Workplace Injury

When you're cleared to work again, I suppose you could find a job the same way we all do. I see people go on medical leave and not return, occasionally.

The stipulations of your "new" position in laundry make sense to me, no RN on name badge, no RN uniform & avoiding patient floors. Do any other laundry personnel access patient floors? Even so, it could be to protect you: I know an RN who injured her back & was not allowed onto patient units, in if she saw a patient falling, she would try to catch them & not just let them fall. Although we would hope a DON or somebody not normally in a clinical setting would do the same...

And as far as going back to work, unfortunately sometimes you don't have a choice. I know WC lawyers usually say "don't quit, don't get terminated" but we all know once an injured worker returns to work, they're scapegoats & seems to be they always get terminated. At least in my neck of the woods...

And with your disability labeled as temporary, that's a good thing, at least to one not knowing what precisely your injury is.

Also of interest to me, (maybe I'm reading it wrong) was this ex-DON just terminated and then like, in the next few weeks they try to haggle you? Maybe your attorney could do some digging & find the rationale for her termination? I'm sure that info is protected though. Do you have colleagues that are still in contact with the DON, that could somehow get 'insider' documents? (I assume this DON wouldn't be the friendliest with you, given the circumstances)

Kudos to you for getting an attorney immediately and not signing whatever that document was. Although curious how you're DON caused the injury (short of assault) I'd encourage you to be mum on pretty much everything, as workers comp injuries can and do get quite nasty. Especially if they're trying to make you sign something, no way jose.

good luck

She was fired the day I was injured when I left to go to urgent care. Not until mid february was i harassed by the new administrator. Our state's nursing board investigated the incident, subpoenaed DON's work records, and is now onto prosecution. For legal purposes, I'm going to hold injury back and the method of injury, but it would be considered battery under court of law. As of now, the injury is temporary. Have more doctors appointments to try and diagnose the injury and see if it is actually permanent. If so, I cannot go back to bedside nursing.

Did you file for worker's compensation? If you are injured at work, even if it was through workplace violence, you should be entitled to worker's compensation and they should ensure that you receive any accommodations that you require as a result of your injury.

I didn't even think to ask if she did the requirements for workers compensation, just sort of assumed she did when written as workplace injury. Even so, since you obviously sought medical immediately, it should definitely be documented as a workers comp injury and they are forced to honor your restrictions. I'm sure your attorney should have/did address that.

But wow, just wow, about the mechanism of injury & now BON involvement. Good luck & let us know what happens. I'm interested to hear how things turn out. Hopefully your injury improves & is indeed only temporary.