What's with all this disciplinary action?????

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2012

It's a complete answer. Right now there is a plethora of nurses so when there are many applicants for one position administration is more likely to take action as there is another person waiting for your job. Second, when it comes to mistakes nurses are the "corrective action" taken to appease the governing bodies and families witha younger cheaper model.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2012

We are the easiest to blame/throw under the bus it seems.. I agree it is prob. related to the fact that there are a TON of nurses and only a FEW jobs to go around..

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Mar 9, 2012

If you work with your organization's group that addresses incident reports (Safety, Quality, or whatever) you soon become aware that all departments are involved in the incident reporting process. Everyone makes mistakes. However, it just so happens that hospitals are all about nursing..... if patients did not need continuous nursing care, they would be treated in an alternative (less expensive) setting.

So - since nurses make up the majority of clinical employees, it is only natural that they report more incidents. The problem lies in how the incidents are treated. Most organizations have a purely punitive approach & this is not only horrible for the people involved, but it does not have any positive effect on patient safety or clinical quality.

The best outcomes are achieved with a "Just Culture" approach which focuses on the behavioral choices rather than the outcomes. It is systematic. Follow up actions are geared toward correcting the behavior or circumstance that lead up to the error. If you are ever offered a job in an organization that has adopted this approach - grab it!!

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 9, 2012

There is probably quite a few reasons for this, and the fact that there is no shortage of willing bodies to fill vacancies may be the main one here. However, this is a discussion board where we are given only one side of the story- and quite possibly not ALL of it. We may not have heard of the multiple disciplinary actions/discussions & remediation for other not-so-safe care. We are getting what the person wants us to hear which may not necessarily be the truth and/or whole story.

OCNRN63, RN · Mar 10, 2012

It's an employer's market.

tokmom, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2012

Good nurse makes mistake and she gets fired. Bad nurse makes mistakes and nothing ever seems to happen to them. :bugeyes:

dlrrn2010 · Mar 10, 2012

being wrote up is rampant where i work...i get that they want to make a point so it doesn't happen again and again...but what happened to communication and as you said, we are human and make mistakes.....once a resident had a bruise on their hand from a caregiver holding her wrist too tight when she was combative and my managers comment was "it was an accident'...well so was the wrong strength i gave the resident (for example) but it was till a med error and i got wrote up....what happened to team work...everyone trying to get everyone else in trouble where i work is frustrating

diligent-trooper · Mar 10, 2012

There is probably quite a few reasons for this, and the fact that there is no shortage of willing bodies to fill vacancies may be the main one here. However, this is a discussion board where we are given only one side of the story- and quite possibly not ALL of it. We may not have heard of the multiple disciplinary actions/discussions & remediation for other not-so-safe care. We are getting what the person wants us to hear which may not necessarily be the truth and/or whole story.

This was my assumption too, that this person must have been on the radar for sometime, until it happened to myself. My work history was clean. No write-ups. Attendance was near 100%, I worked every holiday. I had been given extra responsibility around the facility, because I was dependable.

One incident, and my work, my name was complete mud with the administration. My co-worker believed I got screwed.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2012

You're more likely to see someone post about being written up than you are to see someone post about making a mistake, but everything turned out ok, so keep in mind that you might not be seeing a representative picture. I made an error once, which was caught by the nurse following me. That nurse filed an incident report, I was called in to management, asked what had happened, had the opportunity to explain myself, and was told to just be more careful. That was it. I think the worst thing that happened to me in that situation was the fact that I felt really bad and guilty about making a mistake, as no harm came to the patient but I stewed for a few days about the "what ifs?"

Most of the things I've seen people get written up for in my department are not simple human mistakes or errors based on knowledge deficits but cutting corners and disregarding standards of care. I have seen those folks complain about the unfairness of management and how management has it in for them, when there really is an issue with the quality of their work.

dishes, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2012

I have been reading the results of disciplinary hearings for 25 years and I do not believe there has been an increase in the incidence of disciplinary action. I do believe there has seen an increase in public discussion about disciplinary action. The reasons there has been an increase in public discussions are probably related to nurses believing they are anonymous on the internet and nurses are not being educated about the legal aspects of complaints, disciplinary hearings, and fitness to practice investigations.

diligent-trooper · Mar 11, 2012

I have been reading the results of disciplinary hearings for 25 years and I do not believe there has been an increase in the incidence of disciplinary action. I do believe there has seen an increase in public discussion about disciplinary action. The reasons there has been an increase in public discussions are probably related to nurses believing they are anonymous on the internet and nurses are not being educated about the legal aspects of complaints, disciplinary hearings, and fitness to practice investigations.

I believe the original post is about individual facilities, and not official disciplinary hearing of BONs.