Worried

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Okay my dear nursing friends, let me have it. I just started a new job at a level 1 trama center. I'm working in behavior health for the first time and I've been a RN for 23 years. That's a story within itself, however we had a meeting this morning at 0930, I was about to take my break and they told me i had to go, we were all going through the day. The night before i worked which is no big deal but I woke up at 0100 and could not get back to sleep so I decided to get some things done and made coffee. I was moving along all morning, working happy and motivated. I then went to the meeting and i could not keep my eyes open, they were rolling the back of my head. Long story short, I was sent home and i think im going to be terminated.

Please forgive my grammar, i can't type well on a smartphone

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

I think I would have told them that even though I felt tired, I thought I was well enough to work. But now realize I must be coming down with something and need to go home sick. That should have been the end of it. Drugs? That's a bit of a stretch.

What do you mean they get mad at you for helping patients? Helping them do what? Please clarify.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.
I think I would have told them that even though I felt tired, I thought I was well enough to work. But now realize I must be coming down with something and need to go home sick. That should have been the end of it. Drugs? That's a bit of a stretch.

What do you mean they get mad at you for helping patients? Helping them do what? Please clarify.

My first thought was... in a medical facility, you are taught that

the customer is always right.. and you bend over backwards to

please your patients... bring them water, coffee, snacks, what have

you.. help them do this and that and that...

Psych is a totally different animal. You don't get to bend over

backwards to help your patients. They have to be more independent.

Further, you don't get to provide them with snacks, drinks,

coffee, whenever they want it. It's all a total shock.

I've been there. Anyway, that's how I read what she said.

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Yes...unfortunately in psych we call that "enabling" and it's detrimental to everyone involved - they become more dependent, and you get the life sucked out of you! One of the most important parts of working in psych/behavioral health is learning how to set healthy boundaries and clear firm limits.

Hmmm... definitely not a good first/early impression. Your supervisor's mind probably jumps to drugs because she works in psych and sees a lot of it. A lot of people working in psych get a little jaded. I don't think its fireable, but I'd not try to make excuses or justify it, just apologize and make sure it doesn't happen again. It's true that if you fell asleep so easily in a meeting, you were likely not safe to be caring for patients on the floor.

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You are human. You nodded off in a long, boring meeting.

If your manager does not get that... you are better off getting out now, that later.

Best wishes.

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If I had a nickel for every boring meeting I have nodded off in over the years I could retire. I find virtually all meetings boring, and in short order I am nodding off. Should be no big deal, everyone who is honest will admit to it at least once. And many times I have worked extremely tired, as long as I was moving I was okay. Again, no big deal!

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I was in a similar situation, but I was pregnant lol. They wrote me up.

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
Im uses to working on a medical unit, psych nursing ia so different...

They get mad at me for helping patients

Helping them how? Like enabling them to not do what they are capable of doing themselves?

Try using the "quote" button at the bottom of a post so we can know to whom you are replying.

I can't imagine you would be terminated for falling asleep in a meeting if you worked the night before. I never had a manager who made us stay for a meeting that was any later than 7:30 AM.

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Can you speak with your manager and explain the situation? I worked night shift 1st 5 years as an RN, as long as I was doing something I was OK but if I had to sit in a meeting I could have fallen asleep easily, I do not recall having had to go to meetings after my shift but I am sure there would have been a time or two.

I hope you do not get fired over this, I would like to think that people actually realize night shift staff are going to be more exhausted after work just from the hours being inconsistent with what human beings are hard wired for, we are not nocturnal by nature.

That being said when I was a new nurse they were not looking for drug impairment behind every yawn! My God, nowadays I would call off if I did not get any sleep lest someone mistake being tired for being loaded.

This, I believe, is the unfortunate fallout of the general 'opiate crisis' hysteria. I work in corrections wherein most inmates have issues with drugs/alcohol and from where I am sitting methamphetamine is still number one but the government, having failed miserably on their '80s 'war on drugs' which did not make a dent in drug use, changed their focus from meth (since they cannot control that) and turned the focus to opiates. This got the DEA a fresh infusion of money to go after doctors (doctors don't shoot back, keep good records and have assets to seize.) I had a Morphine pill roll under a pyxis a few years ago and everyone, including the pharmacist came to help find it. I asked what happens if we can't find it, the pharmacist said they would have some explaining to do with the DEA. When I suggested that those little pills must get lost sometimes he said that was not an option. It took 45 minutes but we found that dusty little pill and the hospital was spared an investigation. It really made me realize how big the opiate hysteria was becoming.

And...my 1st thought upon reading your post was that some pinhead with zero actual experience in addiction will decide falling asleep must mean you are impaired. Geeze, people can fall asleep just from being tired! It is like we have returned to the Nancy Reagan 'just say no' campaign in overdrive.

If I were in your spot I would just pay for my own drug test to avoid being dragged through the dirt for the 'crime' of being tired, you need to get in front of this and have evidence that you were not impaired. Best of luck!

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Yeah. You just started a new job and fell asleep at work in front of your boss. That's bad no other way to put it. That being said you are human and I've fallen asleep in many a boring meeting when some yammering gas bag nurse who apparently loves the sound of her own voice more than anything simply will not shut up. I worked nights and was expected to stay for staff meetings after my shift. I had also been on that unit for years, had lots of good will built up and a solid union contract. You gotta mend some fences or start looking I'd think. Oh yeah the above poster was completely correct don't trip over yourself waiting on psych patients. They should do what they can for themselves.

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Alas with our hysterical 'war on opiates' it sounds as in your managers' mind there is no such thing as just being tired. In this current society-wide fear mongering on the whole opiate scare thing, does not seem to think it is possible to just be tired. I had shifts such as yours as a new RN and if I had to stop moving I could easily fall asleep.

Get a drug on your own, this way if they attempt to drag you through the mud you will have evidence. I may sound as if I am over-reacting but the opiate hysteria had been so blown out of proportion it is best to gather proof you were not on drugs. Do not go to HR with your evidence, HR is not your friend. If you were still in probationary you probably cannot do anything about being fired but you can do something about your manager turning it into a smear campaign.

I have been an RN nearly as long as you and I am so over hospital nursing. I love working in corrections, manager actually backs me up when an inmate files a grievance over not getting their way and we almost never give out controlled drugs because they get cheeked and sold. When I see people for sick call I ask if they prefer Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

They usually are not happy about that but I come right out and tell them our doc is not giving them anything stronger.

Anyway I digress; if I were you I would have an attorney deliver my drug test to HR.

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Okay so are you trying to continue to work both jobs? That will be hard. Can you just leave the night job and go with the day job?

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Can you just apply somewhere else right now before she fires u? Give notice and all but, she is a *itch and will not change. Go where you are treated well.

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