I worked at a LTC place for two months. I'm fairly new to nursing. I've only been out of school since December last year and got my nclex in early April.
Recently on day shift I had very little sleep and I was overwhelmed. Working at a negative place for five days in a row, being charge nurse, having insults thrown at my face, and my night nurses not doing their duties correctly already had my anxiety through the roof.
As every hour passed more frustration grew...having new residents with IV pumps I've not been trained with...treatments and more medications to give.
A resident after a few hours, complained that they did not get their lunch tray and pouted/cried the whole way they went down the hall in their wheelchair. This is a difficult reside, A/Ox3 but uses every excuse to get people to jump for him and is very manipulative. He got his tray but then got even more upset when it had a food he couldn't eat on it.
I tried my hardest to keep my cool but ended up yelling at them as I walked down the hall to get my tray. I was then contacted by upper management and asked to be given a statement for verbal abuse investigation. Quickly after that I was terminated.
How screwed am I? I've gone now for the last three days with very little sleep and cried every single hour I feel. I'm just so depressed. My licence could be at stake here and I could never be able to find a job...I'm going to seek counseling at a psychologist's office Wednesday but how do i even get my feet back into nursing? How do I explain this to future employees?
Should I just stop nursing and get a retail job/education in something else? Or is there hope for me?
"I raised my voice because I was frustated at myself during a partucuarly difficult situation at work. As a new nurse then, I felt the situation set me up for failure. Unfortunately, it was interpreted by nursing management as something worse. This is a valuable experience for me. It taught me to more vigilant in checking myself in order to prioject a more positive attitude. It also taught me to be more discerning and selective in the jobs that I will take in the future. ....That is why I am hoping that with proper guidance from a good hosptal like yours that I can develop into a a very good nurse"....
And don't cry until it is time to cry. If you keep crying, you won't be able to think clearly what to do next. You aren't even sure that your facility have reported you. If they reported you, there will be an investigation. So that is the time you should consult a lawyer to know what to say and do. In the meantime, stop sayng anything to anyone else execpt yoru family. When the investgator approach you before you have seen a lawyer, don't say anything. Don't be a nurse without a conscience, but you shoud also defend your license. You have rights too. Hire the best lawyer your money can afford because your ability to earn a living will be at stake.
I hope there will never be a second time.
Yes that will work very well thank you.
I'm not even sure if this warrants investigation or even if my facility will report me to the BON. I'm keeping my eye on the mail. Hoping NSO will cover me for a lawyer if things get rough...
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
Yes that will work very well thank you.
I'm not even sure if this warrants investigation or even if my facility will report me to the BON. I'm keeping my eye on the mail. Hoping NSO will cover me for a lawyer if things get rough...
Contact NSO now. As long as your coverage was active at the time of the incident you should be covered unless it was gross intentional negligence (this was not). You must contact them at the time you are aware there might be a complaint to invoke your coverage
Contact NSO now. As long as your coverage was active at the time of the incident you should be covered unless it was gross intentional negligence (this was not). You must contact them at the time you are aware there might be a complaint to invoke your coverage
I got the coverage the day after I was terminated. I'm attempting to contact them now to discuss the incident...here's hoping they'll still cover me.
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
I got the coverage the day after I was terminated. I'm attempting to contact them now to discuss the incident...here's hoping they'll still cover me.
They won't. They do not offer retroactive coverage. No one does. They may discuss your options with you though. Be prepared if they feel the incident was serious enough they may cancel you policy for failing to disclose up front.
They won't. They do not offer retroactive coverage. No one does. They may discuss your options with you though. Be prepared if they feel the incident was serious enough they may cancel you policy for failing to disclose up front.
I got the insurance one day after I was aware I was terminated. If they really aren't wiling to help me or assist me because of that, then that is poor customer service and they will be losing money. That just doesn't seem quite right.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I got the insurance one day after I was aware I was terminated. If they really aren't wiling to help me or assist me because of that, then that is poor customer service and they will be losing money. That just doesn't seem quite right.
All insurance works that way. It's not poor customer service, it's how it works.
Think of it like car or health insurance. You can't go back to when you were in an accident or when you went to the doctor, before you had the insurance, then add the insurance to try to lower the cost or anything.
Specializes in Healthcare risk management and liability.
I was asked to pop into this thread and give my two cents to the OP. First off, you need to stop worrying needlessly about this. From the BON perspective (although I am unfamiliar with the BON in your jurisdiction), any complaint on a single isolated event of alleged verbal abuse would likely not be considered especially serious, and I would not be worrying about my license at this time. In my experience with these events with various BON, if a complaint is filed and upheld, the typical discipline is perhaps going to an anger management class or writing a paper on how you have learned from this and won't be doing it again. Although the BON of each jurisdiction varies, I would be flabbergasted if any sort of licensure sanctions were to occur from this event, assuming that the OP is accurate in relating the event and the OP's record is otherwise clean.
Second, I am sorry to say that your CNA coverage that you purchased through NSO is not going to be of any use to you for this event. The primary reason is that the coverage was not in effect at the time of the event, and the coverage is not retroactive. The policy only covers those events that occur after the effective date of the policy. The second reason is that the licensure defense coverage only is triggered and applies if the BON has actually filed charges against you. In that case, the policy provides $ 20-25,000 reimbursement for legal expenses defending the case. Note that CNA/NSO do not actually provide you with an attorney (although they may recommend one to you). You find your own attorney, pay the expenses up front and apply for reimbursement from CNA. If the BON is just investigating you and does not file charges, as with most BON cases, the licensure defense coverage is not triggered, and there is no reimbursement from the CNA policy for your legal costs. I don't know where the OP resides, but the licensure defense attorneys are not cheap; I generally pay between $ 200-350 per hour in the Seattle area for them.
Certainly if you call the NSO line for advice, they will probably give you some advice out of the goodness of their heart even though you have no coverage; I get calls/emails from people all over the country asking for my opinion, and I always help them even though they don't pay my salary. You can send me a PM if I can be of any further help.
So at this time, take a deep cleansing breath, work on finding another job and don't worry a bit about the BON until and unless you get a letter from them announcing they are starting an investigation or filing charges. You can cross that bridge when you come to it.
I was asked to pop into this thread and give my two cents to the OP. First off, you need to stop worrying needlessly about this. From the BON perspective (although I am unfamiliar with the BON in your jurisdiction), any complaint on a single isolated event of alleged verbal abuse would likely not be considered especially serious, and I would not be worrying about my license at this time. In my experience with these events with various BON, if a complaint is filed and upheld, the typical discipline is perhaps going to an anger management class or writing a paper on how you have learned from this and won't be doing it again. Although the BON of each jurisdiction varies, I would be flabbergasted if any sort of licensure sanctions were to occur from this event, assuming that the OP is accurate in relating the event and the OP's record is otherwise clean.
Second, I am sorry to say that your CNA coverage that you purchased through NSO is not going to be of any use to you for this event. The primary reason is that the coverage was not in effect at the time of the event, and the coverage is not retroactive. The policy only covers those events that occur after the effective date of the policy. The second reason is that the licensure defense coverage only is triggered and applies if the BON has actually filed charges against you. In that case, the policy provides $ 20-25,000 reimbursement for legal expenses defending the case. Note that CNA/NSO do not actually provide you with an attorney (although they may recommend one to you). You find your own attorney, pay the expenses up front and apply for reimbursement from CNA. If the BON is just investigating you and does not file charges, as with most BON cases, the licensure defense coverage is not triggered, and there is no reimbursement from the CNA policy for your legal costs. I don't know where the OP resides, but the licensure defense attorneys are not cheap; I generally pay between $ 200-350 per hour in the Seattle area for them.
Certainly if you call the NSO line for advice, they will probably give you some advice out of the goodness of their heart even though you have no coverage; I get calls/emails from people all over the country asking for my opinion, and I always help them even though they don't pay my salary. You can send me a PM if I can be of any further help.
So at this time, take a deep cleansing breath, work on finding another job and don't worry a bit about the BON until and unless you get a letter from them announcing they are starting an investigation or filing charges. You can cross that bridge when you come to it.
Thank you for your help. I am trying not to worry about this but it is very hard when you have anxiety and are out of a job and pretty much broke with student loans to pay.
I am going to a psychologist today and getting help with anger management and stress management. This was highly recommended by my facility that I was terminated from. When I asked them if my licence was in trouble they could not give me a clear answer. They didn't even give me a clear answer on if they were reporting me to the board or not.
I find that of all the replies I've gotten, yours is the most clear and effective to combat my current stress.
I am applying to jobs frequently. I have received notice on a job that does not require a year's worth of experience and I am crossing my fingers hoping I can get into it.
I did contact NSO to see what they think of the situation at hand and I hope to get information tomorrow.
I reside in Illinois.
The interview process is also what I am worried about. I saw a good reply from NurseFifty about what I should say but I'm worried they won't hire me even if I do explain the situation in good light.
All will be well they have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was intentional.you will not loose your licence .the worst that can happen is every 3 months monitoring
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
I've been a nurse since 1982. People get fired for all sorts of reasons. In Massachusetts you would NOT have to report this to the BON. The facility should probably report it to the DPH as 'alleged verbal abuse'. It would be up to the DPH to notify the BON if they thought it necessary.
As far as NSO and liability/malpractice insurance- unless you are getting sued by someone, why would you be covered? It's not malpractice---bad practice for sure to ever raise your voice in anger to a resident--but not malpractice.
I got the insurance one day after I was aware I was terminated. If they really aren't wiling to help me or assist me because of that, then that is poor customer service and they will be losing money. That just doesn't seem quite right.
Um no. it is your responsibility to have this in place.
Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on theirs. It is the same with car insurance or house insurance. If you do not have a policy, you will not be covered. Why would they? Everybody and their brother could say they WERE going to get it.....
WorriedNurse25
47 Posts
Yes that will work very well thank you.
I'm not even sure if this warrants investigation or even if my facility will report me to the BON. I'm keeping my eye on the mail. Hoping NSO will cover me for a lawyer if things get rough...