True Story #1 This happened in KY to a RN who worked in a inpatient dialysis unit. I went to school with this RN and received this information from her. The following incident happped approx one year ago: The names will be changed to protect the quilty. S*** was working as a RN in a local hospital on the inpatient dialysis unit. The charge nurse is Rita. S*** is a very humble person who serves as a 'punching bag' for all the *****es in this profession who 'eat their young'. One day R*** had drawn up all the meds for the pts (which is the job of the charge nurse). While passing the meds of these pts which by the way are ALL given through IV type methods got involved with a pts subclavian port which was not running properly. R*** told S*** to get the meds for a pt a give them to him. The meds were iron, Epoiten and heperin. S*** took the pre-drawn meds and infused them into the pt. Sometime later in the shift the pt died. The cause was internaly bleeding from an overdose of heperin. Of course the cause of death was NOT relayed to the family. The charge nurse R*** and the manager C**** took it upon themselves to cover this incident. When they cked the MAR they discovered the pt had already received the heperin form the midnite nurse. Had R*** or S*** cked the MAR this would not have happened. This was the outcome. S*** was fired with the promise she would be able to draw her unemplyment with NO contest and she would never mention the incident.....Today, R*** and C**** can still be seen walking the halls of the local hospital. S*** is currently working in home-health thanking God she still has her license. #2 Eariler this year, I accepted a position at a LTC facility. I was the 2nd shift charge nurse for 38 residents. I worked there 56 days. As with any facility, the oncoming nurse takes report from the off going nurse. The first time I met the midnite nurse, K_____, I noted she had a very bad cough with SOB. My first thought was: 'crap, I wish she would stay home and not spread her flu to me' (shame on me...i willl never forgive myself for being so self-centered). After 3 weeks of witnessing K____ come in taking report from me coughing and coughing and coughing and the SOB increasing....I became very concerned. Of course I asked K___if she had seeked medical txment. She replyed with 'Yes its just the flu. I need to stay home from work but I fear for my job'. Finally, one day she called in and told the DON she desperatly needed at least two days off to rest. Of course you ALL know she was practically 'nailed to the cross' and talked about like a dog. 'How dare she call in sick when we are sooooooooooooo short staffed. Also let me add.....NONE of the on-call department heads worked her shift. They put the burden of the rest of us. I remember on one occassion, I verbilized to the asst DON my deep concern for K___ and feared she had some medical condition which may indeed cost her her life. Her reply was this 'Oh, that cough is a smokers cough she has brought this on her self'. A CMA overheard the conversation and replied with 'K_____ has NEVER smoked a cig in her LIFE'! After six weeks of K_____ coming in obviously NOT improving, I keep voicing my concern for her LIFE. The cough had an odd sound like the croup or someone with heart problems...her physican had her on an albutal inhaler. She could no longer even stand to count narcs, her job performace was poor for she had no energy or 'wind' to properly to her txments. Word was getting around the facility that K_____ was going to lose her job if she didn't improve on her job duties. The last nite I gave report to K_____, she had come in 45 minutes late. She shared with me her energy level was so low she could only maintain a speed of 10 miles per hour driving to work. I begged her to call the department heads and have her husband pick her up and take her to the hospital. She made me promise NOT to interfere for she needed her job and would be okay. I left and went home. The next evening I arrive to the facility and was greeted by the DON who questioned me about K ___s behavior during our report. She asked me if K_____'s speech was slurred. I replied very strongly! "NO! K___ is sick and I fear for her life! I don't understand why you people seem NOT to care!' The DON proceded to tell me K___had called 911 on the previous nite for she feared she was dying. An employee (snitch) had called the DON and reported that K___may be on drugs. The DON arrived before the ambulance and demanded a 'for cause' drug screen and fired Karen for not calling her for she was going to abandon her residents. Now for the kicker, K___ was diagonsed with heart failure due to a virus in her heart. To live she needs a heart transplant. The DON being the devil she is, called K___ at the IC unit and told her "since I fired you be sure to understand you have NO insurance'. I don't know if K___ is still alive for I was fired a week later for 2 med errors which caused me to have my license suspended for 2 years since they were already on probation which would have been up this month.....something to think about don't you think?