Should I go to my union rep?

[lucier]

I've been practising barely over a year in nursing and just went to full day time line.

I was with a patient who deterioated and had to go to ICU

My team leader, who is not unionized, wanted to review the process with me. She is concerned that I did not document in timely manner. But I was busy, people are talking to me with that patient and all my other patients. It was paper charting so if I'm doing something, I can't chart.

Now she sent an email to have the manager involved and in her email it was like I never documented anything at all. Did not involve her (I did inform the nursing supervisor and the MD was there at all tmes). And did not prioritize properly.

This meeting is tomorrow and I'm really stressed about it. It feels like I did everything wrong in some way.

Does the union rep need to get involved? I feel like I won't be able to talk over her at all and no matter what I say it will look bad on my papers. But if I get the union rep involved, it would be like I'm escalating the topic and anti-management. I feel like tomorrow I'll just be there and they'll comment on my mistakes and I'll feel like crap afterwards.

[Emergent, RN]

Yes, you should be have the union rep accompany you. That's what they are for. It sounds like it is a disciplinary meeting.

You have a right to reschedule the meeting so you can arrange for your rep to be there. You need a witness, plus a support person.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Absolutely get the union rep to go with you. And do not sign, agree or say a thing until such time as you discuss the exact issues with your union rep after they reveal them to you.

You should have malpractice insurance. If you do not, get it going forward. If you do, call them.

For patients tanking, you need to involve your charge nurse. And call a RR. If it is paper charting, chart as you go, and be sure that you have a recorder for your RR. Even if in the narrative you are noting time and "MD called due to patient decline" and then an assessment note "Patient has a BP of_______, RR________ PR of_________. Charge RN aware, RR called. Patient on monitor"-- put them on your vitals machine and have it set at q5 minutes. Get them on a tele. Again, team sport, so you need assistance. This should be automatic with every patient you find tanking. Your RR recorder will take it from there until such time as a plan is reached. You, however, should do a "MD arrives at 0900...." and whatever orders you are given.

Take this as a learning experience. Bottom line, you recognized that the patient was in distress, you called appropriate people, and the patient got to where they needed to be in a timely fashion (ICU). That you realize now that "if it is not charted, it is not done" is the lesson to take going forward.

And if the patient was monitored, there will be exact times on the strip. So be sure that you use that should you have to chart at the end of a RR.

Best wishes