TrudyRN

This has been my experience, too. We spend tons of money on people with little "promise" of ever being contributing members of society. I find myself more disturbed about it with each passing year, probably a result of my own increasingly harder times. No one hands me anything, I work for what I have, I support my family, i pay my taxes (angrily, bitterly, cursing those who steal from me and other peasants) and my bills, and generally live within my small means. Why, then, should taxpayers be burdened with huge expenditures on convicted criminals, the violently insane, the drug users and other non-compliants, etc? I guess we feel a Christian obligation to do so. I know Christians are to be merciful but we are also supposed to have some sense and be good stewards. Now maybe if we go get a fish with a gold coin in its mouth...

not real willingly but would have to consider the whole situation

not a wimp, just human; God bless you for caring about and for her. Try to do something restorative for yourself today.

Well, you run a risk of making the docs mad and your boss when you inform patients of stuff their docs don't know about or want them to know about. Calling in Social Work - also risky, unless this is normally done at your place. Not informing patient - risks your self-respect. Tough call, no easy answers. The first thing I thought of was hyperbaric chamber. Why don't her a'head docs inform her of this? It sounds like your husband has already done so, right? Aside from informing the patient and family that this treatment exists, what more do you think he should do? There might be other treatments, too - alternative med type things.

Always protect yourself. Apron, gloves, thyroid collar, dosimeter badge. Why take risks?

File an IR, keep a copy. They tend to get "lost". What if she gets sick later? They'll try to deny her WComp claim for her not filing an IR.

candy striper

I think you said it pretty well. Just say it calmly, without anger. Do NOT do his work. He sounds pretty lazy, arrogant, manipulative, and disorganized. And anyone who gets 3 weeks off at Christmas can just dang well stay at work and get his furniture delivered some other time.

BEst way to figure it out is to research job availability and the pay for these jobs, talk with real PT's and see what they say. Advantages: straight days, M-F; can work independently (be self-employed) Downside: not sure Best wishes in your quest for a good life. I believe you'll succeed.

It gets easier with time. What I have found to be best - the less said, in the chart or orally or in writing to ANYONE, the better. A doc taught me that and he is RIGHT. I used to chart every detail, as taught in school but he disabused me of this notion and I have never regretted it. You have no friends at work - remember that. Not your boss, the patient and family, your fellow staff - they are all out to wreck you - or at least make themselves look good, even if at your expense. Keep your mouth shut, your eyes and ears open. Be cordial but don't get close if you want to survive. It's hard and it's lonely but it works. Good luck on your new job.

The trouble with charting ANYTHING is that an astute reader of the chart, such as an attorney/nurse/paralegal/law clerk will pick up on it. They are trained to do exactly that, to look for exactly that type of note. Why say you called a doc if it was a routine dose? I just write "Pt. inadvertently received..., MD notified, client A&O x3, no new orders, etc." Chart VS. Why pussyfoot around?

Not picking at you, NJ, but you've only been working a year! There is a lot of bad stuff that you have not yet seen. I hope you never do but at least acknowledge that you are still pretty new at this dangerous profession.

Before reporting, try to come up with some solutions. I have found that bosses usually don't want to hear only problems. They want suggestions for solving them - suggestions for which, often, they will take credit. But, if you offer these to not only your immediate boss but also to her boss and on up the line, simultaneously, you might get credit. You might also expect trouble if you "report" to regulators. Be prepared. Have some back-up employment plans.

To the OP: the above comments about this one topic, what the minimum requirement to be called "RN" should be, reflects what the most basic problem is in Nursing - the lack of unity among nurses. If nurses were unified the way workers in other fields are, such as the Teamsters, auto workers, and other union workers, we could fight our enemies instead of fighting each other. The enemies are the employers who like to use us up and then discard us. Another major problem is the insurers. They have a stranglehold on health care, they just want to rake in premiums but never pay for anything. That causes hospitals, nursing homes, etc. to cut staff, such as nurses. Low staffing leads to all the other troubles, which are listed so well by The Commuter up above. Good luck with your project and with school.

it could be different in different states but I hope he is not responsible for anyone but himself and his own dependents. I think the insurers ought to pay - I know, what a concept!

It would chap me, too, except that this is what we've come down to in America. That is, since those who work are taxed so viciously, since you will lose the real estate and personal property you think you own if you do not pay the taxes for them, it seems only fair that people should weasel out of debts any way they legally can. And Senators are not in any position to talk - you and I pay not only their six figure salaries but also the cost of their insurance. America wa sold down the river long ago by Godless, country-less non-patriots who were interested only in what good they could do themselves, at the public expense. None of them care for America or her peoples. They care only for themselves.

Why do you think charting the one is ok but the other is just looking to end one's license? They're both wrong. And I am not at all sure that no one was ever harmed by an extra dose of abx. Like all other meds, abx have side effects - renal damage, 8th n. damage, etc.

I agree that we don't always get easy work in Nursing. However, this was a young student and she was having this experience for the first time so let's try to be a little more compassionate. I have cared for people who seemed very demonic - drugs and mental illness have a way of dragging people very far down. I quietly prayed for them and gave them proper nursing care. It was scary, yes. A lot of us feared for our safety dealing with these and lots of other patients - in ER, lock-up, and Psych settings.

Who informed you? If it was your boss, how does she know? Why does the person still have the tape recorder if your boss knows? Or was it speculation that he is recording? These days, you can record so easily - with a cell phone, tiny video, digital camera, etc. I think, really, we all need to assume that we are all always on camera. Like the cameras at traffic stops, etc. Check with a lawyer in your state and find out the law. As stated, each state is different. Maybe you should get your own tape recorder. And don't tell ANYONE about it.

Call the ACLU.

Maybe you can just leave some literature lying around where your coworker can find it. Or talk with her, off of hospital grounds and on your own time, about any information that goes against whatever the docs have said. docs and institutions feel hugely threatened and insulted over stuff like this. do not get yourself in trouble trying to help unless you can afford punishment, firing, etc. Just not worth it. I know it's very frustrating and you can try the approaches I have suggested but let it alone after that.

You really need to learn the HR policies at your facility. Read it in the HR Manual. Do NOT tell them you're pregnant a single second before you absolutely can't hide it any more. It is not their business. You need a lawyer so you can learn all of your rights. That said, just get through your orientation and be a good worker and keep the lines of communication oopen between you and your boss. Let her know exactly when you are going to go on Mat Leave and exactly when you will be back. Do this in WRITING, perhaps via email, so you have a record that you absolutely told her and that she received your notice. I still say you have no obligation to tell them ANYTHING about your personal life until you absolutely must. You should read up on the history of maternity leave and other feminist issues. Your foremothers fought long and hard so you could be treated with dignity and respect at this time, over this issue and others that are peculiar to women. GET THE FACTS from 2 or 3 attorneys and from your HR Manual and keep your mouth shut and good luck.

Maybe she's tired from work, kids, stress, heaven knows what. Keep absolutely out of it. If you do keep a "suspicion" log, keep it totally to yourself, never tell anyone you have such a thing. A suspicion is just that - unproven imaginings. You can easily, easily, easily people by your suspicions, particularly when you verbalize them. To me, it is cruel and unconscionable to speak your thoughts on topics like this unless you have true proof. A lie repeated often enough becomes believed. People are lazy and/or love to gossip. Do NOT partake or indulge in this deadly sin. I really hope you stay out of this mess. And since your boss said nothing to you about it and did not accuse you of any wrongdoing, I think you are probably not a suspect or person of interest. Why open a can of worms by bringing it up? What do YOU think you should do? What will you accomplish by keeping silent? By going to your boss? Who left the dang bottle on the counter anyway? There's no proof of how much was or wasn't in it at any particular moment, since there's no proof anyone counted it. No proof that there were even a certain number when dispensed by Pharmacy.

I think you need to ask the person who fired you what the specific reasons are for the firing. If you ask enough often enough, you can likely get some answers. Do file for unemployment money right away.

1. The nurse fired you? Not the doc? 2. You believe she lied about it being a joint decision by the doc and herself. 3. You stormed out. Not to be critical but if you thought there was a lie afoot, why get furious and storm out instead of going to the doctor to clarify. Who is really the boss there? That is, who is sleeping with whom? Ahem, pardon my indelicacy, just that, so often, it seems that that enters into these situations. But leave that out, of course, when you calm down and go back to calmly discuss this whole thing. If you want to just leave it alone and move on, learn this: Don't mention either job if you've only been out of school since March. You took time off to rest. right? Once you are on a new job, get daily feedback, if need be, on how you're doing. Do not accept a Charge position, although it might be hard to find anything else, as that's how these facilities tend to do. Maybe you can work a shift when there is, at least, an RN in the building and you are not the only licensed nurse. Rome wasn't built in a day. You are not going to last if you try to correct every problem at once. Take on bite-size goals. And master your own skills before you try to change anything. Lead by example. Model good sense and maturity and kindness. Silence is golden. Be patient, keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut (I mean it. No gossip, no sharing of personal business, no complaining about anyone else. NONE). Try to figure out what went wrong and avoid doing it again - if, indeed, it was anything on your part. Might have been impatience on the part of the dentist's nurse (is she an actual nurse?) or jealousy or who-knows-what? What was the trouble on the first job? Best wishes to you. File for unemployment if you are eligible. Go online in your state and check it out.