron for my scrubs.

At the start of being a tech, I had an education coordinator, and she had discussed things with me and advised me to seek assistance from HR, as she believed none of this and wasn't sure where it was even coming from. She said she knew it wasn't anything that I would do.

So Time has gone on now and today I had an appointment with human resources, I finally decided I needed to voice my concerns, I had been reluctant because of retaliation and such... And before I head into this meeting my boss tells me she's taking me off the schedule and gives me another review sheet with more negative comments written on it. Comments such as I don't work together as a team with anyone, patients complain about me... Stuff like that. And so naturally I was upset. She basically took me out of the ICU and I have no hours.

My main issue and concern are these comments that are untrue and are so far from the truth it's not even funny. One example is a patient who I was moving to a recliner, with the nurse in the room, and she took her oxygen off. Her sats fell and she ended up being on bed rest. We shipped her out a few days later and she passed, she was a very sick lady. This instance is being used against me and written in this review. Also, we had a patient with a 24 hr urine catch and one of the samples was flushed. The dr said it was okay and not to worry about it. I had toileted the patient but had not gotten report on her, as I was not working that hallway that day. I kind of jumped in and helped. Neither of these incidents have been mentioned or brought to my attention again until today.

hold on for pt 2.

[ntvan07]

My main concern is that nobody has ever told me or given me any reason to believe I was lacking as an employee or part of the team. They had me training the 2 new people who started after me...

Last week I had a class scheduled and my boss pulled me out of it, and had me work while she allowed the two new people to attend it. I pick up hours, I stay late, I believe I went above and beyond. I'm not sure what the issue is and I'm very discouraged. Has this ever happened to anyone? What did you do?

[ntvan07]

She even said she had patient complaints about me. No nurse or MD has ever said anything to me regarding my patient care and I have never had a patient give me a hard time or even give off the thought that I may have done wrong. To give you an example of the type of person i'am, I sat with a patient who was dying last week, just holding her hand and helping her to remain calm while she passed. And then I stayed late to do post mortem afterwards because I felt that was the proper thing to do. I have plans to be an RN and I'm applying for school. I eagerly jump into anything the nurses need help with, and have a willingness to learn- I'm just not sure why my boss has such a bad view on me. If I was so inadequate at my job, why would

i have been allowed off orientation and why haven't people ever told me things? Or corrected me? I have made friends with my coworkers and we had a holiday get together which was great. We have a great bond. I'm very thrown off by this. I did speak and report my concerns to HR but I feel as if it was too late.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Have you posted these questions in a CNA/tech-centered forum? You would likely receive much more relevant opinions.

[ntvan07]

I needed to vent so I apologize for the book. I'm just rly lost. There has never seemed to be a problem and my boss has seemed to be tough on me from the start. Out of the 3 that she has hired, I'm the only one who does ekgs, and knows post mortem care. Only one with nursing school aspirations. Only one who jumps right in and helps. The only one who took free time with a dr and learned heart rhythms... I don't understand it. I have been told by the education person that I'm very intelligent and enthusiatic and I have a voice and people get jealous or take my willingness to learn wrong.

just wondering if anyone else has had these issues. I'm seriously questioning myself in nursing. :'(

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

So, what happened with HR?

you glossed over that point.

Also, could anything have happened at the party that might have ruffled her feathers?

[ntvan07]

HR is going to look into everything. I had wanted this meeting anyways because I feel like I'm worth something, and so didn't my education coordinator, and I was just going to ask for a switch to another department. But now that she's taken me off the schedule HR has to investigate and either terminate me or help me into another department.

and she didn't attend the party. She never even showed up for my orientation luncheon they held for new hires at work.

[ntvan07]

I had a patients family compliment me today and tell me I'm going to be a heck of a nurse and that working with people just seems to flow easily for me... And then I have this awful review. I feel like she doesn't like me for whatever reason and just wants me gone.

Let me also add that nurses are leaving. Nobody applies for our open positions. All the techs left at the same time except for one... It's just odd.

[ntvan07]

I also wanted to mention that she has made fun of my scrubs for not being ironed to an exact crease numerous times. She even went out of her way to ask if I owned an iron.

[forgivenfaith119]

I would see what happens with HR.

I'm so sorry this has happened

[Paws2people]

Maybe it's a personality conflict. Often this overrules work ethic/performance. Did you speak with any of the nurses to find out their opinion?

After the pt was transferred to the recliner, her o2 should be put back on immediately. I don't even take it off during the transfer if it's avoidable.

In no way shape or form should a new employee just off orientation be training two new employees. It's like the blind leading the blind. Especially in an ICU unit. My hospital only has seasoned techs train the new hires.

There are two sides to every story... so if you don't get transferred to another unit, just move on gracefully. Take this as a learning experience into your next position. Good luck :-)

[ntvan07]

She ended up not going into the recliner. The RN was there the whole time. And I know better than to touch something like that. If my patients have pain or are in any sign of distress at any point during my shift I'm the first one getting a nurse. I was like that in LTC as well.

Nobody has ever said anything to me. The nurses are always friendly and helpful and one of them used to be in my shoes. She said she could tell I had a passion for this field and that I was going to encounter people along the way who were going to be jealous of the passion I had. She also said I was very outgoing and that sometimes people could read that the wrong way. I made sure when speaking to HR that if I had any character flaws with dealing with people that I wouldn't have been able to work with the general public for as long as I have. I have worked in insurance office, nursing home... Interned with a radio station which led to a job opening....