Nurse Manager threatening to report me to BRN...

CASTLEGATES · Oct 11, 2009

I need to find a job where I can get paid to sleep. Any suggestions?

20 years ago we used to take turns 1 hour nap while others covered. Break room lights out...there were 6 of us and we traded off. That was the good ole days (it was a quiet surgical unit). Nowadays there's too much paper work. Can't get away with that anymore (and too many patients are surviving surgery)

I wonder what Beavis and Butthead would say?

"Are you THREATENING ME?" (you gotta have your shirt over your head for effect)

(just being sarcastic a little)

ozoneranger · Oct 11, 2009

About 16 years ago I worked with a guy who had a newborn in the house. We were all older, our kids grown, for the most part.

He struggled to stay awake, but bless his heart, he was just worn out. After 1st. rounds & med pass, everyone who wanted to play put a dollar in the jar.

We'd get a rubber band & some paper clips, whoever could shoot a clip, bank it off the ceiling & land it in his mouth won a free dinner that night. The money collected paid for the meal. Some nights nobody got lucky, after several days we;d have enough to have Domino's deliver pizzas & everybody had a treat!

Ah....the good 'ole days....now I want pizza.....:cheers:

Vito Andolini · Oct 11, 2009

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.
Did not realise at the time I'd be pulled into this nonsense simply by doing the right thing. In any case yeah I'll simply contact the board and worst case senairo write the most benign-yet-honest letter I can come up with and wash my hands of it. One step closer to becoming jaded, grrr

Did you ask her who? She might have been fishing. Doesn't matter now.

Vito Andolini · Oct 11, 2009

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 .

True. But there are still patients to keep alive. If someone signs up for nights, he must manage to be awake on duty.

MassED, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2009

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?

not reading other responses - I always respond first, then read everyone elses response to OP -

Why wouldn't you feel comfortable reporting what appears as a nurse sleeping? I would say that if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck.... you get the idea. If it was just one time, well then... a swift kick in the behind from the NM might do it - a warning, I would think. But if this person sleeps all the time, well then, who is picking up the slack? you? You are obligated to report that - who is looking out for his/her patients while they're sleeping? Think about those patients.

MassED, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2009

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.

worked being past tense. Glad you left it, then!

flightnurse2b, LPN · Oct 12, 2009

i dunno, i probably would have said something to the guy first before reporting him... is it a regular thing that he naps on the job? i would have asked him privately if everything was OK and why he was so tired. maybe he's got a sick child or something @ home.

on the other hand, if he's just a loafer and sleeps at work all the time and his patient care IS compromised, i would still talk to him before i went and told anyone... i don't feel likes it's my place to be reprimanding anyone.

i have worked nights for a long time and sometime it's hard to get a good days worth of sleep, some nights it's hard to stay awake.... i've never fallen asleep at work but god knows i've wanted to!

in any regard, your boss sounds like a real jerk--she is strong arming you into throwing this guy under the bus, it sounds like she wants more than one reason to get rid of this guy... and is forcing your hand to do it. since you are already involved, write up a very basic report--just what you told us "i saw nurse xxx with eyes closed for two hours during shift"... nothing more. i don't think she can report you to the BON but i would place an anonymous call just to be sure. she doesn't sound like someone i would wanna work for.

good luck to you in whatver you decide.

kimmieLucy · Oct 12, 2009

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?

I feel you mentioning you seen him sleeping was enough. She is threatening you in an effort to get you to hepl her trap him! I wouldn't be apart of he skeem. In addition: if she knows you are a new grad she could be usung that to her advantage, read up on your rights the Board of Nursing does not operate in black-mail, best wishes!

chenoaspirit, ASN, RN · Oct 12, 2009

Wow. I dont blame you. You sound like a very mature person who is only wanting to do your job. I wouldnt want in the middle of it either. Telling your story is one thing, but applying it to paper is another. But at the same time, be glad your boss is stepping in. I had a coworker who would find an empty room and go to sleep in the bed. She would make mistake after another but the boss couldnt do anything about her because this worker had "friends in higher places". So your boss is probably in the same situation and is wanting to correct a difficult problem...but needs all the proof she can get.

I was guilty of sleeping on the job ONCE. I didnt mean to. I had worked 5 nightshifts in a row and was sitting and doing my paperwork at the nurses station and accidently let my eyelids shut. I was only dozing for a couple of minutes when I almost fell out of my chair. lol. I then realized that I had to stop working so much that it was affecting me to the point I couldnt stay awake.

Just write what you saw, as brief as possible and then never mention it to the rest of your coworkers. Just keep as neutral as possible. Good luck

kimmieLucy · Oct 12, 2009

I feel she is using you in her pond! You have already admitted to seeing him sleeping and just as a word of the wise....next time don't be too quick to say what you seen. People nowadays are very manipulative. You will find in the Nursing world...we can eat our own! Be very careful! Read up on your rights as a Nurse! The Board Of Nursing won't contribute to her black-mailing you. Your supervisor is using you to contribute to the demise of someone else, I'm not saying your co-worker sleeping was ok, but if she didn't see him, neither did you! that way she can't keep you twisted in mess! I would ignore her threats and I wouldn't write any letters. You could be hanging your ownself with a letter. FYI: keep all conversations work/business related :cool: .

Cosper123 · Oct 24, 2009

You have to cover yourself, otherwise you ARE an accomplice.

Actually no way in any form was I ever an accomplice. I reported it verbally to a supervisor and that is the extent of my responsibility per the BRN. More is expected of the Charge Nurse as I understand it.

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

Because it wasn't my job. Between three tele patients, two FTT, three dementia and one detox (6 pt total, not nine separate conditions fyi) I was busy enough with my load. A more senior Nurse was answering his call lights. The complete and total extent of my responsibility was in telling the Charge Nurse who notifiyed the Nursing Supervisor who did nothing. I've got enough to worry about as a new graduate keeping my head above water and ensuring that my patient's are safe and well cared for. It is not my responsibility to keep track of what everyone else is doing. It was the Charge Nurses choice to wake him or not, and I don't hold myself accountable for what they did or didn't do.

i dunno, i probably would have said something to the guy first before reporting him... is it a regular thing that he naps on the job?

Yes very regular. And he's been very unpleasant about it all when woken up in the past. He's even filed harassment complaints in the past. He's a manipulative bully.

This the rock and a hard place senario. On one hand he really deserves it...on the other hand the Manager is going about this is totally the wrong way. If not for the threat from NM....well I'll take the very wise advice given to me here and not talk to anyone about what my choice was or what else all is going on :heartbeat

And yeah...next time someone is sleeping I'm at least going to take the time to throw something at them :yeah:

caliotter3 · Oct 24, 2009

And yeah...next time someone is sleeping I'm at least going to take the time to throw something at them :yeah:

Yep, this is the action to take. But he would press charges for assault. Perhaps, a very loud noise very close to his body in repose.