Please help me, I'm in trouble.

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello. I have been a nurse for about eight years. I have been employeed in a skilled rehab unit for about five years. This past weekend I made a serious med error. I gave a resident another residents medication. I administered oxycontin 20 Mg instead of the ordered oxycodone 10 '=: This was realized at change of shift. As soon as I realized the error I assessed the ot and contacted the doctor as well as told the nurse assuming care of this pt. I told my supervisor that I had made a med error and she said make sure you call the MD. I did not go into details as it wa already two hours past the end of my shift, and you do get written up for being late out. Not to mention that I had twice as many patients as I should have due to staffing problems. Later that same night the supervisor calls me for clarification. I did not fill out the proper paper work. More importantly I wrote in the drug manifest "Wasted" To adjust the count from the pt that I took the meds from. After I wrote that I thought well its not actually wasted so I documented beside my signature "Given to wrong patient" In a very small space. Well long story short a few days later my DON questioned me statng that I falsified the document, I was being terminated and reported to theboard. I am in complete shock.. she said it looked like a cover up. But remember I told the other nurse and called the doctor and no harm came to the patient...thank god. Now im out of a job, will face the board and I don't know how to get a job after being fired. Please please help me.

Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Hospice,IV Therapy.

:hug:I'm so sorry for what you're going through!!

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Shelly, you were so wronged. I can relate so well... much in nursing is not fair, the guilty often get away with their deeds/wrongdoings/crimes and the innocent/conscientious/responsible are thrown under the bus and out the door :mad:

It sounds like things are looking up for you, I'm glad. A high-level contact at the Board... now that's a very valuable connection! You should get unemployment (if you don't get a new job sooner), and having a nurse attorney is your best strategy. Well done!

I want to wish you the very best. Keep us posted!

DeLana

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Amen sister!!!! I think you will find that a lot of us are disillusioned with hospitals. But we have this great website, we have each other for support. A lot of experience and travails on a website. God is present on earth, and we see God in individuals....He is at work. And we're here for you.

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AMEN AND THANK YOU! God is good all the time and all the time GOD IS GOOD!

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OOne last thing, im taking away alot of life lessons from my pain.

Do not trust co workers

you do not go to work to make friends

you do not need to be accepted by the clique to have self worth

do not give all of yourself to yoour employer but its ok to give all of yourself to your patients.

be honest at all cost.

document document document...then document more

carry liability insurance.

save money for tough times no matter how hard it is to do.

love and espect yourself and have faith in yourself and your abilities.

do not sacrifice today for what may not exist tomorrow.

Shelly

Shelly, you are awesome. Thanks for the update. May you find a job where you are respected and can be happy and healthy.

God Bless You...

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Shelly:

No advice that I can give to you that others haven't. I feel that you were grievously wronged. I will say a prayer for you. Trust in God. And not to be vindictive, but remember what comes around goes around.

Patti

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I am just dumb founded by all of this. You've been at the same place for 5 yrs and this is what happened? How can they afford to treat you this way? Sounds like something else is going on. Has this DON been there that long? How can they not recognize a long term employee like that?

I'm a long termer at my job and I've seen nurses come and go and may DONs (average stay is 2 yrs for the DON)

Yes, what you did was a med error and maybe sloppy charting. You should have gotten a write up for that and re-education.

How is this reportable to the BON?

Are you sure that they wanted to fire you in that next meeting....maybe they were changing their tune..unless they have someone lined up for your job.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

File for unemployment benefits. I got them after I had been fired for questionable reasons.

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Going to the unemployment office is a good sound and very smart idea. When someone goes to the unemployment office this is their chance to be heard and for them to be counted. The unemployment office at some point will ask you to give an explaination of why you are unemployed. They asked me for it in writing. I was all to happy to put it in writing and supply copies of my evidence. The claims investigators stated she has heard this one to many times and yes the dept of labor is aware this is going on. This is your golden opportunity to present your side, give copies of your evidence, the facts- names and dates and insidents to the people who get paid to investigate the workplaces. The unemployment office wants to know- Why the unemployment rate in this country is as high as it is. The unemployment office is part of the state and federal department of labor. The president and all these politicians want to know why America is unemployed! You may not think that you circumstance matters, but it does. You are not the only one this has happened to. Don't you think the labor dept powers that be are going to get irrate at one more bogus case of some one being put out of work in the worst recession since the great depression? I do. They have already showed they are ****** Off at the high unemployment rate by increasing an employers unemployment premiums from $7,500 to$15,000. The labor dept is trying to deter/stop employers from getting rid of more employees by making them pay for their insane firing practices. You need to go to unemployment. The government can't fix what it doesn't know about. And this kind of hiring and firing behavior in nursing/healthcare needs to stop!

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I agree totally...I filed electronically yesterday...btw can u believe that the DON is insistent on me going face to face with her to be fired then escorted off the premesis? Not to mention. She is texting me from her own private cell phone! I told her I had no itention of walking into the lions den and told her any further communication with me could be via USPS, mail. Boy im mad today! Really mad! I guess it's all part of the stages of grieving. Whew, im so upset and betrayed!

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One other thing...I think she has read my post here...lol! Like the commercial says...kiss my bumber...lol

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I think I would go to the police and file a complaint about her texting you. That's harrasment. You can save those texts and show the police.

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