Was this a fair consequence?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Sometimes, I feel I set myself up for failure. I took 3needles from a supply room to give myself my B 12 shots. A nurse turned me in and I was fired. I feel I knew what I did was wrong, but, really lose your job over less than 3.00 dollars. What do y'all think??

The way they see it, if you are willing to steal $3 worth of something, you are willing to steal more. If you can't be trusted not to steal, then what else can you not be trusted with? Plus, some people steal for the "high", so will be more likely to continue to steal higher priced items and increase the risk of getting caught, to maintain that "high". May not be you, but you can see things from their perspective.

If someone you invited into your house just stole some change you had on the counter, how would you feel about having them in your home? How would the trust change?

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How did you get B12 for your shots without getting needles?

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Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.

I would wonder if your facility also turned you into the Board of Nursing for theft? I also wonder that if you had a valid script fot the needles, perhaps central supply could have supplied you with these at a discount rate instaed of you stealing them? Not good, but you know that......

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Dana... are you a nurse?

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but, really lose your job over less than 3.00 dollars. What do y'all think??

Unfortunately, if this is truly what you think, then you've missed the lesson here. You weren't fired because your employer was out $3.00 in missing supplies. You were fired because you stole. The dollar value is irrelevant. Does this make sense? Your intentions and subsequent actions were the causing of your firing.

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Specializes in LTC.

Well hell no it's not fair!!!

Its JUST.

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Years ago, I worked with some folks that had worked previously for a book retailer. They'd developed the charming habit of dumpster-diving for "stripped" books (books with the front & back covers removed) which they'd either keep or sell, depending. Their rationalization was that "they wuz throwed out..." and completely missed the point that it was still theft. Anyway, since I was the #2 guy in the department, I chatted with the boss on that one; unfortunately, I wasn't quite fast enough. About a week later one of the office folks reported a Macintosh computer stolen (this was back in the day when a Mac'd run a cool $5,000-$6,000) - couldn't prove that they'd taken it, but they were terminated on an unrelated issue.

My point? Theft is theft - and, when you violate a trust like that, plan on kissing your job good-bye.

Sorry if you disagree.

----- Dave

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

whether you stole $3.00 or $3,000,000,000,000 worth of whatevers is totally and completely irrevelant, because the fact remains that

you stole!! your employer trusted you to be an ethical honest employee and you betrayed that trust.

to draw an analogy... oscar wilde, the playwright, had a conversation with a woman over dinner. she was a very well-to-do, well dressed,

very sure of herself woman and wilde asked her whether he would go to bed with him for $10.00?she drew herself up and gave him her best withering look and said, "of course not!" he then asked her if she'd change her mind for $1,000,000?" she paused. "how about more?" she drew herself up and shot back, "what do you think i am? a prostitute?" he answered, "madam, we have already established that. now we are merely haggling over the price."

same thing. you stole. what and how much what you stole is worth are unimportant. because. you. stole.

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Specializes in none.

What in the hell were you thinking? You stole B-12. It you needed it that bad, you should have ask a doctor for a prescription.

What do you think they are going to do, wait until you take some Morphine? Didn't you learn anything in school! Then you come on this board for some hugs. What chutzpah !

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Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.

FAIR. You stole. You got caught. End of job.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
What in the hell were you thinking? You stole B-12. It you needed it that bad, you should have ask a doctor for a prescription.

What do you think they are going to do, wait until you take some Morphine? Didn't you learn anything in school! Then you come on this board for some hugs. What chutzpah !

Ummmm, no. She stole needles. Only needles.

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I do think its a bit harsh. I recently came back from a 1 month vacation. The floor I work in has 3 wings allocated to ABC unit and 1 wing to our XYZ unit. Even though the ABC unit and our XYZ unit nurses dont work together we do interact with one another.

After I returned from a vacation and about a month later I noticed that I didnt see one of the ABC unit nurses around. So I asked my fellow co-worker if she transferred to another unit. To my surprise my co worker informed me that she was in rehab ( i first thought she was working in a rehab unit). But no, she was caught stealing drugs from narcotics cupboard and when she admitted that she had an addiction problem she had agreed to turn herself into rehab. She didnt lose her job. She will come back to work after rehab and she will not be able to carry narcs keys any more for a year or two.

So compare to that, I think you should have received a written worning or a few days of suspension to let you know that its unacceptable. People make mistakes. There should be a room for foregiveness.

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