selebra

Thank you for the advice - much appreciated.

Could really use some advice guys. Isn't discrimination based on age illegal???

It sounds like the real stressor is the relationship she is in. She is getting sick and calling in because she is actually afraid of what her fiancé will do if she fails at this job. Let her know that it is okay and that the world will not end if this job doesn't work out. It certainly will not be the end of her career. True love also does not put demands like that. If he decides to leave, she will be okay, she will survive, and she will find someone much better. The best thing you can do is help her find peace with whatever happens.

Do you have any legal recourse if you are taken off of a case because the family wants someone younger?

The count is always double checked at the end of the shift and there is no Pyxis unfortunately. Anyone looking at the sheet would be able to tell if I gave it or not though. The time ALWAYS has to be written down. Two things that were noted against me - someone complained that I did not give it until 2000 and they thought that I should not have questioned the prn order at all - as a result, the "patient waited too long". In other words, I should not have assessed the patient and I should have given the medication regardless of what the adverse side effects may have been!!!! Apparently, this is standard with hospice patients?????!!!

Thank you everyone! These posts have been very encouraging. I've been reading other posts too where members have told others in similar situations to not be afraid to question something. The day you stop asking questions is the day you become a dangerous nurse. I know I did the right thing. Now, I need to fight for unemployment.

They are called QMAPs (Qualified Medication Administration Person). They go through a short training program to do medication passes. They are not allowed to give injections. Here is a website that details the program. Medication Administration Program

I should probably also ask: How do I bounce back from this? My reputation is on the line. I've only been a nurse for a year. I have frequently felt that I did not get the support I needed at this facility and had to learn how to do my job many times on my own. When I asked questions, I was told "what do you think" and not in a nice way. I only had a total of 7 days of orientation. This latest episode is the culmination of a very difficult year. It is discouraging. I am determined though to continue. I worked too hard to let this slow me down. I just don't know where to go from here. Will the lawyer challenge the termination? I'm not even sure I can afford a lawyer.

Hi! I was wondering what the wisest course of action for me is. I was fired two days ago because I allegedly did not give a pain medication when the family asked me for it. This is incorrect. I gave it within 30 minutes, after I called hospice and made sure that it was okay to give it and had assessed the patient. The patient had a scheduled dose due within an hour plus an anti-anxiety med and I did not want to overmedicate them. I was told that this is not acceptable and that I should have known that it was okay to give the pain medication right away based on the prn order that was on the chart. The scheduled med is every 4 hours and the prn med is also every 4 hours (same med). This was a little confusing. I wasn't sure what course to take. Well, in the end, I was told that they had done a thorough investigation and that they could not find that I had given the pain medication at the time I said I gave it. The prn medication sheet has somehow disappeared (the one I documented my administration on). They also failed to check the narcotic sheet which shows that I gave it in a timely manner. What can I do now? I feel that I was unjustly targeted. Do I have a case for wrongful termination? Does anyone have similar experiences? I am in a at will state. Can I get unemployment benefits based on the false accusation?

Anyone out there needing a job as a new grad, here is a very valuable piece of advice: Nursing Homes (make sure you research the best in your state; send a resume by email; do a follow-up call) Wellness Clinics by the Visiting Nurse's Association (they are all over the United States) There are other agencies out there who will hire new grads for wellness clinics but I highly recommend the VNA; maybe they will eventually hire you for other positions as well (speculation of course, but could happen). This will get you your one year of experience which most hospitals require and then you can apply for the job that you really want, if you haven't fallen in love with your current job, of course. : )

I am in the same boat...not sure what's going on. They need to give us some sort of update, if only to say that they are still working on it.

Thank you. :)

My best time is 2 hours for 2 patients. That is 60 minutes per person. It's not a matter of how many I have compared to someone in a nursing home. It is the fact that I only have done two med passes and the instructor is standing over me constantly asking questions about the medications. I have to somehow cut it down to 20 minutes per person in one week with no in between practice and if I don't, well hasta la vista to me! There is also Dilantin that has to be shaken for 5 minutes, one of three liquids that have to be poured. Some of the med orders are not written with the actual form in mind so conversions need to be made. While I appreciate that a nurse out there has to give 34 med passes, this is me here not knowing how I'm going to make it - just a newbie - someday I'll be able to laugh at it but that's not today. So, everyone out there, please once again, what can I do to make the med pass faster??????

I have only done two med passes so far. This is my first med pass clinical. The instructor just told us that on our next med pass we would not know who are patients were ahead of time and that we would have to pass meds on all three patients within one hour. If we did not do so, we would not pass!!!!!!! What am I going to do. I was doing well to get my two patients within the two hour time limit. Each patient has 10 or more meds that have to be crushed, mixed with water, and poured down a G tube. There are also suspensions that have to be shaken, liquids that have to be poured, calculations that have to be done without a calculator. Some also have injections that have to be given at the same time or certain treatments or water boluses or residuals that need to be checked. Is this impossible? Do I need to talk to someone higher up? Or can someone recommend a certain technique that will help me pass? This is a med pass done in a Long Term Acute Care Facility. Has anyone had a similar experience? Why am I being asked to give meds as fast as an experienced nurse? Panicked and desperate here.