Was this a fair consequence?

[danachap1]

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??

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

OP...could you have asked for them? I would have asked my manager for the needles and then you could have shown the med/ script for it and went about it that way.

[betterlatethennever]

Too ask if the consequence is fair, I don't think you have a choice in the consequence only the accountability. Rule #1. TRUST NOBODY!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I confess 20 years ago I worked as an ICU clerk and assistant for the nurses and I took needles home all the time to practice giving oranges injections.

Never thought a thing about it to be honest and I am no rule breaker. And I was almost 30. I have always been known for good judgement too.

Come to think of it we all took home the occasional supplies for non medical uses.

[beeker]

Yes, I think that seems fair.

[sharpeimom]

one hospital where i worked said if we accidently went home with a pen, paperclips, etc. to please return them next shift, but if we discovered things like alcohol wipes, 4 x 4's, etc. just keep and use them. i accidentally took a patient's unwrapped and in a cup fe capsule home, and tossed it out. i had already charted it as refused but forgot to pitch it while i was at work.

i think that you "borrowed" needles is bothering some of us. when i gave myself rx allergy shots, the needles came as part of the rx.

[Merlyn]

Ummmm, no. She stole needles. Only needles.

My mistake only three needles...How much B-12 did she give herself ?

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

Meh. In the jobs that I've worked at, there's a tacit understanding of what can and cannot be "diverted" from the unit. I've worked and done clinicals on units where taking a single juice from the patient fridge was severely frowned upon -- to places where it was fairly common to see nurses overriding for tylenol for personal use. Personally, my inhaler spacer was diverted from the ER's stockpile by my father (who is a long-time ER doc there)...and I was welcome to take home what probably amounted to a few hundred dollars of wound care dressings on the unit I currently work on in order to practice on my off-time.

I make no claims as to what is right or wrong in these situations. But it at least seems like the OP misread the "culture" of her unit.

I think this is very true. I have had similar experience: I've worked in places that would fire someone for drinking an apple juice, and I've worked in others that drew the line only at the cocaine in the pyxis or the MRI van, and everything else was fair game, lol. When we got new crash carts we all bickered over who was going to sneak the old carts out the back door, lol. My spouse was totally bummed that I didn't get one! Where I work now, no one would bat an eye about 3 syringes. I took some home myself the other day to give my cat her injections!

Fired? In the absence of other infractions, that seems over the top. Disciplined? Seems reasonable.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

You say you got fired for $3.00 worth of supplies and are mind boggled. I say you risked your job for $3.00 worth of supplies and am mind boggled.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

Yes, they were justified in firing you. They don't know if it was the first time you stole or if you took the needles to give yourself B-12 injections or heroin.

I also don't know how someone else could have known that you took them, unless you told someone.

[Scarlette Wings]

Just a thought, but it is considered stealing. And last I checked it is against the law.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

.....

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Probably after five pages of response and the OP hasn't returned - they have their answer.

I think everything that can be said has been said.