Sleeping On Unit

HiddenAngels · Aug 26, 2022

1 hour ago, Aloe_sky said:

My manager gave me a paper to sign saying 2 nurses said I was sleeping at the nursing station and ignoring my patient alarms. I told him I wasn’t even at the nursing station the entire shift and was sitting at the computer on wheels in front of my patients room. I was highly confused by this accusation and reached out to the nurses that were on shift and they admitted I wasn’t even at the nursing station and they never seen me sleeping.

I was still asked to sign a first warning. I am highly emotional over this accusation that is a lie and don’t think it’s fair. I can’t stop crying.

Do not sign that paper! And don’t you dare give them another milliliter of a tear. You didn’t do anything wrong and you have people who will vouch for you that you weren’t even at the nurses station, so there’s that. Some people are ridiculous bullies. (Hugs)

Aloe_sky · Aug 26, 2022

36 minutes ago, HiddenAngels said:

Do not sign that paper! And don’t you dare give them another milliliter of a tear. You didn’t do anything wrong and you have people who will vouch for you that you weren’t even at the nurses station, so there’s that. Some people are ridiculous bullies. (Hugs)

Thank you, I was put on the spot and never had a write up before, I did sign it. I am wondering if I can go to HR and have them open an investigation. This has really hit me hard and I don’t see my manager or coworkers the same. I don’t know who to trust.

Aloe_sky · Aug 26, 2022

I have it in text that 2 nurses said I wasn’t at the nursing station at all. 1 nurse did remind me that my ventilator alarm kept going off….I made the P.A, other nurses and RT well aware of these alarms and the RT and PA said there was nothing they can do.

Aloe_sky · Aug 26, 2022

I was wondering if there a way for them to track the computer I was using that shift, I can use as proof. I really hate that I signed the paper.

allnurses Guide · Aug 26, 2022

Many times I have seen two-faced co-workers throw shade then deny to the person being reprimanded.

As a charge nurse I supervise ancillary staff on my shift. After weeks of complaints from both patients and staff about a particular staff's negative behavior. I knew I had to do something. The policy at our facility is to counsel staff at the unit level first. So taking the staff memeber aside. I quietly and privately informed the staff memebr about the negative behavior. Sh asked why I had a problem with her . I informed them that other staff had brought this to my attention. She wanted their names which I did not give but stated that a meeting could be arranged with house supervisors to discuss further.

The next day when I was off the staff confronted several workers on the unit who all denied they had any problem with that staff. Several of these staff had complained directly to me. I escalated the complaint up to the next level. Long story short nothing was done.

Davey Do · Aug 26, 2022

When complaints are made, it is the higher ups responsibility to have paperwork to prove the complaint was investigated and something was done about it.

We don't have to like it, we merely have to accept it.

Low self-esteemed individuals will bring others down in order to feel less pain about themselves. This is a truism. We may feel personally attacked, but as they say, the best revenge is living well.

My mantra at times like these: "My happiness does not depend upon what others do or say or what happens around me. My happiness is the result of being at peace with myself."

I have been written up, suspended, and terminated over bogus charges.

I am at peace with who I am and what I've done, therefore I am a relatively happy person.

Aloe_sky · Aug 26, 2022

1 hour ago, hppygr8ful said:

Many times I have seen two-faced co-workers throw shade then deny to the person being reprimanded.

As a charge nurse I supervise ancillary staff on my shift. After weeks of complaints from both patients and staff about a particular staff's negative behavior. I knew I had to do something. The policy at our facility is to counsel staff at the unit level first. So taking the staff memeber aside. I quietly and privately informed the staff memebr about the negative behavior. Sh asked why I had a problem with her . I informed them that other staff had brought this to my attention. She wanted their names which I did not give but stated that a meeting could be arranged with house supervisors to discuss further.

The next day when I was off the staff confronted several workers on the unit who all denied they had any problem with that staff. Several of these staff had complained directly to me. I escalated the complaint up to the next level. Long story short nothing was done.

It is very 2 faced and I asked one of the managers on another unit regarding this matter. He said he will look into talking to my manager or HR regarding an investigation.
I don’t like that they lied that I was in an area I wasn’t.
I will admit, I am not the most talkative person on the unit which is why I use the computer on wheels and sit in front of my patients room rather than sit at the nursing station. I don’t care for work gossip so I stay to myself. I am very respectful to my coworkers tho!
we only have 1 big monitor on the whole unit, so I like to sit by my sickest patients room and put the room monitor on to both my patients.

its really hurtful that some nurse/s would smile in my face and go behind my back to get me in trouble. It’s so childish and I just don’tsee myself wanting to converse with them at all anymore. I have precepted majority of these nurses, I have more experience so they come to me for help. I just don’t care at all to even acknowledge them now.

Aloe_sky · Aug 26, 2022

53 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

When complaints are made, it is the higher ups responsibility to have paperwork to prove the complaint was investigated and something was done about it.

We don't have to like it, we merely have to accept it.

Low self-esteemed individuals will bring others down in order to feel less pain about themselves. This is a truism. We may feel personally attacked, but as they say, the best revenge is living well.

My mantra at times like these: "My happiness does not depend upon what others do or say or what happens around me. My happiness is the result of being at peace with myself."

I have been written up, suspended, and terminated over bogus charges.

I am at peace with who I am and what I've done, therefore I am a relatively happy person.

I do agree, it is very hurtful and I am still very tearful over this, I even cried at the nursing station. I go to work to do my job and I’ve never had issues before, this is a new hospital and I’m not too familiar with the staff as I don’tlike getting personal. Even that, they are newer nurses so I am told I am in a leader role so management has to come down harder on me. I have the most experience in ICU, even the charge nurse doesn’t have more experience. I precepted them as most have less than 2 months experience in ICU. It’s just hurtful and this has scarred me.

Davey Do · Aug 26, 2022

21 minutes ago, Aloe_sky said:

I do agree, it is very hurtful and I am still very tearful over this, I even cried at the nursing station.

Aloe_sky, these are lessons I learned having lived 65 years and working as a professional caregiver for 47 of those years. Of course, I experienced every emotion imaginable and did my fair share of crying.

For example, when unfairly terminated back in '93, I broke down in front of the NS and HR director and cried most of the 25-mile trip home.

These trials and tribulations that I experienced, and you are now experiencing, were and will become bumps in the road that we can use for our growth and development.

Of course this situation hurts and is scary, but to transcend the pain will serve us well in experiencing illuminating revelations that will lead to understanding and a higher consciousness.

My very best to you.

DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 26, 2022

Do you have a union? If so seek their help. If not I would seek out legal advice.

Stick to your guns and be strong. You are in the right here. I wish you well.

JKL33 · Aug 27, 2022

On 8/26/2022 at 2:09 PM, Aloe_sky said:

I do agree, it is very hurtful and I am still very tearful over this, I even cried at the nursing station. I go to work to do my job and I’ve never had issues before, this is a new hospital and I’m not too familiar with the staff as I don’tlike getting personal. Even that, they are newer nurses so I am told I am in a leader role so management has to come down harder on me. I have the most experience in ICU, even the charge nurse doesn’t have more experience. I precepted them as most have less than 2 months experience in ICU. It’s just hurtful and this has scarred me.

Forewarning: I have very little tolerance for bad coworker behavior like what yours did to you, but I think it's good to be no-nonsense in our own responses, too, so I hope my comments don't seem harsh. They are passionate, but not mean-spirited or critical. Okay? ?

This is not worth crying about, and entertaining thoughts of being "scarred" by this is not good. Not okay. You gotta get out of that mode, pronto.

These are silly insecure fools doing this kind of stuff. And mean-spirited, too. How ridiculous would it be if you were scarred, wounded and all out of sorts because of that kind of foolishness? Get into a mindset where you feel sorry for them--because I assure you they have way bigger problems than you do; both nursing and life are gonna be rough for them if they don't shape up.

As for you, you sound like a conscientious person. You're going to be fine if you learn to stand up for yourself. Doing so doesn't have to be confrontational, but you can see what happens when you do the opposite and immediately go into emotional melt-down mode--you end up losing the opportunity to state your case/defend yourself, etc., etc., and are prone to people basically bullying you and/or treating you poorly.

We do usually have some element of control over how we let others "make" us feel.

I hope you will take some time to process your emotions; rethink how you are feeling right now. Then go on about your business, take good care of your patients, continue being kind and professional. Going forward, it probably won't hurt to be just a little more interactive with your coworkers; rapports with coworkers can go a long way even when minimal and strictly work-related.

I hope this makes sense.

Take care ~