Quit without Notice or Risk Being Fired?

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I have been called in to a meeting with my nurse manager. She said there maybe disciplinary action taken, in regards to informing my charge nurse that a two of my patients were being transferred to a more acute unit. I did not put my patients in danger. She was on the phone. While I was putting in doctors orders and actively getting my patient transferred to the ICU. They were off the floor in a timely manner. From what I gather, the charge nurse on these 2 occasions was not timely informed about my patients' transfer.

I know it is BS.

I have had a feeling they are looking for an excuse to get rid of me. I have 1 written warning already, for not working fast enough on the floor and documenting in real time. This is when I was a new nurse on the floor. I would document outside the patient's room or when I had time. No one on my floor documents in real time. But I just had to say I would make it a priority and I would work on it. I think I am one of the only nurses NOW on my floor that charts real time. Who has the time? (I work on a busy med surg unit, day shift, 4-5 patients). I am efficient, get along with all staff and have had no complaints from patients or their families.

I can't believe I am being called into this meeting this. The day this happened the nurse manager was prowling around our floor. Everyone seems to be scared of her, but I could careless, because I knew I was not going to stay that much longer, so I grit my teeth and bear it.

Since I have already had a written warning...I am worried this could be used as an excuse to fire me.

If I know I won't be fired, I will just hand in my 2 weeks notice and quit. I am tired of med surg; patients and management. I am tired of having to look over my shoulder at work because the Big Bad nurse manager and her Charge Nurse minions are yapping at everyone's heels. I love my co-workers but I hate going into work.

I like patients who I don't have to talk much to. OR, ER, or ICU is my calling. I am not a med surge nurse, but I am happy to know that i can do it, though.

But if I am at risk for being fired because of this, I rather just quit. I rather quit without notice. I know it looks bad but is it not worse to be fired?

Is it okay to quit before even going to the meeting? Honestly i don't want to hear their BS. I know I am a great nurse. I know I did not put my patients at risk and did what I was supposed to do. I am livid that I am even being called in for this. Form of humiliation. But on a technicality they want to write me up or possibly fire me?

If you give management criticisms you get in trouble? Poor staffing conditions which make it unsafe for patients and staff. They have safety policies which they know nurses can't meet due to poor staffing but you are expected to follow it. Even though the unspoken words are 'just get the job done, we don't care how you do it, but just do it.'

I am applying for jobs, but I don't want to wait till I get a new one...it could take months before I get a new job. What should I do?

So the charge nurse reported you to the nurse manager? She didn't speak to you first about any complaints she had that day? Just acted all honky dory all day? I find that odd.

I don't think you did anything wrong. Seems like everything happened so fast.

Good luck with everything!

pookyp,

That is what I am wondering. If she was concerned that I had not informed her what was going on. She had ample opportunity to pull me aside and ask me what happened. That day, I transferred 2 patients and discharged two. By 2pm I picked up another nurse's patient's.

During this meeting I will bring this up as well as why no one addressed the patient that had RR of 32.

Thats is why I am PO'ed that I am being called in for this. The nurse manager says that disciplinary action is a possibility. For what?! I have no idea what I did on those two shifts that would lead to this.

If I get through this without being in terminated. Time to find a new job pronto. I want to get transferred but I have a feeling I won't be getting good reviews from my nurse manager.

I am crossing my fingers that I will live to fight another day. I will use the opportunity to get out, even if it means taking another med surg job at another hospital.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

Reading those scenarios and how you managed them, I have to agree with a PP that it sounds like you did an good job managing their care.

If I'm reading this correctly, you and the charge found out about the transfers of pt 2 and 3 at exactly the same time. As for pt 1, she also found out about the pt transfer pretty quickly if she helped you move him off the floor. Don't see how she wasn't informed in a timely manner by any stretch of the imagination.

The only problem I see is that you could have used the charge to expedite the doc's decision-making regarding pt 1. I probably would have called a rapid response on him.

It sounds like your charge nurses and management may not be good leaders. If they can not come directly to you when there is an issue or you are fearful of approaching them this is not a supportive work environment. Another issue is many nurses are not assertive when it comes to their needs, and many hospitals have issues with lateral violence where nurses' "eat their young". I am not sure what is going on in your environment but I would suggest that you not quit and ask for your union rep. to go to the meeting with you as a negotiator if you are fearful of the repercussions of that day. They will tell you that you should always notify your charge nurse when transferring a patient as she is responsible for everyone on the floor, and if you had been updating her when you had to send the pt. to CT and call the doctor and resp. in for the other pt. she could of been anticipating the transfers. Stay calm, don't become emotional, it is a business meeting, staff development and if you get upset they will think, "There are her true colors". They should only bring up the one issue and then you should just tell them thank you for bringing this to my attention, do you have any advice for me so I may notify the charge nurse earlier when she is busy, on the phone, or off the floor so I may do better in the future. If they give you advice, or point out P&P, just say thank you for meeting with me to bring this to my attention so I may become a more proficient nurse. If they fire you, stay calm, and have your rep. handle it all. You can then draw unemployment, which you have been paying into. If you leave without notice or are fired you will not receive a re-hire recommendation which is not the best situation in your case. You will not know unless you go to the meeting, fear is just perceived, you are a nurse, you went through tougher situations in school, YOU CAN DO THIS!

There is no intent to give Legal Advice in this entry and I intent to stay within the TOS

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