I am a patient care tech in a hospital in Alabama. I work night shift and on Monday around 5.30am I slept off for a moment and the charge nurse saw me. She reported me to the manager and I was called off work for two days. On third day I was asked to meet them at HR. This is my first offence since I started working there in March. Will this be a warning or outright sack? I work too hard and I really like my job.
Am going to meet them in about three hours and I don't know what to expect. HR means sack right? They dont issue warning letter I HR? Should I implicate other of my co workers because they all sleep at night shift even if is for ten seconds.
HR means my defense doesn't matter anymore,, anything to remedy this situation.
It is NOT justifiable, the powers that be do not give a rat's patooty to investigate the issue and remediate the problem. They are just canning a good worker, because we are ALL expendable.
Corporate masters , doing what they do best.
I'm not sure there's much to investigate or remediate. We all know that we're not allowed to sleep at work, and the OP admits that she was sleeping. One could argue that a fundamental part of being a "good employee" is actually being conscious while on the clock.
I feel for the OP, but I think she'd be better off accepting responsibility (which she appears to be doing) than viewing this situation as an injustice from her "corporate masters".
Personally, I would have tapped her on the shoulder and encouraged her to get a cup of coffee ...but I wouldn't be surprised if I got fired after being caught sleeping at work.
Places I have worked would play lip service to sleeping being a never event, but would usually let people get away with it. There was a charge nurse who consistently slept six out of eight hours at night. She turned in the house supervisor for sleeping and the house supervisor was fired while the charge nurse stayed, to continue sleeping for pay! That shows you the unconsistencies. Your best recourse is to devise a way to insure you don't repeat this, as difficult as it may be. Best wishes.
The charge should have worked with you, if you are indeed a good staff member. However, we all know that what SHOULD happen is so often not what ends up happening.
How on earth did she find time to do her charge nurse duties between all that sleeping?
For one thing, she falsified entries on the MAR. She also just plain did not do things. Her mandatory charting would be no more than the same two or three sentences that said nothing, written at the beginning of the shift. What galled me would be the nursing supervisor sitting not more than four feet away from her, making no response, even when the CNA's made obvious loud comments and gestures. They would come to me to get help for her assigned residents.
I wish you luck for a favorable outcome. Implicating others? You could preface your statement that sleeping is not acceptable, but it is an accepted behavior with your peers, albeit for short periods..hopefully, someone else was keeping an eye on your patients? As a new nurse, I was amazed when I looked down the nurses' station and saw everybody nodded off--nothing ever happened to them or to their patients. However, if for some reason administration needs a reason for termination, they will use it. Good luck and please don't ever sleep during work time, again. Use each experience to be a learning one.
I'm not sure there's much to investigate or remediate. We all know that we're not allowed to sleep at work, and the OP admits that she was sleeping. One could argue that a fundamental part of being a "good employee" is actually being conscious while on the clock.
I feel for the OP, but I think she'd be better off accepting responsibility (which she appears to be doing) than viewing this situation as an injustice from her "corporate masters".
Personally, I would have tapped her on the shoulder and encouraged her to get a cup of coffee ...but I wouldn't be surprised if I got fired after being caught sleeping at work.
I have done this...shook their shoulder or made noise and bam; they're awake. I have seen people fired for sleeping on the job. It's a shame that management doesn't take into account length of employment, rave reviews, etc...
we were all told of the one nurse who only rested her head on her hand and was terminated for appearing to be asleep, urban myth or true story, who knows. But it made all us new nurses more alert (pardon the pun) to the situation. Always on your feet, eyes wide open and smile for the masters. And if they throw one of those crappy ice cream socials (no one ever buys a Carvel cake to bring to those things...) go down there, grab a cone and act grateful as you down some store brand ice cream.
I know this may offend some but when I was working FT and going to school FT if I was dead on my feet I would take a bathroom break and nod off there before I would fall asleep in front of a supervisor. I have never turned an aide in for sleeping but I have called them on it if it was the covered in blankets snoring variety.
Sour Lemon
5,016 Posts
I'm not sure there's much to investigate or remediate. We all know that we're not allowed to sleep at work, and the OP admits that she was sleeping. One could argue that a fundamental part of being a "good employee" is actually being conscious while on the clock.
I feel for the OP, but I think she'd be better off accepting responsibility (which she appears to be doing) than viewing this situation as an injustice from her "corporate masters".
Personally, I would have tapped her on the shoulder and encouraged her to get a cup of coffee ...but I wouldn't be surprised if I got fired after being caught sleeping at work.