Chickenlady

I have a job I love, have been at for several years, and have great reviews from. They hired a new nurse and I'm afraid to work with her. About 6 weeks after she started, we had a minor disagreement. Should be no big deal, it was a witnessed event even. Next thing I know, I've been written up because "somebody" (in a very small office) stated I made an unprofessional comment. It was quoted in the document and I can say without a doubt that I NEVER said that or anything like it. I gave a written reply to my boss disputing the allegation. Boss and I talked and she agreed that it didn't make a lick of sense that I would ever make that statement based on everything else I have ever said. I advised boss that I was uncomfortable working with this nurse because if she'd lie about this, what else will she lie about? Went as far as to resign but agreed to stay pending an investigation of the event. Six weeks later, no response other than "Just because you don't see anything doesn't mean nothing's happening". I get it, an HR issue is not my business. Fast forward to this week. Same nurse has an ongoing dispute with an important but non-licensed team member. She has stated to me and others that "I smelled alcohol on him when he brought a patient in". Serious allegation that can impact this person's career and reputation. And I happen to know that he doesn't drink, hasn't in many years, and is well respected with no issues at work. Advised the boss of the event and (you guessed it) they will investigate it. I see this as a pattern of making false allegations when she has a conflict with someone. It makes me wonder, "what is she going to accuse me of next? That I'm working impaired, stealing, abusing patients?" I'm seriously considering leaving the job I love because I'm afraid if I don't she will accuse me of something and I'll not only have my job at risk but may end up fighting for my license.

I'm Aspie and found that I do better in less "touchy feely" specialties. In Psych I crashed and burned. I would suck in L&D. In the ER I did well technically but never was nominated for a Daisy. In jail, I did OK because it is discouraged to be empathetic or close to patients (unless working in psych). Now am in case management and have short interactions with my patients and I can "fake it" that long emotionally and my patients appreciate my organization and attention to detail.

Sadly, this is the reason everyone needs to be Buyer Beware. You're going to spend $16k on a used car? You take it to a mechanic before you buy it. Spending $16k on a nursing program? Gotta do your due diligence and figure out if the school is reputable and BON will accept their Auth to Test.

I do conscious sedation a lot and we know as a matter of course that people under 30 are harder to sedate. We usually try to schedule them with propofol sedation instead.

They may have had a gift or inheritance from family that allowed them to make a large down payment

They can get my last name if they request the medical records, which takes time. What I'm concerned with is my immediate safety while the psych patient in crisis is standing in front of me. By the time they get my last name from the medical records the crisis will likely have been addressed and I'm no longer easily accessible to them. And as for the idealistic statement: "Nursing care is centered on the patient and their family, not the nurse.", that is the kind of idea that has gotten us to the point where there are few consequences for patients who physically attack nurses. The safety of the provider vs. the focus on the patient are not mutually exclusive ideas although they seem to have become so in reality. Patient centered care does not include my injury or death. And my hospital did just institute this policy, although we have a mechanism in the ER to not release a note to the electronic chart the patient can view online. Still, I'm uncomfortable enough with this situation that I have not worked any ER shifts, and have no plans to do so.

If the contract wasn't fair, then you shouldn't have signed it, or should have negotiated it. Once you signed it, you agreed to it, fair or unfair. I understand your reason for quitting, but if they enforce the contract, that is a consequence of the situation. I sounds like the consequence is a better outcome than staying in the job you couldn't function in. I will echo being careful saying your mental health was so bad you couldn't work, the BON can take that as an admission that you are unfit to work as a nurse, when the reality is that perhaps you're better suited to a nursing job outside of the hospital.

Huge safety risk. If my hospital does that, there will be one of three outcomes: 1. Incomplete notes 2. Staff will be in danger 3. Staff will quit OK.....maybe all three of those things will happen, but I will be in group #3.

Just about any decent paying job is going to require an investment of some sort. If nursing is what you want to do, then nursing school is the only way to get there. There are lower cost ways of entering like LPN and then working while you progress to RN, or a community college ADN program.

GI, outpatient surgery, occupational health, corrections are all good options

Lots of overlap into PACU nursing and circulating. I've enjoyed GI nursing.

In the same vein, GI lab is an outpatient surgery center type vibe. It is routine, until it isn't, so there is opportunity to learn and get comfortable but you also need to stay on your toes. GI also does inpatient procedures on some pretty sick people, so there is that to step up to once comfortable with the outpatient side. I've found GI nurses to be a pretty cheery and supportive bunch. The negative to both GI lab and PACU areas is that it is procedural, so when your cases are done, you are done. That can be very eary (missing out on $$) or very late (unpredictable schedule).

I'm a zombie on day 4. It's really not in anyone's best interest for me to work that kind of schedule

I don't think that was the best thing for the patient, but I doubt there will be lasting effects. I would probably tell my partner that I had found out we weren't supposed to do IVs and we should keep it on the down low and not make the same mistake again.