Will I get fired?

uscstu4lfe · Oct 30, 2008

i think leaving the floor is worse than taking a nap in the lunch room. quite frankily, it's not a big deal. there are other nurses around if anything should happen. my supervisor caught me sleeping once and she turned off the lights so that i could sleep better. honestly, it's NOT that big of a deal if you don't have anything going on. i'm not sure why some nurses think you HAVE to stay awake when you're taking a break or else everything will go to hell. you're probably better rested after you've taken a quick nap anyway

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2008

i am licensed my mother suggested i do that so i did well inschool for it and i just got this job amonth ago. i work at john perter smith hosp. doc gave me some orders because the other nurse was on break i couldnt understand him that well but i was really tired. i told him i could get it done which was to clean patient up and give his blood pressure medicaton. i had been working many hours and was tired so i fell asleep in the break area and was paged on the intercom. and it was mentioned to me that someone noticed i took extra break. they told on me and i worried i might lose job. should i worry.

I cant even tell from your post if your a nurse or not---why would your mother suggest you do that? Why is Dr giving you orders to "clean patient" was he dirty and you didnt know it? Why didnt you just go do what you said you would do 1st before you got your cup of coffee and used your cell phone? I am confused...

Regardless, it sounds like you dont really like the job anyways, since you said you didnt get training. I dont know if you will lose it or not, but maybe you should look for a new one that will give you the training and guidence you seem to need.

Medic09, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Oct 30, 2008

Well, I'm with the others on this. Sounds like a wake-up call (sorry! :rolleyes: ) to reassess what you're doing at this job. My first impression is you don't belong there or want to be there. OTOH, if you are that exhausted, it is hard to care about much of anything.

Like the others, I found your post somewhat vague. It isn't clear to me what your circumstances are. That, BTW, is something to work on for the future and for career advancement. Good communication is key in patient care jobs.

So, when you are well-rested give this a good think-through. Why are you in this career? Do you WANT to be here, or are you just doing what someone suggested to put some cash in your pocket? Are you committed to learning what it takes to do good patient care? Are you willing to put up with the indignities and discomforts that sometimes come with it?

If this is where you want to be, then you need to speak with a supervisor PRONTO about getting proper training and support while you learn. If they cannot provide it, go work elsewhere! That is for your own good and the patients' good.

Any good facility should provide a thorough orientation with an experienced mentor, and an environment where you can continue to learn and get help after orientation. It takes a MINIMUM of a year to start getting competent at a nursing job. Our ER is understaffed like many. We have a six month orientation working with a mentor. They tried to cut mine short several times, and I got the Charge to back me up that I was entitled to at least a full orientation period. Since finishing orientation, I have found myself often turning to my colleagues (every shift!) for help, education, and guidance. A new nurse MUST have that kind of environment. That is what has made enabled me to learn and even enjoy my job.

There you have it. First test yourself and see if you even belong in your job. (Again, you haven't clearly told us what you do.) If you want to be there, then test the facility and see if it is the right place for starting a career.

Good luck!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 30, 2008

i have a number of concerns -- what exactly was your position? are you a nurse? if not, you shouldn't be taking verbal orders from a physician. if you are a nurse, then you know you should understand exactly what those verbal orders are when taking them. and then go ahead and do what you said you would -- no coffee, no cellphone break and certainly don't sit yourself down and close your eyes! especially if the other nurse is on break. if you don't really want this job, that's fine. but then vacate the position so the facility can hire someone who does want to be there. and it sounds like you don't really want to be there.

Pudnluv, ASN, RN · Oct 30, 2008

Not to sound harsh but......if you don't get fired, you should be. Sorry being tired is no excuse for poor job performance. I work permanent nights, I have never had the time for a lunch break much less time to take a nap. You were given orders to do something and you just left the floor, didn't relay the orders to someone to cover you or tell anyone where you were going. You honestly need orientation to tell you this is unacceptable?? It would be unacceptable whether you are a nurse or a bag boy in the grocery store! It is poor work ethic. What makes it worse is someone had to suffer (patient sitting in a mess, BP elevated) because of your poor choices. If you truly don't care, get out of the profession. There are plenty out there who will gladly take your position that do care about what they are doing.

Midwest4me · Oct 30, 2008

Your post is very unclear, very disjointed. Your use of grammar needs improvement....because your content is confusing. Are you a med aide or a nurse? If you're taking medication orders, you'd better be a nurse. Yes, you could lose your job. Cell phone use, sleeping on the job, neglecting patient care are all valid reasons to lose one's job in my opinion.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Oct 30, 2008

Your post suggests to me that your English is quite poor. Could this be part of the problem you had understanding the order?

I agree with everything everyone else said. Your performance was nothing short of unacceptable. Falling asleep when it's slow is one thing, totally ignoring your patients is another.

RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2008

i am licensed my mother suggested i do that so i did well inschool for it and i just got this job amonth ago. i work at john perter smith hosp. doc gave me some orders because the other nurse was on break i couldnt understand him that well but i was really tired. i told him i could get it done which was to clean patient up and give his blood pressure medicaton. i had been working many hours and was tired so i fell asleep in the break area and was paged on the intercom. and it was mentioned to me that someone noticed i took extra break. they told on me and i worried i might lose job. should i worry.

I suggest reading over what you just typed to make sure it makes sense. Proof read every thing you type, especially your nurses notes. The first part of your sentence doesn't make sense....read it yourself. Are you saying you're a licensed RN?

I know JPS hospital, they give good orientation. They will also allow more time if you go to them and ask for more time. If you don't understand a doctor, tell him you don't understand and ask him to spell it out for clarification. It's your responsibility and yours alone to make sure you get the T.O. right! Then repeat back the order.....that is a policy of JPS, to repeat back telephone orders and document in the chart that is was readback. If it was a verbal order......verbal orders aren't allowed, they must be written by the doctor.

I think anybody that sleeps on the job should be worried about being fired. This is not safe practice for a nurse. I don't think you will get fired if this has been your only problem since being employed, although they may just fire you, depends on your manager and if they think you're really unsafe. I just think you need to tighten up and practice safe nursing. Just because you work at night doesn't mean there aren't things that need to be done.....there are still plenty of things to do.

Mulan · Oct 30, 2008

Is this thread for real?

justme1972 · Oct 30, 2008

Is this thread for real?

I think some of us are starting to wonder.

egglady, LPN · Oct 30, 2008

I am curious to know whether you are a licensed nurse?

Dolce, RN · Oct 31, 2008

i think leaving the floor is worse than taking a nap in the lunch room. quite frankily, it's not a big deal. there are other nurses around if anything should happen. my supervisor caught me sleeping once and she turned off the lights so that i could sleep better. honestly, it's NOT that big of a deal if you don't have anything going on. i'm not sure why some nurses think you HAVE to stay awake when you're taking a break or else everything will go to hell. you're probably better rested after you've taken a quick nap anyway

What a person does on their break is up to them. I have no problem with sleeping on a break. The OP was not on a break, she just went into the break room to get coffee and use her cell phone. No one knew she was in there. The concept that "there are other nurses around" is not acceptable. When a nurse takes report for a patient she is responsible for that patient. This is why we take turns to take breaks.