Was I completely in the wrong?

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Specializes in Hospice/Mental Health/LTC/Home Health.

I need to know if I was completely in the wrong and if it was correct for me to get fired. I work for a nursing agency that works directly with several hospice companies in the Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus area in Ohio and we go to facilities and homes to provide crisis care to these patients on hospice. I had a patient in a facility this past week who was severely terminally agitated and I asked for help giving him a bed bath. Also, this facility DOES NOT have side rails on the bed so I didn't feel comfortable giving him a bed bath on my own. I asked for help and the STNA said she would be right back and then came back with another STNA and they said they would just give him the bed bath because they could get it done quicker. The case manager was in the room at the time and OK'd that they do it. Not to mention I stayed in the patients room the whole time. I realize this is my job but i only have 6 months experience, and I am apparently not assertive enough, but was it right to be fired? I was told it was the case manager who complained to the company and this particular case manager gives off the vibe that she HATES LPN's. (She is an RN) I was not fired by my agency but am not aloud to return to this company to work. Was it right what they did and was I completely out of line? I was only looking out for my patient and figured it wouldn't be a huge deal. Apparently it is.

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Why you were fired? Because you didn't give the bath?

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Specializes in Hospice/Mental Health/LTC/Home Health.

Yes, I was fired because it is my job to give the bath and I failed to do so. Although I had every intention to do it myself and only asked for help, which the case manager was in there when I asked for help and still complained about me.

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Specializes in Plastics. General Surgery. ITU. Oncology.

That seems very harsh indeed. Asking for help on the excellent grounds that you were concerned about your patient's safety is hardly a crime. It is in the UK Code of Conduct that a nurse is OBLIGED to report any concerns that the situation may be unsafe and act accordingly.The NMC would back up any nurse doing so.

I am sorry for your bad experience.

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Specializes in critical care, home health.

I honestly can't understand how you did anything wrong at all. At the very most, if you are required to do the bath, your manager could have said, "next time make sure you participate in the bath". I think this is ludicrous.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Absolutely not! I don't see anything wrong with it. You should be able to delegate bed baths! Check with your BON delegation guidlines.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.

Why arent the NAs allowed to give bedbaths on their own?

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Specializes in ER.

Good gravy!! If she wanted you to do the bath she should have said so at the time. That is passive aggressive power tripping at it's finest, she probably did you a favor.

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She just didn't like you and wanted an excuse. She found one.

Now move on.

:)

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She just didn't like you and wanted an excuse. She found one.

Now move on.

:)

I doubt that you will find this to be the only instance of passive aggressive hostility that you encounter in your nursing career.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical Orthopedic.

Wow....I would have been fired 6000 times by now!:confused:

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Specializes in Hospice/Mental Health/LTC/Home Health.

The reason I am supposed to give the bath is because I do one on one hospice crisis care. we do all care for the patient, I just wasn't assertive enough towards the facilities STNA's.

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