This is a new field for me, being suspended for at least two shifts until my department head gets back from vacation. Here is what happened according to the assistant department head. I was getting ready for work when the cat jumped on the bed and threwup on my scrub top. I had to be on the job in 45 min. so I put on a T-Shirt (brand new) that had 4 embroidered misquitos on the top by the neck line and the words "bite me" just below. We are required to wear blue or white, not a mix. Also things like T-shirts, prints, etc. are considered "no-no's", though exception has been made many times for staff. It was not much of a choice as I did not have anything else to wear. The T-shirt was Ceil blue and plain except for that little bit of decor. What happened is a patient who saw it has become upset. The only time that I was in this patients room was to co-sign and witness a new Dilaudid syringe being put into his PCA. I did not take direct care of this person. The first time I did this, he was alone. I did hear him ask the primary nurse to give him a bolus ( which she did not do as he had used all of his up). He was getting 5.9 mg an hour. PCA plus a basal rate. The second time his wife was in there with him. She made a comment about my T-shirt saying "bite me" was her exact feeling. I may have mentioned that a co-worker got this for me. ( I like to camp out a lot, though I do not usually get bit by insects). According to my department assistant, the patient has become VERY upset telling everyone about it who comes into the room. I was on Thursday night but only on Sunday did he get upset. I remember that the second time I had to go into that pt's room, the wife was there. She seemed either stressed or upset but did not say anything. Her husband appeared to be well controlled regarding the pain, so I do not know if anything else happened. But what UPSETS ME, is the accusation, and basically being hung out to dry with out a trial or judge JUST ON A PT BEING UPSET. If I had any idea that this would upset anyone, I would have called in late. Or asked the supervisor for a scrub top that would not fit appropiately. I have followed dress code for all the the 16 + years that I have worked at this hospital. Can't say that for several of the other co-workers on the floor. I guess it makes no difference how good of a nurse, how experienced, how compassionate I am. Nor does it make a difference how often I go the extra, extra mile for my patients safety and comfort. I feel that there is an some thing else going on and this patient is fixating on my T-Shirt. I have been a nurse since 1974. Only one other time I was suspended. Two patients with major psych issues overheard my charge nurse saying that we were short staffed. Baths would come later. (The pt's interpeted it to being refused a bath) I did set them up 30 min. later. I was still suspended, even though my charge nurse wrote a letter telling them it was HER , NOT I who spoke those words. She was never reprimanded. The moral of that incident was to NEVER SAY YOU ARE SHORT STAFFED. We had one RN and myself( who was an LPN at that time)for 24 patients at 5 am. I was given the back pay that was loss, but the personal hurt that came from that incident makes this one even worse. Now, I would like to hear other opinions. Do you feel that I should be punished for this error in dress? My supervisor commented how cute it was, and one of my other patients liked it as well. I did try to keep it covered up with my scrub jacket being snapped in front ( most of the time). This is a major loss in pay. It is things like this that makes one want to QUIT the nursing field. Sleeping on the job, doing personal business on company hours is not always punished in this fashion, it is ONLY when patients or family complain. I know that I work hard, help others when needed, and KNOW THAT I AM AN EXCELLENT NURSE. But I need other's insite on this matter, too. Sorry for the long note...got to speak out to someone. Thanks
I wouldn't have worn the shirt - only because there are people out there who are hypersensitve and easily offended. However, being suspended is utterly ridiculous. Doesn't your management understand the morale sinker that is - not just to you but the rest of the staff as well? Now everyone is walking on egg shells, seeing that if you can get suspended over a shirt, what will happen if you do something worse? Seems like your management needs to pick their battles and see the bigger picture here. You're an experienced, reliable employee and that should carry some weight. Too bad your manager can't see that.
Hey, I have something for you, bradleau. May not help you at all, but I was kind of in a similar situation w/ in the last few months. I am an RN, with my med-surg RNC certification. My husband is also a nurse, and he supervises at the same large hospital. He has been employed there for approx. 17 years. Off and on, I have been there for 5 years. We both have good track records, and don't try to "rock the boat".
Long story short, in the last 12 months, I had called in very few times, and have ALWAYS had either a doctor's excuse for the shift, or an ER excuse. I try to stay up on hospital policy and any changes that would affect me. On our unit, we have been working w/ some agency/travel nurses to assist in covering the schedule. Now, I am also employed as an agency nuirse part time in our city and surrounding areas, and always try to go the extra mile to help them, because I know how difficult to adapt to changes. One RN that started working on this unit comes to work late, leaving early, not showing up at all, and fighting in the nurses station and in the hallway in front of pts, mds, and family members about issues that should not be screamed out about in the hallway. I had always thought that was not professional behavior. One day after she had been "loudly protesting" a staffing decision that had been made by the charge nurse. i was standing in the area, and she started yeling at me, saying that she hated me and she wanted to take me out in the parking lot, and she "would beat the ----". you get the point. Expletives were used. I took it up w/ my nmanager, who actually witnessed the outburst and knew I had not brought that on. I followed the chain of command, and it got taked to the DON of the hospital. Two days later, I got called to her office and suspended for 1 shift because I had "recurring unexcused absences. Turns out, in the last week, "someone"had changed policy about missing work, and now MD office excuses didn't work. I was told that if I missed any more shifts, even being in the ER, I would be terminated. I also got told to "just stay out of the other nurses way", and not blow the situation out of porportion. Lets just say it got "heated" on the unit after that.
I would contact a lawyer regarding the nurse screaming at you and wanting to cause you physical harm.
You may need to get depositions from all involved to make it legal. Harassment on the job should NEVER be tolerated.
i worked with a nurse just like that and was terrified every day i went to work. SHE ended up suing the hospital and they quietly gave her $50,000 to make her go away(didn't fire her)
I and other nurses were harassed by this nurse and brought it to supervisor and higher and NOTHING was done-I regret not taking it upon myself to protect myself with legal action(and I'm not one to sue on a whim)-she's probaby terrorizing some other poor people now.......
Specializes in Med/surg, ER/ED,rehab ,nursing home.
DO you have available a FAMILY LEAVE ACT? I have episodic miagraines and now with IDDM I have problems of energy/alertness if I have N/V problems that I can not get under control. These are absenses but they can not hold them against you. At least not in the same way. Also, with our regular policy on absence....you can miss a month, as long as you have not returned to work. That counts as one absence. It you miss a Monday, and work a Tuesday, Wednesday, but get sicker with the same illness and miss Thursday. That counts as 2 absences...out of the 5 we are allowed to have in a rolling calander year. In other words the start of a new year does not clean the slate. Hope this helps on the absences.
Specializes in Med/surg, ER/ED,rehab ,nursing home.
Maybe I will find out today, July 26th what the problem was. You may not believe it, but I DID NOT KNOW that BITE ME could be anything like FU.
This guy was an American, so thank goodness he would not misunderstand the OK hand gesture. That OK gesture is offensive to several cultures, like eatting with your left hand in Arabia. The left hand is Dirty. I try to stay on top of anything cultural, or whatever, but Now that it appears my nice shirt is a dirty saying....I will remove the BITE ME threads and leave the bugs. WHY he did not say anything till TWO DAYS LATER I do not know. My supervisor did not say anything negative about the shirt. I know that if It had been a knowable problem she WOULD have provided me with a scrub top( a little too tight accross the breasts for my usual wear as I do not like to show too much) or I could have been given permisson to go home and change. My husband would have had the dirty top washed by then. Someone would have had to cover for me...for maybe an hour. I have learned a lesson that some can get away with murder, but if a patient complains too much, then I will get hung out to dry.
Specializes in Med/surg, ER/ED,rehab ,nursing home.
I know what you mean about the cat hair. That is why in most cases I leave everything hanging up till the last minute. I throw back the covers and place my stuff on the under blanket WHERE THE CAT DOES NOT GET TO SLEEP. He threw up a watery dark liquid, not cat food. Cat food can be scraped off usually. Well I am waiting for the phone call to meet with my department head. Hope it does not take too long because if I am expected to work tonight, I will need my sleep.
Specializes in Med/surg, ER/ED,rehab ,nursing home.
I looked up Bite Me on urbandictionary.com...it is bad. SO IS THE WORD NURSE according to some of the entrys. Look it up. I mean if our language can not be safe and SANE anymore, what will it be. When they say the Gay Ninetys, they were not meaning homosexuals who are in their 90's.
Specializes in Med/surg, ER/ED,rehab ,nursing home.
DId you look up what several entrys say regarding our occupation as a nurse? The word NURSE... could be a not nice word, too. It is all in context and the inmature thinking of those who enter such stuff. A few did put down that a Nurse is educated and takes medical care of people.
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
Well...it was a poor choice and the shirt was inappropriate. If I was your supervisor I would have given you a verbal and asked you to turn it inside out.
Then I would have gone to the nearest linen closet and laughed my head off!
I am sorry, but am I the only one who finds the image extremely amusing? Does no one have a sense of humor anymore? Must we always be perfect little politically correct nurses?
I see the inappropriateness, but i think people sweat the little stuff way too much in nursing.
Specializes in Med/surg, ER/ED,rehab ,nursing home.
For 16 yrs I have followed dress code faithfully. SO I am shot down this time for little stuff. Next time I will call in and be late or whatever. I truly do not know what was expected esp. when the supervisor did not do anything about it. In fact nothing would have happened except for a patient complaining and acting out. Can I have a witnesses the ones who said they loved it? I doubt it. Thanks anyways. I am waiting to find out about coming in today.
anne74
278 Posts
I wouldn't have worn the shirt - only because there are people out there who are hypersensitve and easily offended. However, being suspended is utterly ridiculous. Doesn't your management understand the morale sinker that is - not just to you but the rest of the staff as well? Now everyone is walking on egg shells, seeing that if you can get suspended over a shirt, what will happen if you do something worse? Seems like your management needs to pick their battles and see the bigger picture here. You're an experienced, reliable employee and that should carry some weight. Too bad your manager can't see that.