I am looking for your input in this issue...:I recently started working at my first nursing job, and I had an awful experience with a nurse from occupational health that misinterpreted my PPD test. The first encounter was filled with negative vibes...I started telling her I have developed a sensitivity to one of the preservatives from the PPD/TB test shot, and my forearm tends to get red and swollen. She asked me where I am from, and told her from Eastern Europe, then asked me if I had the BCG vaccine done, I told her no, but she said I must have been had it done because most people from that part of the world received it (whaaaat? I have given them all my childhood immunization info, and the BCG was not a part of it, so I did not receive it). Still, she insisted that my sensitivity was actually a positive reaction, although I have been having the same reaction for the 5 times I had the TB test done and it was documented as a negative. I come back after 48 hours, the TB test site looks the same as any other time, and she freaks out saying that is a positive. I told her it is not, there is no induration, only erythema, but she insists there is an induration, and starts documenting it. I begin to lose my temper, and tell her that is a negative, and she gets all defensive saying she knows better than me she has 30 years of experience. On top of that, she alerts my manager that I have some kind of anger issues, and I have been called to meet up with 2 unit representatives to be scolded upon for my behavior.
What I wanted to ask you, is it legal what the occupational health nurse did? I believe she falsified my medical records. I have been sent to get a blood test for TB which came negative, and she told me the positive TB skin test is because of my BCG vaccination, which by the way, never happened!! I have never had the BCG and I do get a skin irritation from the preservatives, but that is not a positive TB. I now have false data on my medical records, and my managers think I have an anger issue because I protested against it What should I do??
MunoRN, since I have a list with all my vaccinations from birth until now, if the BCG is not on there, I did not receive it. Assuming I received it is not sufficient proof. From a legal point of view, you cannot prove anything.
You misinterpreted my words. "Losing my temper" was a methapor/figure of speech. The conversation was all about I am right/You are wrong going back and forth between us, hence her saying she felt insulted I doubted her intelligence.
I already met with management, they just said that I should continue to be assertive, but work on becoming more sneaky in getting my point accross, not so blunt. They are very good people, we are a team and have the same goals, so this was just a matter of protocol.
As I indicated in my reply, I wasn't there to witness the exchange and have to rely solely on your retelling of the incident. But given that management had to get involved in the matter--as well as the anger and defensiveness you showed in this thread--it was a valid interpretation.
Glad things worked out for you. If you still feel so strongly that your rights were violated, you could always consult with an attorney versed in employment matters...but honestly, I don't think you'll hear from him/her that there was a violation. Still, that option is there if you wish to explore it.
As I indicated in my reply, I wasn't there to witness the exchange and have to rely solely on your retelling of the incident. But given that management had to get involved in the matter--as well as the anger and defensiveness you showed in this thread--it was a valid interpretation.
Glad things worked out for you. If you still feel so strongly that your rights were violated, you could always consult with an attorney versed in employment matters...but honestly, I don't think you'll hear from him/her that there was a violation. Still, that option is there if you wish to explore it.
Good luck with your first nursing job.
Thank you. I will consult a lawyer, but not on matters of violation of patient rights, but on American citizen rights instead, as I felt discriminated based on my native origin. This will happen after I leave the hospital though :)
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
Again if you feel like your rights were violated then discuss with an employment attorney. Otherwise move on and be conscientious as management may not take kindly to a second incident from a new employee. Practice as a new nurse as you wish to be treated it will only serve you well moving forward.
The occupational health nurse may not be able to offer (the much more expensive) blood test at potential employee request. A typical erythema reaction to the PPD solution is not generally a reason to move to the more expensive blood test or expose a candidate to radiation of a chest x-ray. Someone with a documented BCG vaccination would meet the screening criteria for the blood test. You may to need to secure a recommendation from a qualified physician or APN/PA-C in writing to clarify that you need the blood test over the PPD in the future.
I think you might be confusing discrimination with proper critical thinking. If the nurse had said that since you're from Eastern Europe, you probably have TB, that could be considered discriminatory. But realizing that most people from Eastern European countries have received a BCG vaccination (which is true), and that vaccination records are often incomplete, and how that relates to TB screening is exactly what's expected of an occupational health nurse. I'm not really seeing how they were clearly lacking in compassion and respect, although it sounds as though you may have not quite met your expectations of being respectful and compassionate towards others.
I think you might be confusing discrimination with proper critical thinking. If the nurse had said that since you're from Eastern Europe, you probably have TB, that could be considered discriminatory. But realizing that most people from Eastern European countries have received a BCG vaccination (which is true), and that vaccination records are often incomplete, and how that relates to TB screening is exactly what's expected of an occupational health nurse. I'm not really seeing how they were clearly lacking in compassion and respect, although it sounds as though you may have not quite met your expectations of being respectful and compassionate towards others.
Again, saying that people born in European countries have most likely received the BCG vaccination is not accurate, firstly assuming is not best nursing practice. I certainly hope that you do not go by practicing nursing with assumptions about patients, you need subjective and OBJECTIVE data to conclude your nursing assessment. How many years has it been since you have taken a refresher course in foundations of nursing? Maybe you still have the textbook, please review the assessment tecniques, it would def help you!
Off note here, yes I did not receive compassionate care, one of the first questions I received was "Is your mother still alive?" = NOT therapeutic communication. I am only in my twenties, this question was not appropriate I have never heard of a nurse asking that of her/his patients, maybe you can start with "How is your relationship with your mother?", otherwise it sounds like you assume that the patient`s mother is dead already.
Lets respectfully agree to disagree. Please do not further reply to my topic, I only wrote here to vent and look for support, if you cannot offer this, ignore it.
Again, saying that people born in European countries have most likely received the BCG vaccination is not accurate, firstly assuming is not best nursing practice. I certainly hope that you do not go by practicing nursing with assumptions about patients, you need subjective and OBJECTIVE data to conclude your nursing assessment. How many years has it been since you have taken a refresher course in foundations of nursing? Maybe you still have the textbook, please review the assessment tecniques, it would def help you!
I'm not "assuming", as I referred you to earlier, I'm repeating the World Health Organization's well researched data on the prevalence of the BCG vaccine in Eastern European countries. Thanks for the helpful/condescending advice though.
Off note here, yes I did not receive compassionate care, one of the first questions I received was "Is your mother still alive?" = NOT therapeutic communication. I am only in my twenties, this question was not appropriate I have never heard of a nurse asking that of her/his patients, maybe you can start with "How is your relationship with your mother?", otherwise it sounds like you assume that the patient`s mother is dead already.
I think you've got that backwards. Asking "how is your relationship with your mother" is what assumes your mother is still alive, asking if your mother is still alive doesn't assume that she isn't, it's how you would assess whether or not she is in order to avoid making assumptions about whether or not she is alive, such as by asking "how is your relationship with your mother"?
I'm not "assuming", as I referred you to earlier, I'm repeating the World Health Organization's well researched data on the prevalence of the BCG vaccine in Eastern European countries. Thanks for the helpful/condescending advice though.
I think you've got that backwards. Asking "how is your relationship with your mother" is what assumes your mother is still alive, asking if your mother is still alive doesn't assume that she isn't, it's how you would assess whether or not she is in order to avoid making assumptions about whether or not she is alive, such as by asking "how is your relationship with your mother"?
The OP is a new grad: per their own admission, this is his/her first nursing job.
In nursing school, they often innudate (sp) students with the idea that the only therapeutic questions are open-ended ones. A lot of new grads--at least the ones I've worked with--tend to carry this idea over with them when they first start working as a nurse.
While open-ended questions do invite more information than a question requiring a Yes/No or other specific response would, closed-ended questions are in fact very important in the nursing assessment because they can elicit facts, and elicit them fast. Of course, it takes some practice to learn how to ask closed-ended questions therapeutically (yes, closed-ended questions are part of therapeutic communication when used judiciously), as well as learning when they are best to be asked. But that's something new graduates learn over time.
What should I do??
DeeaCatalina
53 Posts
MunoRN, since I have a list with all my vaccinations from birth until now, if the BCG is not on there, I did not receive it. Assuming I received it is not sufficient proof. From a legal point of view, you cannot prove anything.