I am looking for some insight into retaliation acts by employers.I am a RN in a ICU setting at a major teaching hospital.I have been a resource to my entire unit.I received a promotion only weeks ago.I received a email from my unit manager only hours before she fired me "thanking me" for my dedication to the new nursing staff. I have never been written up, never a verbal warning.My evaluations have been excellent in all my years at this hospital. Until this past month....
I voiced my concerns over some incompetency acts performed by a coworker-nurse. These were acts that were not merely mistakes...they were acts that could have resulted in patient death. I tried to set a meeting with my nurse manager to discuss this nurses incompetent level of function...and I was met with a date to come in for a termination meeting...mine!
This nurse was the nurse managers best friend and recently was her assistant manager.She had done office work for years and had not taken care of any actual patient in years. When she opted to go back into staffing she "refused " to "accept" any orientation....and so she was left to learn by trial and error.In a ICU setting...thats just wrong!Othernurses had complained to the nurse manager to no avail...but I am a lil different.I have a history of being a strong patient advocate and I had told the nurse who was functioning incompetently that I was left with no choice but to go to our risk management dept re: her unsafe pratices.Hours later....I was "fired" for an alledged documentation error. This same kind of documentation error has resulted in no disciplinary action for other employees.Secondly ...my chart had been altered after I left...so I actually never had a documentation error.I dont know what to do. I have been a model employee for years.I have asked for dispute resolution....but they keep postphoning the dispute resolution hearing. What actually happens in a dispute resolution hearing? Are they a sham?Do you have any advice? I feel like I have been incredibly niave.Like I should have seenit coming...but didnt.
you know...i can think of 22 instances...but we'll just discuss 3 of them... in which 3 seperate employees failed to document any vitals or any type of assessment on a cc patient in the hospitals icu.would you like to know what happened to those 3 nurses? one got a transfer request shed asked for..with a good reference....one got performance improvement counseling....and the other got no form of reprimand at all. the great " crime" for which i was alledgedly fired for was "documentation of vital signs before the time had occurred".so when searching for a reason to terminate me.....all they could come up with was something like saying "she charted 8 am vital signs at 7:30 am" or something crazy like that.but...the ones who charted nada /zilch on these critical patients for an entire 12 hour shift received usually no form of reprimand. i have like 23 examples of nurses who did the same "alledged" offense...and basically nothing happened to them.
i have checked and i am actually covered under 4 different laws in tx from retaliation.
I can top that! I was recently assigned an older man with PNA and broken ribs, on IV ATB and bedrest. MS PRN. I taught him splinting, his 02 sats were 88% so i hooked him up to NC, called attending for some RT, he refused. I documented this in the patients chart, found another Doc on the unit and without going into history of other idiot doc, this guy said, yeah, write him up for RT , whatever you need, I'll sign it.
Guy improved throughout shift, o2 sats went up, he was sitting at bedside chair, ambulatory, able to cough and move secretions, received zero MS on my shift. I also noted that the previous shift indicated his o2 sats were 98% which is a fairy tale, when I took them they were 88, so you do the math.
I completed my shift and called my registry on the way home to DNR myself from this place and then included a 4 page document about this "facility" for my personnel records. Well, I got notified that I am DNR'd by the hospital because I have charting errors (they never provided any orientation, which I also documented and spoke with CN about).
I sent a copy of my 4 page letter to my State Senator, my newspapers, JCAHO and DHS. Now that's a whistleblower.
I feel like a fool and a failure and have to kick myself (volunteers anyone?) to remind myself that I am a patient advocate and DID THE RIGHT THING!!!!
If I never get hired again to work as a bedside nurse because I am "blackballed" then I sure would not want to be a patient at any of those facilities. GO FOR THE THROAT and make it PUBLIC!!!!!
They have to prove YOU wrong. But get a pitbull for an attorney, I have a friend who used to be a nurse and she goes for the nards with crap like this.
GET ANGRY!!! They are wrong for keeping Nurse Wretched there and placing other people in jeopardy. Try and maintain some communication with someone who still works there. If they slander your name or professional reputation that is another hit in the wallet. Have someone contact the HR department and ask for a professional reference, some states will allow this.
Get loud, public and angry. I do it all the time. I am probably one of the most competent nurses on the unit, being registry I set the bar very high, so I do take it personally when I am DNR'd for stupid stuff and they think I will just shut up and move on. I document everything wrong and forward it to the appropriate agency. I am beyond whistle, I am a full blown TUBA blower!!!
you know...you are probably right.i am going to allow them a last chance at my dispute resolution hearing....and if they dont do the right thing then i will do what i have to legally. i am a patient safety advocate. i feel like everyone that is a patient,..esp in a icu setting is tremendously dependant on receiving quality competent nursing care...and when a facility allows a nurse to "gain competency" thru trial and error in a icu when patients potentially loose their lives then i can not in good conscious be quiet.i have a long history of being a patient safety advocate at this hospital...so i am going to allow my old facility a last chance. if not,...then according to the public protection act of 1990 and other various statutes i am ethically bound to do the right thing.it is a sad day in healthcare when facilities willallow a incompetent practitioner to gain competency in a icu setting by trial and error.
Just adding here...Since you think that they have tampered with your charting...And I assume that it's computerized charting...If it's ''edited'' by either you or someone else, then you should be able to know who edited it. From the IT department. Though I wouldn't mention that over the phone, it's better if you can print out the info right before the grievance process and you're in front of the board, just to avoid additional tampering from their part. I'm glad you want to clear your name, but for me personally I would not return. But your reputation is what you're basically after.
Written charting can also be investigated for tampering. They have ways to compare the age of ink from one word to the next, ways to tell if there was an erasure, etc. (One of the reasons to always note a late entry as a "late entry")
you know...i can think of 3 instances in which 3 seperate employees failed to document any vitals or any type of assessment on a cc patient in the hospitals icu.would you like to know what happened to those 3 nurses? one got a transfer request shed asked for..with a good reference....one got performance improvement counseling....and the other got no form of reprimand at all. the great " crime" for which i was alledgedly fired for was "documentation of vital signs before the time had occurred".like documenting 8 am vitals at 7:30 am.the problem is....i was actually doing frequent assessment vitals on a patient every 15 minutes because the patient was rapidly changing. now...after telling that incompetent nurse that i was going to inform risk mgmt of her unsafe pratices...she ripped my frequent assessment vital sign sheet out of the chart while my head was turned and it is now mia...conviently.so when searching for a reason to terminate me.....all they could come up with was saying "she charted 8 am vital signs at 7:30 am".but...the ones who charted nada on these critical patients for an entire 12 hour shift received usually no form of reprimand.
i have checked and i am actually covered under 4 different laws in tn from retaliation.
why would you tell the nurse you were going to report her? why not just report her without her knowledge? i'm not a nurse yet, but why can't you chart vitals early?
I've filed 2 complaints with our Union, because of unsafe patient care. I went through the chain of command as directed and was blown off by upper management.
2 days after filing the complaint, I was told by upper management that I was going to be transferred out of the unit. I was told that it was becuase of a work related illness that had been going on for almost 6 months.
I know that it was from filing the complaints and my work related illness has nothing to do with it.
They wanted you to shut up and look the other way. How sad...
Hi,
I am looking for some insight into retaliation acts by employers.I am a RN in a ICU setting at a major teaching hospital.I have been a resource to my entire unit.I received a promotion only weeks ago.I received a email from my unit manager only hours before she fired me "thanking me" for my dedication to the new nursing staff. I have never been written up, never a verbal warning.My evaluations have been excellent in all my years at this hospital. Until this past month....
I voiced my concerns over some incompetency acts performed by a coworker-nurse. These were acts that were not merely mistakes...they were acts that could have resulted in patient death. I tried to set a meeting with my nurse manager to discuss this nurses incompetent level of function...and I was met with a date to come in for a termination meeting...mine!
This nurse was the nurse managers best friend and recently was her assistant manager.She had done office work for years and had not taken care of any actual patient in years. When she opted to go back into staffing she "refused " to "accept" any orientation....and so she was left to learn by trial and error.In a ICU setting...thats just wrong!Othernurses had complained to the nurse manager to no avail...but I am a lil different.I have a history of being a strong patient advocate and I had told the nurse who was functioning incompetently that I was left with no choice but to go to our risk management dept re: her unsafe pratices.Hours later....I was "fired" for an alledged documentation error. This same kind of documentation error has resulted in no disciplinary action for other employees.Secondly ...my chart had been altered after I left...so I actually never had a documentation error.I dont know what to do. I have been a model employee for years.I have asked for dispute resolution....but they keep postphoning the dispute resolution hearing. What actually happens in a dispute resolution hearing? Are they a sham?Do you have any advice? I feel like I have been incredibly niave.Like I should have seenit coming...but didnt.
Why would I tell her? BC...its the correct thing to do.If you attempt to try to work thru a problem with a coworker.....and the 2 of you cant resolve your differences.Then you be adult and professional about the situation and let that person know what recourse you plan to seek.I wasnt underhanded about the situation.I was upfront.BC ,...as bad as I hate to admit it...the facility really set this nurse up for failure by not mandating she be actually oriented to her new position.So...I didnt do any "sneaking behind anyones back" etc etc.I dont play that game. I am honest, upfront and professional....but not least nor last,.. I am a very very verbal patient safety advocate.Good luck in nsg school!
There are certain things you learn over the years as a nurse.The biggest thing is to know your professional boundaries.What you can accept and can not accept ethically/ morally as a nurse. I call it my mirror test.If I can look myself in the eye and be "ok" WITH WHAT I did / did not do in a situation then it is worth it. If I had of not said anything...I wouldhave failed my mirror test.Thats why they teach you in nsg school ...that before dealing with anyone elses culture / beliefs you have to have a firm grasp of what "YOU" believe.I could not have "NOT" told her...it wouldnt have been the correct ethical thing to do.
Why would I tell her? BC...its the correct thing to do.If you attempt to try to work thru a problem with a coworker.....and the 2 of you cant resolve your differences.Then you be adult and professional about the situation and let that person know what recourse you plan to seek.I wasnt underhanded about the situation.I was upfront.BC ,...as bad as I hate to admit it...the facility really set this nurse up for failure by not mandating she be actually oriented to her new position.So...I didnt do any "sneaking behind anyones back" etc etc.I dont play that game. I am honest, upfront and professional....but not least nor last,.. I am a very very verbal patient safety advocate.Good luck in nsg school!
There are certain things you learn over the years as a nurse.The biggest thing is to know your professional boundaries.What you can accept and can not accept ethically/ morally as a nurse. I call it my mirror test.If I can look myself in the eye and be "ok" WITH WHAT I did / did not do in a situation then it is worth it. If I had of not said anything...I wouldhave failed my mirror test.Thats why they teach you in nsg school ...that before dealing with anyone elses culture / beliefs you have to have a firm grasp of what "YOU" believe.I could not have "NOT" told her...it wouldnt have been the correct ethical thing to do.
The reason I ask is because I always thought when you had a situation where turning somone in could possibly cause problems it was best to remain anonomous. If she was all buddy-buddy with the manager, I would think it'd be best to talk to someone else other than her manager about her. They shouldn't have had best friends working under each other anyway.
That is true.It is a conflict of interest to have your best friend in a position of where you supervise her. Thats a classic scenario for conflict of interest.WE have a chain of command you follow for grievances.IF the employee feels the problem is warranted...we can go directly to our risk management dept...but we still should inform the nurse manager of our actions bc...otherwise when risk management contacts her she will not know what the heck they are talking about and it will be blown off.I followed my hospitals conflict resolution policy.Did EXACTLY as I was taught in the hospitals conflict resolution class....followed their compliance and ethics policy to a "T"....and I was fired for that.I stand behind my decision....nurses should not be allowed to gain competency thru "trial and error"...bc.....this isnt some peice of equipment we are talking about.Its a person.Someones mother, father , brother, child. I saw what happens when there is an "error" for her to learn from.....and let me tell you....it wasnt pretty...and I dont think I will ever forget it...nomatter how long I am in nsg.These are people with lives, thoughts , memories, personalities....things that make them "so special" to their families. When you pratice by trial and error...you have violated that families trust.It is ethically , morally and legally wrong.
The so-called "ethics" of the companies who own these health care facilities who allow termination for whistleblowing is a pathetic farce. Their motto should read: "Do as we say, and not as we do".
I hope the facility who terminated you gets turned every which way but loose by your attorney.:angryfire
Keysnurse2008
554 Posts
you know...i can think of 22 instances...but we'll just discuss 3 of them... in which 3 seperate employees failed to document any vitals or any type of assessment on a cc patient in the hospitals icu.would you like to know what happened to those 3 nurses? one got a transfer request shed asked for..with a good reference....one got performance improvement counseling....and the other got no form of reprimand at all. the great " crime" for which i was alledgedly fired for was "documentation of vital signs before the time had occurred".so when searching for a reason to terminate me.....all they could come up with was something like saying "she charted 8 am vital signs at 7:30 am" or something crazy like that.but...the ones who charted nada /zilch on these critical patients for an entire 12 hour shift received usually no form of reprimand. i have like 23 examples of nurses who did the same "alledged" offense...and basically nothing happened to them.
i have checked and i am actually covered under 4 different laws in tx from retaliation.