Please help with situation

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Please help me. I went in to work tuesday and was called into my DON office where I was then asked to close the door. She just wanted to inform me that as of today I was officially on suspension. When I asked why she stated it had come to her attention that I wasn't giving certain residents (I work at an assisted living facility) their medications. She stated she had a resident complain that I didn't give her medications three weeks ago. This resident has early stages of Alzheimers and never remembers anyone giving her her mediations. She then stated when she asked around "other staff members" commented how efficiently I finish my med pass". It takes me approximately 1 hour to give medications to 15 residents as we have a few people out right now. When our floor is full I have 26 residents and it takes me a little over 2 hours due to treatments. The reidents here now have no treatments only a few pills. I work the 3-11 shift here so the med pass is smaller. The other nurse who workd the shift on my off days is very slow and meticulous so 15 people takes her over 2 hours. Because of this my DOn has decided that I must be skipping people and has found 2 other Alzhiemers residents how can't remember me giving them their medications. Of course they can't they don't remember anyone giving them their pills. I do not understand how I can be placed on suppension when I have never had any complaints in the past, no warnings, no write ups no nothing. In fact I have been at the facility for almost 3 years and have never been written up for anything until 2 months ago when I was having dizzy spells and was requried to be out of work by my doctor for 6 days. After that my DON was "angry" (her word not mine) about the situation and wrote me up for an absence problem?? In the past year I had had 3 times off (once was a broken ankle, once was my vacation, and once was my berevement when my grandmother passed away) I questioned her then and was told that ANY time off counted as absences and I had too many? I let that one go but this is going too far. This is my liscence at stake. I can always get another job. What do you think that I should do?

Please help!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

How do you want to proceed?

If the DON is going to take the word of a demented patient with a well-documented memory problem over yours, I would seriously question if this a place where you really want to work. Competent DONs acquire both sides of the story before deciding to take disciplinary action against an employee. It seems as if this particular DON wants to believe one side of the story.

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Since you say you can find another job, I highly recommend you do so. This DON does not know what she is doing and is taking some sort of personal vendetta out on you instead of going with the facts. Get out of there on your own terms (after you are off suspension). Start looking immediaely. This place is toxic for you.

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

I agree. It is beyond me how a person that is so educated can make such a stupid decision. Maybe you pass out medications quicker because you are more organized and more efficient than the others. Maybe it is because of the reason you stated, there are no treatments, not many patients, not many needs. Does she want you to move on a snail's pace? How horrible.

Did she say how long you were going to be suspended for? Would there be a hearing? This disgusts me to no end. No wonder nursing is going down the tubes.

I can't think of any suggestions myself, either, but I would certainly be using this time to investigate for a more humane place to work.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

do you feel you are being singled out?

i worked in one private psych facility that had an unreasonable (i thought) absence policy. no matter what caused you to miss or what illness you had, or why you were out it was "a black mark."

for about 8 months, i managed to stay healthy, then i got what turned out to be pneumonia. i was ill enough that my mom flew over 1000 miles to take care ofme while i recovered. the don called several

times per day just to bug me and make sure i really was at home and not out running around. finally, on

the second day, my mom turned into her lawyer self and she only called two more times.

when i returned to work, doctor's note in hand, i was handed a written notice of warning.

i promptly quit. that was the only time i ever quit without giving proper notice and it never hurt me because when asked why i left, i would just say "incompatible styles" and my future employers accepted it.

good luck!

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I am on suspension until further notice. She stated she would call me when a decision had been reached. Until then I am in limbo. Can she do anything against my license?

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Employers often file false allegations against the license of people they have fired. You probably no longer have a job. I would start looking for a new one today.

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I've already started looking it is just a little difficult considering where I work is connected with 2 major hospital and 3 other retirement communities and numerous doctors offices. So looking for a job rules all of them out because if i get fired or leave on bad terms I cannot work for any of these places. But there are many more so I am optimistic.

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

It seems that this woman has a vendetta out against you, therefore, it would not be a shock (unfortunately) for them to want to report you to the state.

Thinking back, have you had run ins with the DON or maybe some of her favorites in the past?

I would certainly seek for a new position elsewhere in the meantime. The climate will never be comfortable for you since this was done in such a petty, malicous and vicious manner.

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I had no problems with her, i thought anyway, until a few months ago with being out sick. I don't have problem with anybody at work except for her and I know to keep my mouth shut about it because she does have favorites and they go straight to her but to my knowledge I haven't done anything to them either.

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She probably woke up on the evil side of her bed as opposed to the just hateful side, and you were the first person who came to mind.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I had no problems with her, i thought anyway, until a few months ago with being out sick. I don't have problem with anybody at work except for her and I know to keep my mouth shut about it because she does have favorites and they go straight to her but to my knowledge I haven't done anything to them either.

She probably woke up on the evil side of her bed as opposed to the just hateful side, and you were the first person who came to mind.

Sometimes, people are jealous for reasons that are unphantomable to normal humans.

The next question I have is if the Altzheimer patient comes from an influential family or a family who will basically bug the heck out of you. Sometimes, these folks are just not accepting the fact that their loved one is no longer a reliable historian and they literally take whatever they say to heart. These sorts of people wield imaginary (or maybe not) power over administrators and put pressure on them to shove a sacrificial lamb in their direction.

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