What do I do now.

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I was fired because I was acccused of abandoning a patient. I didn't abandon a patient it was a tiff with the charge nurse. Nothing bad happened to the patient. Anyways I still lost my job. Now the State Board is investigating it. I met with a lawyer and he told me that patient abandonment is probation or termination my license. He wanted to charge me 13,000 dollars to maybe get me probation. If I pay him that much I don't want anything on my license. Anyways I cNt afford 13,000 so I'm preparing for the worse. I don't know what to do with career after this. I thought about being a teacher but I read that if you try to get another job with a license that they won't give me another professional license.

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Can you give more details about exactly what happened? I know from personal experience that different lawyers will charge different amounts... in Illinois I had quotes of $1,500 to $5000. I would call around more. There has to be more who have experience with the nursing board who charge less. Also, were you given the choice to resign or did they just fire you?

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They fired me. In a nutshell i had a patient for 3 days in a row who had an appy. He was upset with his care because he couldn't eat (doctors orders). I over heard him telling the nursing director so I asked the charge nurse to switch me and I was willing to take admits. She said no at the time so then she ga evme an admit so I thought we were switching patients. And she said me if she was taking the patient and I said yes. I asked her if she wanted report and she said no. I didn't chart any of this so kinda shots myself in the foot. Anyways she emailed our manager who spun it where I abandoned the patient. Nothing bad happened to the patient. It was catty nurse stuff. But this accusation ruined my life.

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So you didn't even leave the unit... this sounds so bogus. Sorry this is happening. Why couldn't the lawyer defend you more? Did he give a reason? All I can suggest is keep calling different lawyers.

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Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.

If this was just a conversation and at no time the patient was without access to you the nurse or a nurse while you on break then it's not abandonment.. Please go to your states web site and check out the definition. You have to accept an assignment and then leave the patient physically or not provide care at all to the patient. Let's say you come on to your shift and you have a assignment with ten patients when you normally have five. You can the go the charge nurse and tell them that you will not accept the assignment since ypu consider it unsafe. This would not constitute abandonment. So far with what you told us I don't see where this applies but again I need more details. It sounds like a witch hunt. How is your relationship with this nurse?

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The charge nurse did not like me. She is the floor bully. 2 other nurses left this hospital due to the treatment they had from her. She is lazy and normally isn't a charge nurse.

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I'm not going to get into whether this was patient abandonment or not; either way, you already know that what you did wasn't a smart decision and I'm sure you've learned a lot from it. It sounds like this was one hell of a miscommunication. But the main thing here is that your license is worth a lot. I agree with others who have said to shop around for different lawyers--but make sure you get a good one. Think of all the time and money you spent in school and all the years of future employment and benefits you could have--that's all definitely worth the lawyer fees.

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I am not going to get a lawyer. I'm going to pray. If I am not meant to be a nurse then I'm not meant to be a nurse. Bulking in nursing is a serious problem with no repercussions. This woman ruined my life with one false statement.

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They fired me. In a nutshell i had a patient for 3 days in a row who had an appy. He was upset with his care because he couldn't eat (doctors orders). I over heard him telling the nursing director so I asked the charge nurse to switch me and I was willing to take admits. She said no at the time so then she ga evme an admit so I thought we were switching patients. And she said me if she was taking the patient and I said yes. I asked her if she wanted report and she said no. I didn't chart any of this so kinda shots myself in the foot. Anyways she emailed our manager who spun it where I abandoned the patient. Nothing bad happened to the patient. It was catty nurse stuff. But this accusation ruined my life.

You asked the charge nurse to reassign the patient and she said no. You offered to take an admission, but were you not required to take admissions (as assigned) either way? You asked the charge nurse if she wanted report and she said no. The charge nurse "wrote her name on the board", but wouldn't it be on the board because she was the charge nurse?

It sounds like you were "playing dumb" and it worked a little too well. Were medications or other care skipped or delayed during this "misunderstanding"?

I do wish you well and hope you come out of this unscathed, but it doesn't sound like your behavior was reasonable ...and that's just from what you say- we haven't even heard the other side of the story.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I am not going to get a lawyer. I'm going to pray. If I am not meant to be a nurse then I'm not meant to be a nurse. Bulking in nursing is a serious problem with no repercussions. This woman ruined my life with one false statement.

I'm spiritual & everything but God can't protect you from what will happen. If your former workplace wants you to lose your license, they will make it so. You *need* to get a lawyer!

You didn't spend all your time, money, sweat, blood & tears to have it taken away from you. There are good attorneys out there who don't cost an arm, leg, liver & spleen.

TAANA Executive Office - Home

Try that website & good luck.

ETA: It doesn't sound like it was a false statement. From the summarization that Sour Lemon gave, it sounds like pretty cut & dry. You wanted to switch assignments but the charge said no. You still didn't want to deal with your patient because he didn't like you so you didn't. If at any time your patient didn't receive care by you that would be patient abandonment. I can't tell you how many times I've had patients or family members not like me but I still had to take care of the patient. I just suck it up.

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I am not going to get a lawyer. I'm going to pray. If I am not meant to be a nurse then I'm not meant to be a nurse. Bulking in nursing is a serious problem with no repercussions. This woman ruined my life with one false statement.

What if you're having a heart attack? Would you go get treatment or pray that God takes care of it? I would venture to say that you can do BOTH, but I would also say that if God really is up there, and he really did create us, then he must have given us a brain with the capacity for critical/rational thought for a reason. There's nothing wrong with using your resources for self preservation.

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I don't know if I should save it. If I'm going to be treated like this idk if I want to be in this profession

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