Nurse fired for calling police

[Runman1914]

Last year while eating at local restuarant i witnessed an irate customer being removed by police for screaming at the staff. Last month i witness a patient daughter screaming at staff for more than a week , security called almost every day. She was 10 times worse than the restuarant customer. Each day the nurse manager and administration kissed her butt and apologized. She would make a scene , throw things, etc...

Everyday she was given a new nurse. Nurses were calling off like crazy to avoid this unpleaseasble daughter. Finally after multiple problems with this daughter it came to a head. She came into the nursing station and began to throw things. The charge nurse called the police and she had to be removed kicking and screaming. One week later the nurse was fired for not handling it internally!!!

[RN1982]

Woody im the OP on this thread. I just want to add that shortly after this charge nurse was fired the nurse manager, nurse administration and hospital administration called all of us to a meeting. They made it very clear that calling the police is definitely what got her fired. Furthermore they made it clear this matter should have been handled INTERNALLY. We were not allowed to ask any questions and were told this is how it works here period.

I do not work at this hospital any more. I was only doing per diem there on occassion. After the meeting another 5 nurses left.

Ok, that is just TOO MUCH! Somebody shud have stood up and demanded to see the hospital policy that says that, and taken it straight to the local TV station. It's no damn wonder they lost nurses afer that. THe administration is obviously a bunch of power-mad autocrats who rule by decree and no dissention is allowed. There has to be some recourse.

THe remaining ER Nurses shud just pack a sidearm, and next time an irate family member or patient threatens their lives, just pull the gun, and "handle it internally!" (I hope you know that I am being facetious....pse don't go packing a gun under your scrubs.........:) )

Steve

I would have stood up and walked out of the "meeting". Have more important things to do i.e. take care of sick patients than sit and listen to the administrations bullcrap.

[achot chavi]

I would have stood up and walked out of the "meeting". Have more important things to do i.e. take care of sick patients than sit and listen to the administrations bullcrap.

I understand how you feel but nothing ever got accomplished that way, Those who voted with their feet and left- were right but still didn't accomplish anything, "Nursesteve":bow: is right that if such a thing happens- ask to see where it is written and in which policy. We are not stupid, we shouldn't be treated like children., We deserve to give professional car in a professional setting. Threads like this one should serve to help us all be better propared for the future- because the problem of abusive behavior to nursing staff is real and universal.

[muskylounge]

15 pages later...Yes I read the entire thread. Of course not all in one sitting.

Seems we have a discussion about due process. Due process and chain of command are implemented for a reason. These things bring consistency and order. Otherwise you have 500-2000 staff members making there own rules and regs based on emotion and how the feel at that given moment.

I believe in due process however today's times are much different then they were 5 years, 10 years and 20 years ago. Hospital procedure is there to protect who? Hospital $$$ thats it. Its designed by people to enhance the ability of a given institution to be more profitable. This does not mean its always in the best interest of all the employees. It may only benefit but a few.

Prior to September 11th we viewed airline transportation much differently. When we read about anthrax spores being delivered via US mail we began to look at things differently. When we heard about Va. Tech or the Columbine massacre we think of public schools differently. I am truly sorry but the world that I grew up as a kid has drastically changed. We have to watch our backs. If we are responsible for the many (ie. HealthCare) in a public setting then we are responsible. If you do not 100% agree with your employers view on procedures for warranted safety for public then you should seek other employment. I live in a right to work state and people can be fired for no just reason. However I found out that they also have regulations and procedures that need to be followed as well. If they do not follow the letter of that law then they are equally liable.

If I felt unsafe or felt that my clients were unsafe or that a given situation could escalate quickly why wait for a hostage situation? I wouldn't wait. Even though her hospital thought differently I agree with what she did. Sometimes things happen for a reason. Either she needs to get a new job or her former employer needs to re look into its due process/ procedures. Maybe both. I love my wife and children. No job! No amount of money is worth losing them or them losing a father/husband.

[woody62, RN]

nursesteve2004, if I had been an employee and received the lecture you state all employees did, I would have been looking for another job. No one is forced to stay with an employer that they feel puts them and others in jeopardy. If anyone stays with an employer who forbids contact with an outside agency, who does not provide a safe place of employment, then one is getting just what they have bargained for, a job with strings. Strings that they have agreed to by not seeking out other employment and remaining.

I am sorry but I have worked in states where I was represented by a union and in right to work states. Both states and all of my employers had to provide a safe work environment. Failure to do so could have prompted investigations by state and federal agencies, which I would have been willing to pursue. I have been assaulted twice in my twenty-five years of working. I have worked in a variety of settings, including a psych unit that was an admissions unit. I was more afraid of some of the staff then I was of the patients.

I found that if someone reacts in a negative manner, they will get a negative response. If, as a patient, I am approached in a negative manner, most likely I will respond in a negative manner, even if I am in a good mood. If I am not, that negative manner will just add to mine. And nurses wonder why patients and their families react the way they do. They remember all the negative treatment that they have received. And if one is approached in a manner of confrontation, to supposed negative behavior, what can one expect their response to be?

My mother had a saying "You can catch more flies with honey then you can with vinegar."

Woody:twocents: