Suspended

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I made a med error- didnt give coumadin to a pt.order did not pop up after supervisor put it in. i owned up to de mistake and was instructed to write what happened, why I didnt give the med. I did and I signed it - I wrote that it slipped my mind and all. They suspended me for 2 days without pay and told me the director will call me after the suspension to know my status according to the adon. Now, im thinking of quitting before i hear my fate after the suspension. I even contemplated of changing my number but they will send me a letter no matter what. I'm a new grad and thats the first place i've worked. They've targeted me the first day i started but dats another story. Recently another nurse made 2 coumadin errors and was not suspended. another nurse did not give coumadin and was not suspended. I ask why me? What do u think I should do? Quit before getting fired or not?

If they have computor charting, maybe the entry time should be checked. Also, if comp., how often does the screen refresh?

Morte, in regards to your question about computer MAR's, speaking strictly from MY facilities computerized MAR's..if the nurse has the MAR open and passing meds for say the 5-6:30PM medds, and someone enters an order for that time frame, when the nurse goes to that patients meds, the new order will NOT show up. In order to see it, you need to close the MAR and then bring it back up..almost like refreshing the page, except you have to close it out to refresh it. Now that being said, I only close my MAR out when I'm done with the med pass, it will then bring up a report of any and all meds you have not signed off, meds you put on hold, or meds that you marked as refused. It will now show a new order that was entered and I didn't sign off. I wouldn't know there was a new order unless for whatever reason I went back into that person's MAR..then and only then does it show up.

This is why I heavily rely on the supervisor (who is normally the one entering any new orders) to call me and let me know that he/she entered a new order(s) and for who.

So it is very easy to miss a new order that was just entered for us. And really with the exeption of pulling up everyones MAR and closing it out over and over, there is no way to see/know about a new order unless the person who entered it tells you. This is one of my biggest gripes at monthly meetings. Everything is time stamped for us, so it would show i was signing off meds and at what time, for what med for whichever person. If it shows that i was signing off meds at 5:17pm and the order was entered at 5:03pm, it really isn't an accurate "picture" of what really happened.

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Morte, in regards to your question about computer MAR's, speaking strictly from MY facilities computerized MAR's..if the nurse has the MAR open and passing meds for say the 5-6:30PM medds, and someone enters an order for that time frame, when the nurse goes to that patients meds, the new order will NOT show up. In order to see it, you need to close the MAR and then bring it back up..almost like refreshing the page, except you have to close it out to refresh it. Now that being said, I only close my MAR out when I'm done with the med pass, it will then bring up a report of any and all meds you have not signed off, meds you put on hold, or meds that you marked as refused. It will now show a new order that was entered and I didn't sign off. I wouldn't know there was a new order unless for whatever reason I went back into that person's MAR..then and only then does it show up.

This is why I heavily rely on the supervisor (who is normally the one entering any new orders) to call me and let me know that he/she entered a new order(s) and for who.

So it is very easy to miss a new order that was just entered for us. And really with the exeption of pulling up everyones MAR and closing it out over and over, there is no way to see/know about a new order unless the person who entered it tells you. This is one of my biggest gripes at monthly meetings. Everything is time stamped for us, so it would show i was signing off meds and at what time, for what med for whichever person. If it shows that i was signing off meds at 5:17pm and the order was entered at 5:03pm, it really isn't an accurate "picture" of what really happened.

i was actually thinking that the sup could have put the order in LATE, that is the time "stamp" i was interested in...

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Very true Morte, didn't even think about it showing the super entered the order late..as in after the "compliance time" window

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds.

I completely sympathize with how you are feeling right now. I'm sort of on the fence with this one. On one hand, I totally understand why you would want to leave. This entire situation sounds off. If other people have made the same mistake and haven't been suspended, then why were you? I think you probably were targeted. On the other hand, I would be tempted to just stick it out and learn from your mistake. I would at least hold off on quitting until you have another job lined up. Good luck!

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Specializes in almost everything.

That is true, Morte. If she brings it up, they may feel like she is trying to lay the blame elsewhere instead of taking the responsibility for the error. I agree with what you are saying, though. The bottom line: if they are targeting her and want her out, they will do whatever it takes to get her out of there, including making her take full responsibility for something that wasn't fully (although partially) her fault. Good luck ajuna! :)

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Don't leave just yet...if for nothing else, then to hear what they have to say?Why leave before you have to?

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The original poster came to these forums seeking advice. Although it is perfectly acceptable to disagree with and criticize this person's viewpoints, let's please stop insulting his/her usage of grammar and choice of phraseology from this point forward. We are not the grammar police.

Thanks for your cooperation and understanding. :)

I was wondering if she really knew that "th" should have been used or if she thought "d" was correct. No insult intended, I just wondered.

I think she should find out why, if possible, she is getting punished more harshly than other nurses for a probably not serious med error that sounds like at least part of it was not her fault. I'm not sure how she knows this and it would probably take a lawyer subpoenaing records to learn the truth.

It might just be time to move on but I think she deserves some answers. I wish her the best.

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Does this sound like an organization that focuses on blame and punishment rather than improving systems and processes?

Does this organization promote a "just culture'' with respect to medication errors where reporting problems is encouraged and even rewarded?

In my opinion, the OP's organization is failing all stakeholders with their unenlightened approach.

But let's face it....nurses do get unfairly singled-out, harrassed, bullied etc. I've seen it many, many times in my nursing career. I've also been on the receiving end, more than once, in fact. In my experienece, if someone is looking to find fault with someone's care, they will find it. And small mistakes can be made out to be large ones. And sadly, if a mistake can't be found, some have no problem "manufacturing" something.

So I'd advise the OP to find another job as soon as possible. There are always exceptions, but usually the described scenerio does not end well for the employee.

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Specializes in Med Surg,.

I would run while I am able to with license intack. If you don't get fired over the coumadin incedent it will be something else later. If you can remember one thing from my post remember this, "you have no friends in nursing." It is a dog eat dog world. We are our only enemy. In you resignation letter tell them you were aware of other nurses that were not treated as harshly as you were treated. GRAB YOUR BAGS AND GET THE HLLL OUT OF DODGE.

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Specializes in Psych, LTC, Acute Care.
common guys and girls....you're advising to let her stay? do you know the consequence and the gamble that she will take. listen to me....it is not worth the gamble to stick around and find out what is the ending. we all know you made a mistake. face the consequence and leave. don't put yourself in the mercy of your ADON or DON. you know that when you get fired, it will stick to your records and will make it harder for you to look for a job? right? i don't know the reason why others are advising differently. maybe they just want to find out the ending but believe me it's not worth it. save your career and get out while you still have the clean slate of career record w/o the stamp of being fired out.

regardless if they she quits before they fire her, They are still going to mark fired on her records. Thats how they do it. They are not going to make themselves look bad.

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Specializes in Med Surg,.

The point is, her license are intact.

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Thanks for all the advise. Its June 1st and the DON is suppose to contact me and tell me whether I could come back or not. I haven't heard from them yet. I'm suppose to work tomorrow but I'm not going to show up. I did contact a lawyer and she told me to wait for the call and if they fire me, I have a case and they should pay me unemployment. I got 2 hrs to wait before I file my case.

To the posters confused about me saying it slipped my mind and it did not show up on the computer; I said that because the ADON and the supervisor where pushing me into saying something. The sup is known for making comments that people are not good enough to be doing what they are doing and that some people shouldn't be nurses or CNAs. She believe she is the only one who knows everything. I took responsibility and I got out of the office as quick as I could.

They are probably going to say no call no show and have reason enough to fire me, but I think the lawyer is right; they should pay for unemployment and she would supeona their records and find out what is going on in terms of disciplinary action.

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