Terminated. Pursue a Lawsuit?

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So I work in an ER. I am pretty new to nursing. I was called in to HR to explain why I had overridden Benadryl multiple times and not given it. Also a handful of times I did not waste excess narcotics appropriately. I explained my thought process on having the Benadryl in case I needed it and that the issues with waste were due to no one being around to waste with. I acknowledged I was wrong and was willing to do any education/disciplinary things they wanted. This was agreed upon at the time. After having meetings canceled and no phone calls for weeks they finally called me back in. They put me on unpaid leave. Essentially said I was lying. No drug testing or talking to my direct supervisor. I have another better job so I resigned that day. 4 days later they terminated me for performance issues.

So my question is that many friends have recommended I talk to a lawyer. Should I? Or should I just let it go and move on? Please help!

Specializes in ICU.
I used to keep Benadryl in my locker so I could take one on the way home if I knew I'd be too wound up to sleep that night without help. I'm very glad I don't do that anymore lest someone who knew more about drugs than I think I was being suspicious. :eek:

I keep it in my bag at all times for just that reason. I have bad insomnia and I usually need help both to fall asleep and stay asleep. I never thought about it looking suspicious until just now.

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I have not read the last few pages of comments but my advice would be to work as much OT as you can and cut your expenses back so you can squirrel away cash in the event of license revocation or suspension.

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I used to keep Benadryl in my locker so I could take one on the way home if I knew I'd be too wound up to sleep that night without help. I'm very glad I don't do that anymore lest someone who knew more about drugs than I think I was being suspicious. :eek:

I've always kept a giant bottle of it in my locker at work ....along with giant bottles of a lot of other things. Addicts don't want PO Benadryl. No worries.

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I've always kept a giant bottle of it in my locker at work ....along with giant bottles of a lot of other things. Addicts don't want PO Benadryl. No worries.

Whew! :facepalm:

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Where I work the Pyxis always pops up with the prompt asking if I'm administering the full amount for any controlled substance and you hit the "yes" or "no" button. If no is selected then before we can pull the med we have to have another nurse co-sign in the Pyxis as witness. Is this unique to my facility or something most facilities have implemented?

My hospital uses this system. I am a new grad and I was really surprised to find this out. While I appreciate the convenience, it seems like a terrible idea, especially when an order for a med is written for a range (e.g., give 0.5-2mg q2 hours).

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Specializes in Med-Tele; ED; ICU.
I keep it in my bag at all times for just that reason. I have bad insomnia and I usually need help both to fall asleep and stay asleep. I never thought about it looking suspicious until just now.
I don't think it looks suspicious.

I regularly use Benedryl as an adjunct with Ambien or trazodone to combat pervasive shift-work sleep disorder.

Anybody who's been around me at all knows that I am a high-energy, ADHD kind of guy and can envision sleep being a problem for me.

Let's not make a canyon-wide leap from multiple undocumented narc wastes to Benedryl being an danger sign of addiction.

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Specializes in MDS/ UR.
I don't think it looks suspicious.

I regularly use Benedryl as an adjunct with Ambien or trazodone to combat pervasive shift-work sleep disorder.

Anybody who's been around me at all knows that I am a high-energy, ADHD kind of guy and can envision sleep being a problem for me.

Let's not make a canyon-wide leap from multiple undocumented narc wastes to Benedryl being an danger sign of addiction.

Multiple undocumented narc wastes and running around with Benadryl in your pocket are bad choices.

You might get a pass one time...

We are in a time where narcotic usage is out of control in the country.

A prudent person would not be doing this sort of thing.

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Of course you meant sue the hospital. Otherwise why the title of the thread? You broke protocols in drug administration, both with controlled drugs and Benadryl. I would be very suspicious if I came across a nurse who did as you did. It screams diversion to me. You may very well be reported to the BON. These things can take some time to get rolling. I don't think you're out of the woods yet. You may want to see a lawyer, but

not to sue the hospital.

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The OP bailed a long time ago. I'm thinking she was embarrassed when she claimed to have no thoughts of suing, only to have the fact that she referenced just that very thing in her thread title. Oopsie!

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Specializes in Pedi.
So I work in an ER. I am pretty new to nursing. I was called in to HR to explain why I had overridden Benadryl multiple times and not given it. Also a handful of times I did not waste excess narcotics appropriately. I explained my thought process on having the Benadryl in case I needed it and that the issues with waste were due to no one being around to waste with. I acknowledged I was wrong and was willing to do any education/disciplinary things they wanted. This was agreed upon at the time. After having meetings canceled and no phone calls for weeks they finally called me back in. They put me on unpaid leave. Essentially said I was lying. No drug testing or talking to my direct supervisor. I have another better job so I resigned that day. 4 days later they terminated me for performance issues.

So my question is that many friends have recommended I talk to a lawyer. Should I? Or should I just let it go and move on? Please help!

You resigned. Case closed. You cannot sue an employer for terminating you after you handed in your resignation. The employer has no obligation to allow you to work out a notice.

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They terminated you so that it would indicate in your file that you're not eligible for rehire and that your resignation didn't change their decision about your behavior

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Specializes in Tele, Interventional Pain Management, OR.

"Especially when I consider that in my experience, the greener the nurse, the more terrified they are of a narc slip or med error."

The above quote is from cayenne06. (Sorry, not sure how to quote part of a post instead of the whole thing).

Anyway, I am just beginning my sixth month as a new nurse on a crazy tele floor. I was recently questioned by HR due to a Pyxis discrepancy on my shift--one unaccounted-for Norco 5.

I could not have been more horrified. I had visions of BON notification and license-surrender dancing around in my head. I actually cried during that meeting, and I am NOT a workplace crier. Like, at all. I developed a pretty thick skin after 15 years in retail.

Ultimately, the matter was closed. Nothing about my practice was questioned or counseled since what I pulled matched what I administered to my patients, according to my manager. She mentioned that a Pyxis discrepancy can involve multiple nurses (such as who accessed the med pocket before/after me). So I'm not sure what happened to anyone else questioned, but I know I'm in the clear.

But still! I felt about an inch tall at work (and sick to my stomach) for three weeks until I received follow-up on the situation. And I would have happily submitted to any testing/verification required in the meantime.

If OP's situation involves addiction, I implore you to seek the help you need. It's not your fault; it's an illness.

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