Sabotaged at work

What is the policy at this facility on restraints? Did you have a doctor's orders?

You were the sitter. You were not the nurse. The nurse made the decision to call security and place the patient in restraints. The family is going after you because you were the caregiver they saw first when they arrived, not because of the facts of the event. The patient is naming you because she remembers you, not because you were directly involved in the security call or placing her in restraints. The hospital will turn to the nurse's statement of the event, the nurse's documentation of the event and the notes from the security call to make a decision. However, I don't know what your agency will make of it.

I don't know I am agency and I only sit with patients,I do know in times past that a confused or sundowners patient wouldn't be put in restraints unless they hit someone,usually I walk around with them on the floor till I can get them in their room again

Yeah, I thought that's what it was too, my supervisor said she's not going to fire me and if when I move on to get a career as a nurse she will give me a good reference,but I may not be able to work again for that particular hospital and being how new grads already are having a hard time getting employed this is a door closed for now with this hospital.

Oh I wish that were the case the patient's family member knew darn well I was the sitter,this person insisted I call the nurse,and also was curious as to why I was there because when there the other day, there was another sitter who I ended up relieving,and that was a weird thing also to happen,seeing how I had been to work a few hours already, any how the patient told me in so many words it was my fault that their loved one was put in restraints b/c I was not caring ,loving etc,etc, I was speechless

Why in the world would someone who had a sitter assigned to them be put in restraints because they wanted to leave the room. Restraints should be reserved for when the patient is a danger to him/herself or someone else. Patients that sun down get restless and walking around, provided she is steady, would probably done her a world of good.

Was there a MD order and did the MD come and assess the patient. Do you really want to work for an institution that treats their patients this way? And the way you are being treated I suggest you look for some other place to work.

What letter are they asking for? I'd be very careful in doing that. Will they use it as an evidence against you? Tread carefully. Also, did the patient have an order for restraint? The nurse should be the one to answer for this and not you!

with me being an agency sitter I really would have to go out of my way to speak to the nurse and who know's the nurse could have threw me under the bus to in order to not be in trouble themself or either the patient's family was just plain old wicked. anyhow I agree with kayern maybe I should just walk away but I'm hanging by a thread financially. I was already advised by another agency nurse who has 5 or more years experience that this was not a good organization to deal with but I know that probably of been her opinion. I just feel like I got screwed without vaseline seeing how I can't even begin to make a decision of who or who doesn't get put in restraints.

Consult an employment law attorney before doing anything. You have had an attack made on your character. Furthermore, you were the sitter, and did not make the decision to apply restraints. Sounds like you are taking the fall for someone else. To reiterate, I would get on the phone PDQ and make an appt. with an attorney who specializes in employment law!

Question: if this patient wanted to leave the room, did you attempt to escort him and walk him around the unit?? Were there other measures that could have been taken instead of resorting to restraints? It is a serious matter when restraints have to be used; was the supervisor called? Obviously the family was not notified; BIG mistake in this instance.....

I don't understand why you would have to write a letter at all. You aren't the nurse or the MD and didn't have anything to do with the decision making process for that patient. The hospital and your agency should know that. As for the family being mad at you, its a case of misplaced anger, they probably would have been mad at the food service worker if she had been the first person the family memeber saw. Who told you to write the letter?