Stressed please give me some insight

[Nurse_mike2016]

Hi so here's my situation I work for a ltc facilty as a LPN. I received my license back in June of 2016 but didn't start practicing until mid July of that same year. I've worked long term and acute rehab and find that Ltc is what's best for me. Ok, so here is to what happens daily at my job. There are two nurses mostly for the long term care side, each nurse usually has 26 to 28 patients daily. With saying that I the nurse am responsible for making appointments, consults, treatments, care plan meeting, pre-auths for procedures. All this is happening while doing day shift while finishing up Med pass that takes from 7:00 to around 11:00am with just two nurses. So with this being said I made a transcribing error for not removing a medication from a patient chart, first time written warning. Ok that's not to bad, no harm no foul, Pt was ok not adverse reactions. I understood my mistake and owned it. Now Fast forward to June of this month, another order i put into a patient mar for a consult for a podiatrist. I entered the order as podiatrist consult discontinue once scheduled. Ultimately the appointment was not gotten quickly enough. Patient is okay. So as of yesterday I brought in by my unit manager saying that she has concerns regarding my practicing as a nurse. She then brings up another patient that has dvt medical history and that is bed bound. With this patient she basically blamed me for all the problems that have been brought in by family. Stating that since I admitted her, it's my fault for her a having a pressure spot on her heel. Mind me when the patient arrived, I did her initial skin assessment, she had only to wounds which were vascular in nature. Sorry for rant, but with all this being said, i tried to explain to the unit manager that each shift has skin assessments that they due weekly and it happens so that this particular patient is an evening assessment and not day shift. The nurse who have been checking her skin didn't note the pressure on heel, this patient had been admitted for about a month. So I'm saying that any skin changes can occur within a whole month. Thru all this I was suspended with a second write up for days. Idk I feel so lost and re thinking my career as a nurse after all this. I care so much for my patients and it seems the more I do, the worse happens. ������.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

You might get more replies if this was moved to the geriatric/LTC, vs LTACH.

That said, writing you up for resident getting a pressure ulcer since her admission, while her subsequent skin assessments not scheduled while you are on? If I understand correctly, you don't need to reconsider being a nurse -- you need to reconsider your employer!

[iluvnoodles]

I just had a recent experience where I questioned the care that I have in providing to my patients has done nothing but bite me in the ass. I have been caring for a patient on hospice who was transferred over to our unit because the nursing staff were c/o his multiple complex wounds. I discussed with out wound clinician about their current treatment orders bc they obviously weren't appropriate, and I a, studying to be a WOCN. So after being on appropriate treatments, sacral wound healing beautifully. So wound clinician decides to focus on trochsnter wounds. each week the Wocn has been debrieding them, so they looked bigger and deeper. A float nurse did the wound care treatment and sent an email to the chief of geriatrics that this patients wound has gotten worse. Ending story she accused me of letting the wounds to deteriorate, and the family no longer trusted me. After speaking with management I knew there was no support. So lessened learn, don't trust anyone and knowing the fact that I took excellent care of that patient was enough. I agree with the previous commenters in that if they are trying to blame you for something you know are not at fault, than it is not the right facility to work for. I have been job hunting as well

[Nurse_mike2016]

Thank you, I've actually moved on, ultimately my employment was terminated. But I look st this situation as learning experience. But what's odd is that I had such impact on my patients that are still asking for me even when it's been a month since I ended my employment.

[ChryssyD]

You were being used as a scapegoat. I'm sorry you got terminated but it really sounds like leaving that place isn't such a bad thing. Good luck in future. :)