A fellow coworker was terminated last week. I was working alongside him that night, but didn't see it actually happen. My guess, and from what I have "unofficially" heard, is that he refused to take a random drug test. Honestly, that is the only thing I can even think of that would be dealth with in that manner in the middle of the night!
I really liked this nurse, and was under the impression that he was having some personal problems. I also know that other nurses on the floor did not like this person, and some had actually interviewed for his job as charge nurse (he was hired from the outside less than a year ago). He was always very nice and respectful of me, and always helped me when I needed it.
Anyway, I am having a hard time with this. This person did not appear to be impaired to me. Of course, that doesn't mean that he wasn't. So, if he was impaired on the job and refused the test, it was his own doing and maybe he can get some help for this. But I feel awful that I didn't notice and maybe could have done something (?) to prevent it. That means that my assessment skills are not so great
On the other hand, it's pretty awful if he wasn't impaired and was forced out - for whatever reason.
For now I'm just trying to sort out my feelings. I have thought about trying to contact this person but don't really think that's a good idea. I also think I better keep quiet about this at work.
I was in a similar situation, a co-worker who worked midnights with me was sent home and later terminated for similar reasons. She has blood sugar issues and it was unsure if her sugar was acting haywire that night or if she was intoxicated. Of course, the rumor mill states they requested her to be screened and she refused, but I'm not personally sure of the situation.
I was torn in the beginning if the company I worked for did the right thing. She was very nice and I never heard any complaints about her from anyone (residents or the staff). But, I put myself in her shoes and if I was sent into the office at 11pm with the DON and ADON, I would immediately request to be tested to prove my case. I would think anyone who is being accused of not being capable of performing their job duties would do whatever they could to prove they could. I eventually accepted that they did what was best and although she was very nice to work with, she probably was in the wrong.
After the fact, she attempted to contact me through facebook. I didn't respond. I feel bad about it, but I really enjoy my job and have heard from the union that she is filing a lawsuit against my company. I figured at this point it's best to focus on staying employed instead of outside work activity. More likely our conversations would be surrounded by the issues that took place instead of developing a healthy outside work friendship.
It sucks when you're in that situation. But, I think it's best to have faith that your company did what was best for their patients.
Thanks for your response. I think I would do anything I could, too, including peeing into the cup!
If you are asked to take a drug test, you really have no choice. I was a home health nurse and I was rear-ended at a red light and the first thing that was done (after establishing that I was okay) was to get me to pee in a cup!
As for your assessment skills - if you weren't looking for impairment you probably wouldn't notice it. And many, many people aren't obviously impaired even if they are using inappropriate substances, so don't question your skills.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
I don't think it's a bad idea to contact your friend to tell him how sad you are that he's gone and that you will miss working with him. If he wants to tell you what happened, that's up to him. If in the course of your conversations you realize he was terminated righteously you can choose whether to maintain contact with him.
Give him a ring find out how is he doing. If is not drugs but something else tell him to use your name as a reference. But if it is drugs stay away from the reference. Just tell him your thinking about him.
Specializes in Long term care, Rehab/Addiction/Recovery.
You will never truly know what actually occurred. Bearing witness to a co-worker being fired, especially someone you enjoy working with..sucks. Someone that made your job more pleasant..I hear you. Don't fret about the what and ifs. Be thankful it wasn't you. Ask yourself, really..why would he refuse a drug test? If he did, you never really knew him.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
years ago and in another state, i worked in a ccu with a nurse i'll call lisa. in that hospital, new staff got hired onto permanent nights, and after a year or three, when your name came to the top of the list, you could go to day shift. i was new there, lisa was the charge nurse. every night, she'd go to sleep in her chair in front of the monitors and drool out of the side of her mouth. as the drool would get longer and longer, the rest of us would start placing bets on how long it would get before she'd wake up or wipe it off. lisa slept soundly enough that when we crept up beside her with the yardstick to measure the line of drool, she'd sleep right through it.
i thought she was having trouble adjusting to the night shift.
staff kept their purses in the break room, all in a pile on the sofa. at that time, i was carrying a black coach bag that was identical to the one lisa carried. (big sale at nordstrom's -- that particular model was marked wayyyy down.) one night, i grabbed her purse by mistake on the way to the vending machines, and when i opened it, there was a prescription bottle for percocet with her name on it. i snapped that purse back closed and promptly put what i had seen out of my mind.
then one day i came to work and lisa was gone. there was an announcement made that she'd been diverting drugs and falsifying documents by reporting that patients had been medicated when the patients said they had not been. the whole staff was in an uproar, convinced that lisa would never do such a thing. lisa had just purchased a brand new top-of-the-line honda accord with all the bells and whistles, and the staff took up a collection to pay her car payment for her. since i was driving a ten year old civic, i declined to contribute. besides, there were these nagging little doubts . . . .
there were the times (prior to 11 pm when management went home for the night) when lisa had "helped me out" by giving my patients their pain meds, only those patients continued to complain of pain. there were the times she'd jump up and proclaim "i'll do it" when anyone's patient asked for pain medication. there was that bottle of percocet in her purse . . . and no recent injuries or surgeries. there were all the times she'd disappear into the bathroom immediately after having been into the narcotics drawer . . . .
lisa landed on her feet. by the end of the week, she was don of a nursing home.
more than once, i've had impaired colleagues and failed to recognize it. when it's your colleague, you try to cut them as much slack as possible. maybe it's just a bad reaction to a new allergy medication that has her snoozing through report. the frequent visits to the bathroom -- maybe she has ulcerative colitis. the percocet in her purse may have been left over from her skiing accident two years ago. don't beat yourself up for failing to recognize the signs. it happens to all of us.
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
OK:
A fellow coworker was terminated last week. I was working alongside him that night, but didn't see it actually happen. My guess, and from what I have "unofficially" heard, is that he refused to take a random drug test. Honestly, that is the only thing I can even think of that would be dealth with in that manner in the middle of the night!
The "unofficial word" aka the rumor mill says he was terminated for refusing a drug test. The "official word" hasn't been given, nor should it be. It's no one's business why someone was fired, and a facility that divulges the details of an employee's termination could find themselves on the wrong end of a lawsuit.
I can't believe how many people already have this guy as an impaired nurse in their minds. In an at-will state, people can be abruptly terminated for any number of minor reasons.
This thread, to me, is a classic example of "eating our own." If he truly has a problem with substance, that's terrible, and I hope he gets help. If he doesn't, then I feel bad that so many people here rushed to judgement.
Drug testing. Employers are required to alert employees to to drug testing policies (pre-employment, random, post-accident). You know this when you take a job. It is the way of the world. I've been fingerprinted, hair analyzed, drug tested and background checked 9 ways from Sunday.
I'd not go into healthcare these days if I wasn't willing to be drug tested.
NightOwl0624
536 Posts
Thanks for your response. I think I would do anything I could, too, including peeing into the cup!