Davey Do

Putting principles before personalities is not usually an easy thing to do because emotions get involved, but if we endeavor to be individuals of integrity, we must be true to ourselves. We only have to sleep with ourselves and it's up to us who we let into our kitchens, our heads. A mantra I use at times such as these is " My happiness does not depend on what others do or say or what goes on around me. My happiness is the result of being at peace with myself". If we act as a person of integrity, adhering to our principles, values, and beliefs, then we can be at peace with myself. Logical actions out shadow emotional reactions. May you get peace, CNAlove, because you did the RIGHT thing.

"Is it worth going back to formally report over a month later?" Your thanks is appreciated CNAlove. Being an ardent hard core chronicler, I jot down notes on an array of situations and subjects, so if something is on my mind a lot, it gets written down. This not only keeps track of things, but is also is a cathartic therapy. In a situation such as yours, the incident could be objectively documented in a report with actions taken, e.g. going to administration, and the results thereof. Submitting the report is your call, but just being in possession of it could prove to be a prudent measure, if called upon to relate the happenings. Of course, any identifying patient information is not used in personal documentation and a memory-jogging entry, e.g. date and diagnosis, can be used in its stead. Good luck to you.

Wow. A medication error not leading to harm and needing a lawyer? Had me or my colleagues required a lawyer for an innocuous med error which was appropriately reported and dealt with, we could have kept them in business to the point they wouldn't need to chase ambulances. Med errors happen, need to be reported and rectified, and we need to learn from our mistakes, but in my 40-year career, I never needed to seek the services of a lawyer.

Objectively documenting words and behaviors and submitting these reports to the chain of command is a prudent action. Once the internal chain of command is exhausted, we can then go to outside bulldog resources, such as the department of labor. Case in point: I was belittled and bullied by an older nurse with less seniority early in my career. I followed the chain of command, reporting the incidents to my supervisor and when the situation was not resolved, went to the DON. I was put on the hot seat and resigned my position. An adjudicator for the office of employment security ruled in my favor, citing unfair working conditions and I was awarded benefits. In the ensuing decades of my career, this sort of situation, from abuse from the higher ups to insubordination occurred from time to time. If the situations were tolerable with no gross ramifications experienced, I merely objectively reported and submitted my report following the chain of command. Sometimes the offenders were reprimanded, sometimes not. One truth was found in a quote by Edgar Cayce: "No one can get someone into more trouble than they can get themselves into". It all comes out in the wash.

Having worked in both staff and administrative nursing, I have experienced similar situations which entailed objectively reporting patient abuse to supervisors to bringing down the ax on an employee. As nurses, we need to adhere to policies, procedures, laws and moral codes in order to be individuals of integrity. In a nutshell, we always need to put principles before personalities. We are a nurse first, and everything else is merely accoutrement.

Had a similar situation at the last medical center where I was employed in psych. A tech had left the patient roster in the day room they were using to jot down VS which was found by a patient's relative. In those days, room numbers and both the first and last names of the patients were on the list. The tech was reprimanded with a verbal warning and the roster, from that point forward, listed the first name and last initial only. Your reporting to the DON was a prudent move, Maria, reporting the lost list after a search without result, which may motivate administrative officials to change the paperwork and procedure, in order to avoid a similar circumstance in the future. It would seem a worse-case scenario here could be a possible HIPAA violation. Now, I use the word "possible" because, if no further ramifications result if and when the list was found, it's not an actual violation. It merely has the potential for a violation, and if never found, it's merely dust in the wind. Maybe to ease your mind a bit more, Maria, a patient accidentally dropped a benzodiazepine tablet which I was in the process of administering to them in the dayroom. I searched for that pill exhaustively and never located it. In 40 years of administering meds, I was unable to find a lost pill only twice, the other time was a Seroquel in the unit's pantry. I reported the situation, wrote up incident reports, and received no negative ramifications, and hopefully it will be the same for you. Good luck!

Heh heh heh heh! The advice may have been interpreted as an attack on one's life stance, Emergent. We often believe that if we repeat the same ol' spiel to just about every patient to which we provide service, the word will get around. For example, "Your threats of bringing a lawsuit against me will change nothing". Or: "No you can't have a fan or phone in your room". One patient replied, "I'm not coming back here (to the psych unit). I responded, "And tell your friends!"

Of course inspection, care and cleaning of the insertion site can and needs to be done regularly, Deb, which I am relatively sure you know, along with any professional interventions should a problem arise. In a quick search by putting in a few pertinent words in the search engine, such as "free rides for medical patients to the hospital", yielded some viable results, in response to your "live 45 minutes away... no vehicle". Here's one: 10 Free Transportation Programs for Seniors: Your Guide [2026] – Savings Grove Good luck, Deb, and the best to your mother in law!

Emergent's advice is seconded. This nurse is a bully and needs to be called out directly and objectively on their behavior. Objectively and directly calling someone out needs to be based on facts and "I statements" need to be made. For example, "Do NOT physically push me out of the way or give me orders. I am not a subordinate in this situation and I will not be pushed out of the way or in any other way be disrespected!" Now, I had time to come up with this response, yet in formulating it, stuck to those basic rules institutionalized within my behavior, which are based in facts and I statements. Facts: A staff member put their hands on me. A peer (with less seniority) gave me an order. I felt disrespected and if I feel that way, it is a fact. Back in '92 or '93, while working in a small rural hospital, I was the nurse recording the intervention during a code. I was the newbie nurse at this facility and a seasoned nurse with a reputation for being difficult with which to get along with had given me a hard time from the get-go. This nurse would give out VS in a muffled tone for which I could not hear. I said loudly and clearly, "I can't hear you, so you need to speak up!" The nurse reacted appropriately. That nurse, much later on, accused me of harassing her, and I was fired for arguing with her. During this altercation, I followed the factual format, believed I had handled the situation well, which was recounted at the Employment Security adjudication process, and won the case. Some years later, I received a telephone call from the Dept. of Public Health, who was investigating njmerous charges brought on that facility, by that nurse, who had, by then, been terminated. One nurse charge involved a particular code (with which I was involved) needed to be investigated, and listed me as one who would verify the charges, in effect, be on that nurse's side. I told the Public Health investigator that this nurse was not involved in that particular code, not being scheduled that shift. I also said that I had no idea why I was noted as someone who would verify their complaint when they were the root cause of my termination. I sensed the investigator saw the reality of the situation- that these were bogus charges- although said nothing specific to that effect. Edgar Cayce said, "You can't get anybody in more trouble than they can get themselves into", and this is one of many which proved that premise in my nursing career. So, if we remain objective and factual in practicing the principles of our professional integrity, we will allow others, however eventual, to hang themselves.

All Healthcare facilities are to generate, and have passed by a board of administrative professionals, a Policy & Procedure manual. For each direct care procedure, guidelines are provided in outlining the process and which professional can perform, or is responsible for, that particular procedure.