Nurse Manager threatening to report me to BRN...

[Cosper123]

There's a fellow RN on the job who is suspected of sleeping on the job. NM calls me into the office the other day and says that my name was given as a witness to this incident. I told her yes that it appeared as though he was sleeping. She states that she would like me to write up a report on it. On one hand fine...the guy's eyes were red and puffy and he was sitting there for two hours with his eyes closed. I do believe he does deserve to get fired but she's gang-ho about reporting him to the board.

Then she tells me if I don't write him up then she's going to report me too, and that the BRN would take away my liscence for it. Her reasoning was if I didn't I would be an accomplise(sp?) and that it is the same as if I saw him stealing drugs.

I am not the guys supervisor, so feel as though by reporting to her what I saw was my only responsibility. I am a new graduate with limited experience and this creates various problems with me...having a family to support and various other issues. Quite frankly I don't feel comfortable writing this report, and feel insulted by her threat to report me.

Would the California BRN see it as a reason to take away my liscence, or was reporting what I saw to her enough?

[Vito Andolini]

it (his sleeping) doesn't effect your own job, so why on earth would brn care? i'm not sure that another nurse sleeping on the job does not affect another nurse coworker. what about the safety of the sleeper's patients? if another nurse has knowledge that their care is compromised, it seems he or she ought to report that immediately to the charge nurse, house supervisor, someone who's right there, right then - and wake the sleeper up and say you are feeling that his patients are in danger and you also feel endangered, as you might have some responsibility to cover for him while he sleeps and is unavailable to his patients, you have not had report on them, you were not asked to cover them, but you see they are uncovered, etc. i suppose the board could care about that. and it would be so typical to blame the nurse who's awake and working and get that nurse in trouble, while the sleeper would probably find a way to weasel out of it all.

it's not your job to write it out. many employers require responses from employees if they are witnesses to various things on the job. this is not at all unusual and i believe an attorney would tell her so, as would her union and the board.

if your manager is going to be like that now, i'd hate to see how she acts towards you later on down the line. sounds like she uses her employees as pawns.

i think the manager might just be doing her best to get rid of this guy, who sounds like he has a chronic problem in this area. i could be wrong. i do not think the op is being used. op should write down what she knows. "nurse sleepy was seated at the nurses' desk from approximately 0100 - 0300. his eyes were closed when i saw him intermittently, as i passed by several times during the course of my work. at one point, i noted that his eyes were open and they appeared red and puffy. i notified ms. boss, house supervisor at 0115. i made rounds on nurse sleepy's patients q 30 minutes from 0130 - 0300 to make sure they were stable, at which time i saw nurse sleepy walking away from the desk". she could remark on the sup's actions, too. as she knows them. "ms. boss arrived at nurses' desk at approx. 0130, stood right next to nurse sleepy and called his name aloud and shook his shoulder. she instructed me to make rounds on nurse sleepy's patients to keep them stable until she could resolve the situation."

[color=#00bfff]op should tell the truth, cooperate with her boss, and should express to her boss the reason for her previous reluctance and fear of writing down her observations and ask that her boss protect her from repercussions. she should say she is sorry to be fearful but hopes the boss understands. she should let boss know she wants to help, wants to keep her job, and hopes boss will understand that she is still pretty new to nursing and this is all very disturbing for her, she was not meaning to be difficult before when she hesitated to write. boss should promote her, give her a raise, make a commendation in her file.

[color=#00bfff]i think she has a good boss, based on what little i know of her from op's posts.

[color=#00bfff]just look out for yourself, op, and tell the truth. that is the only way to survive. of course, really the best thing to do is what mr. miyagi (karate kid) says - "best block no be there". too late for that here, though. it will be alright. :heartbeat

[Cindy-san]

Why would it even get out who reported him? Shouldn't that be kept confidential?

She pulled me into her office and said that someone else had told her that I and a few others witnessed this occure, and asked what I saw.

So, there are other people she is asking for this too? The more documentation she has about this, the stronger her case. And she might need it if this nurse has these connections.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

You acknowledged appearance of colleague sleeping and written documentation requested.

Just write on such and such date between time interval

...the guy's eyes were red and puffy and he was sitting there for two hours with his eyes closed.

All that's need to be submitted to manager.

BON does have language requiring to report colleagues with practice issues. Two hours in same position during a shift is cause for concern. Manager needs reports to act on, just not hearsay. In this case, Manager appears going overboard with threat of reporting you.

Been there at 4:30AM with droopy eyelids but 2 hours in same positions totally different story.

In future for repetitive situations like this, notifying shift supervisor of concern "nurse in chair x 2 hours without moving..I've checked on their patients" places responsibility of management to discover and take action.

[Sparrowhawk]

The only way that you're an accomplice to it is if you didn't tell anyone that you thought he was sleeping...you can get in trouble for that.

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

The person who had is head on the desk and his eyes closed is really responsible since he caused this situation.

[tencat]

I would just write a very short, very succinct note stating what I saw and give it to the boss. I certainly wouldn't blab about the whole thing with my coworkers, because you never know who knows whom and who will go blabbing to someone who can make your life a living hell at work. I feel bad for you. If it were me, I'd be looking to work somewhere else, as I am also one of those who wants to do the job and skip the drama (one reason I REALLY like home health/hospice type nursing: I don't have to deal with my coworkers' drama much), plus I wouldn't take kindly to being threatened like that. Good luck to you.

[mamamerlee, LPN]

If you were a witness to someone possibly sleeping on the job, then that is all you are being asked to say. It could easily impact your job - "Mr smith's nurse was not available so I had to do such-and-such." Just state what you saw. "At 310 am I saw Mr RN sitting at the nurses' station with his eyes closed. When I went by the area again at 345, he appeared to be in the same position. At 415, when then CNA needed assistance, she needed to touch him to get his attention, and I noticed his eyelids were red and swollen. In addition, he did not make any attempt to answer any call lights during this time". You have to cover yourself, otherwise you ARE an accomplice. Do not talk about any of this to anyone. EVER.

[dannyc12]

the guy's eyes were red and puffy and he was sitting there for two hours with his eyes closed.

Hey look, I wrote your report for you. (See above).

[nicurn001]

For future reference ,if you see a fellow nurse sleeping , disturb them , it will wake them and there will be no problem .

Although we should not sleep while caring for patients , we have human failings and if doing somethings so unnatural as working nights , sometimes induces one of these failings , then there but for the grace of god go I .

[Batman24]

1) Call the BON.

2) Don't tell your boss or anyone you work with that you contacted the BON.

3) If they advise you to write something keep it short and sweet. "Saw X

with his eyes closed at X times."

[Mulan]

Just curious, why would you let someone sit there and sleep for two hours? Why not say something to him, wake him up?

[caliotter3]

If two hours sitting in the same position with eyes closed is cause for concern, then I worked with a person who was nothing but concern. She came to work each day for the sole purpose of being paid to sleep and made no apologies for her behavior. The supervisor saw no need to change the situation and didn't try to explain anything to anyone who said anything about it.