Retaliation for reporting disruptive physician behavior

[nursebythesea]

I reported disruptive physician behavior at work. My nurse manager told me to stop doing deliveries for awhile. I am a labor delivery mother baby nurse. Then mentioned something about my poor documentation. She said she is restricting my duties for awhile until this cools off. I have a meeting tomorrow with my nurse manager and DON tomorrow. I'm confused. Why were my duties limited immediatley after this report was made? Is this retaliation? Should I go to the meeting alone tomorrow?

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Do not go to the meeting without a union rep. Contact your malpractice carrier for guidance. If there is an ethical reporting system as part of your parent company, report it.

Per TOS we can not give legal advice. Just be really sure that you have non-subjective "proof" regarding your claims.

Best of luck.

[ProgressiveActivist, BSN, RN]

The trouble always starts when you go to management.

Sounds like tit for tat. Might be progressive disciplinary action.

Don't let them intimidate you. Say: Why am I hearing about this now after X years of positive performance evals.

I would state that I don't think its a coincidence that youre counseling me now 2 days after I reported Dr. Yingyang. Did he tell you to get rid of me?

When you get out of that meeting go to your car and write down every word that was said. Sounds like another crappy job in a crappy hospital. Line up another job. Good riddance.

[SeattleJess]

Damn. So sorry to hear this. I have experience in another career with this kind of situation. I worked for the state which may be a different kind of beaurocracy but I suspect not. There, the supervisors were always right. Kind of like "Queen takes pawn." Unless you have a more powerful piece protecting your back, you're screwed, little pawn. Supervisors have time to sit on their a***s and make up a distorted picture of your performance. Have you heard the expression "nibbled to death by ducks?" Soon taking a 16 minute break instead of a 15 minute one will be "abuses break time", etc., etc. You will end up working double time ` doing your job and trying to cover your back against trumped up claims.

Sadly, retaliation claims (like age discrimination) are extremely difficult to prove.

Unless you want to be Don Quixote, and shatter your lance, my advice is do NOT try to defend yourself alone. Get a union rep, document, stall while you start looking for another job.

When did I get so cynical? I am not a spring chicken any more, fer shur.

Wishing you the best of luck.