Patient Abuse And Our Obligations

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I was fired for reporting patient abuse. Black balled in my town, and made to look like the bad guy. College of nurses abandoned me. :banghead:

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You did the right thing. Unfortunately whistle blowers often take the fall.

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Specializes in LTC , SDC and MDS certified (3.0).

IF YOU REALLY FEEL IT Was abuse you did the right thing.

living with youself is mort important than what everyone else thinks. you REAL friends will understand and stick by you. Who needs the rest??

REMEMBER when a door is closed a window will open!!:clown:

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Thanks for doing the right thing! How are your colleagues coming out on this issue?

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You did the right thing. It's a shame when people do their job and act as patient advocates as we should that they often take the fall. And when employers go out of their way to make the employee the fall guy that's usually the biggest sign that something was wrong and they don't want to be accountable for it.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

That is one of the horrors of this career. We are trained to be advocates, yet, in the real world, many times, the backs are turned on patient abuse. Do you live in a small town? Many times, it is easier to blackball someone in small towns, because the job market is more intimate. I hope that someone realizes that you did what was right from your heart and gives you a chance. Have you considered job prospects outside of your area? Are you able to travel a bit further or move? I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
Thanks for doing the right thing! How are your colleagues coming out on this issue?

I'd like to know that as well...how are your co-workers faring through this?

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I am glad you did the right thing for reporting it sorry you have to suffer for due to other peoples ignorance but what you did could save some ones life!

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

What makes me uncomfortable, is that I can't say for sure that a person's life was saved if that patient remains in the same situation, along with others that are forced to be silent about the abuses they are receiving. I know that the OP didn't say if he/she is or not, but goodness, that is scary.

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

Eventually, you will be well served for doing the right thing. It may take years, but it will come. You know you did the right thing, although this is frustrating now, how could you have lived with yourself if you didn't report it?

I was fired for reporting patient abuse. Black balled in my town, and made to look like the bad guy. College of nurses abandoned me. :banghead:
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What makes me uncomfortable, is that I can't say for sure that a person's life was saved if that patient remains in the same situation, along with others that are forced to be silent about the abuses they are receiving. I know that the OP didn't say if he/she is or not, but goodness, that is scary.

I always about that too. They spend more time assigning blame to the fall guy then they they do addressing the abuse. Chances are it might have gotten swept under the rug. And now nurses, aides, etc. at this facility will be fearful to report abuse so the facility gets their way. They can keep the silent epidemic going and not lose a penny because that's what this all boils down to. Disgusting.

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First I reported the abuse to my supervisor, and she told me to shut my mouth because it would be bad for me if I did not. I then took my concerns to the Director and she told me that she did not believe me. She later went to the people I was reporting and told them that I was reporting them, and then nursing life went to hell. I no longer had a friend in the work world. I continued to work there, segregated. I was put on a seclusion case where I was responsible to watch someone who needed 24 hour locked up supervision. During that time, a patient who was labelled a personality disorder, swallowed a piece of a barbie doll. The piece was lodged in her throat. She was crying and upset. She was afraid. Four nurses sat in the nursing station and told her to go away. They refused to even assess her. Finally one of the nurses escorted her away as she was disturbing their time to talk. I was unable to leave my patient as there was potential for self harm. The choking patient finally attempted to use the patient phone by the nursing station to call for an ambulance, when all of the nurses abruptly left the nursing station, knocked the patient to the ground harshly, and dragged her on her back by her hands (2 nurses) and 2 nurses followed behind her. The nurses then locked the crying upset patient in a side room, while they laughed. They still did not assess her. They left her there without any supervision. Directly after they locked her in a side room, one of the nurses sat down at the nursing station where the patient was dragged from, and sat on her buttocks and put her hands in the air and stated "wee, take me next"! I video taped a small portion of the incident on my cell phone from a distance away. I described in full detail what was happening. I was not able to get the whole thing on tape as I would have been too obvious about what I was doing. I later interviewed the patient and had her describe what happened to her. The following day, the choking patient was out of her room, and standing by the nursing station, when one of the nurses from the previous day got angry at the patient complaining of choking, and 2 handed shoved her backwards, causing the patient to fall down. This was done right in front of me. After 20 minutes of being on that unit, I was told to go work on another unit. An hour later, I was fired. I was accused of using my cell phone to breach confidentiality. The abused patient was left on the unit, and she told the staff that I recorded her statement. They had no idea that I had some footage to back up my statement. They manipulated the patient to have her say that I made her lie against the other nurses, and that she wanted me charged by the police for breach of confidentiality. They tried to ruin me with the college of nurses, and have my license taken away. Several nurses wrote bogus statements about me and my practice. What they didn't know is that I reported all of them to the college of nurses already, and sent the video. My union would not back me up, they told me the crusades were over, and to move on. I fought for 2 years, and I taped every phone call. I was misrepresented by the union, and believed that the college of nurses would do the right thing and get to the bottom of things. They did not. There were several other situations that I reported such as choking patients, putting them in thumblocks, illegally stripping there clothes off, and tieing them to beds. Falsifying documentation (rewriting documents after serious incidents). Locking people in side rooms for days because of power tripping. Intimidating patients by huge nurses, bullying the patients. Swearing horribly at patients, neglect. I was a contract worker. They did not have to have a reason to fire me. They just could for no reason. Because of the video tape, they gave a reason. I was convinced to take a 10,000 dollar settlement minus the taxes, for my loss of work. They demanded the video be destroyed, and put a gag order on me. Neither party was allowed to discuss the situation again. The corporation stated that I could never work for them again. :eek: I took the money because I needed proof that they wanted to shut me up. I kept the video without them knowing. Since then, they have had me blackballed in my home town. I was fired from a job 3 days into orientation after the DOC found out that I reported abuse. The funny thing is, they have a zero tolerance policy for abuse in that facility. They emphasize it. :confused: I got another job at an addictions treatment center. One month into working there, my employer took me in his office and asked me if I had used servalience equipment to breach confidentiality at another job. I explained the situation to him. Shortly after, I was let go with no reason. I have a letter from him explaining that he discussed with me the video situation. I am currently working for a long term care facility, and my DOC is aware of everything, and she is behind me all the way. She is awesome. Only problem is the home is closing down in 3 years and the beds are going to the corporation that blackballed me. I will lose my job again. I called the college of nurses and asked them what they can do for me, and their answer was "nothing" :confused: I explained to them that I did what was required of me by their standards, and and they said still we can't do anything for you. I said, so you are saying that it is better not to report abuse, because if you get fired for it, you are on your own?:confused: All the head ivestigator said was "NO COMMENT". :banghead: I think that ALL YOU NURSES SHOULD STAND BEHIND ME AND ASK YOUR COLLEGE OF NURSES THE SAME QUESTION? IF I GET FIRED FOR REPORTING ABUSE, WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR ME? See what they say. If they tell you the same thing, then lets do something about it. :yeah:I got into nursing to help, serve, and protect the weak and helpless. :heartbeat

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