Write-Ups & Disciplinary Action

[TheCommuter]

Has anyone ever been written-up or suspended by their place of employment?

I received my first write-up today after nine months on the job. I am the type of person who can accept full responsibility for my wrongdoings; however, the disciplinary process is still so very depressing and humorless.

Thanks for listening.

[TrudyRN]

This thread has made me realize, however belatedly in my own career, just how awful some people really are. I've been such a goof, thinking people were basically decent. Well, I still want to believe good about most people but my eyes have been opened to how stupid, ridiculous, and just plain mean and unfair some people are. and how careless. Imagine writing up someone who was not even at work or even in the, by God, state when the offense took place.

[NurseyTee]

Wow, this thread has been an eye opener and I'm a little worried at this point. I had to write up an STNA last night and she was pissed! Firing off accusations at me after she was clocked out.

Here's what happened. Lights going off like crazy, I go looking for her and find her in the TV room with another aide, feet propped up watching TV. I ask her why she didn't answer Mrs. X's light. She said, "Well, the other aide's pager didn't go off." I ask her where her pager is and she replies she doesn't know. I go to get her another one and give it to her. Mrs. X wanted some cereal before she had to go out for dialysis in an hour or so, I told her that was what she wanted and she replied. "I can't get the cereal and milk, I don't have keys to the kitchen.":smackingf She knows the drill and that I have the key, she's done it a zillion times before. I hand her the key she gets the cereal. Okay, all's okay now? Nope. I walk into the nurses station and there sits her pager AGAIN. I take the pager to her and say "Is this the pager I just gave you?" and she replies nastily.. "Yeah, I guess." I hand it to her and walk away. I had to leave the floor (I was the only nurse on the floor at the time.) to get some PPD for a 2nd step that needed to be given that shift. I come back up and her pager is in the nurses station again! By this time the unit manager has come in to help me out, I tell her what has been happening and she agrees she wants her clocked out. This is more d/t past problems with this aide and the other one that was watching TV all shift. This night was just the last straw. She's had a horrible attitude and will absolutely refuse to do tasks that are given by the DON and ADON. I had never written anyone up or clocked anyone out in my 8 yrs of nursing before last night. I really didn't want to do it but I knew her putting the pager back everytime I gave it back to her was her way of thumbing her nose at me, again bad attitude. She was yelling and carrying on after being clocked out, she refused to leave the facility and was telling the unit manager that I had left them on the floor alone for over 3 hours. I replied that there were cameras everywhere and they could see my coming and goings very easily and it simply wasn't true.

I know the Administrator met with her today and I don't know the outcome. I'm nervous because I'm the type that doesn't like hostility or uncomfortable feelings where we're trying to work and I know it's not going to end here if she stays on. I'm stressed to say the least. I wish I didn't have to do this.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I'm nervous because I'm the type that doesn't like hostility or uncomfortable feelings where we're trying to work and I know it's not going to end here if she stays on. I'm stressed to say the least. I wish I didn't have to do this.

Don't beat yourself up over the situation because you had to do whatever you had to do.

I, too, prefer a harmonious work environment as opposed to a hostile work environment. Nurse managers who ride employee's backs and write workers up for every little offense can strike horrendous blows to the morale of the workplace. However, it seemed that your actions were fair and warranted.

[storm06]

You are all welcome to come and nurse in the great Land Down Under.

I promise not to be nice to your face and then stab you in the back. I promise that regardless of any mistake u might make you will be listened to with compassion and empathy. I promise not to accuse you of breech of your nursing practice while u are away on your honeymoon. I promise not to write you up for unauthorised use of the computer. I promise not to sack u for spending an extra 10 minutes in the loo because you have worked 10 hours short staffed, underpaid, dealing with demanding paternalistic doctors, dealing with families,,,,, and you really just need to sit and contemplate why u r a nurse in the first place.

I have never experienced nor to the best of my knowledge worked with anyone who has been written up in the way u guys describe. It sounds just awful, and my empathy to those of you who have gone though it. I made an error a few months ago. There was never any talk of writing me up or reporting me. The nurse manager and staff were very supportive, I was allowed to have a cry, explain what went wrong and then talk about ways to prevent it from happening again. I think if I had someone ranting and raving at me it would have been enough to make me quit.

Hang in there guys. Remember if it gets to much we can always use more fantastic nurses like yourselves in Australia:beer:

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

You are all welcome to come and nurse in the great Land Down Under.

I promise not to be nice to your face and then stab you in the back. I promise that regardless of any mistake u might make you will be listened to with compassion and empathy. I promise not to accuse you of breech of your nursing practice while u are away on your honeymoon. I promise not to write you up for unauthorised use of the computer. I promise not to sack u for spending an extra 10 minutes in the loo because you have worked 10 hours short staffed, underpaid, dealing with demanding paternalistic doctors, dealing with families,,,,, and you really just need to sit and contemplate why u r a nurse in the first place.

I have never experienced nor to the best of my knowledge worked with anyone who has been written up in the way u guys describe. It sounds just awful, and my empathy to those of you who have gone though it. I made an error a few months ago. There was never any talk of writing me up or reporting me. The nurse manager and staff were very supportive, I was allowed to have a cry, explain what went wrong and then talk about ways to prevent it from happening again. I think if I had someone ranting and raving at me it would have been enough to make me quit.

Hang in there guys. Remember if it gets to much we can always use more fantastic nurses like yourselves in Australia:beer:

Thank you so very much for listening to our disciplinary nightmares with a compassionate ear. It means a whole lot to me.

[lyceeboo]

You are all welcome to come and nurse in the great Land Down Under.

I promise not to be nice to your face and then stab you in the back. I promise that regardless of any mistake u might make you will be listened to with compassion and empathy. I promise not to accuse you of breech of your nursing practice while u are away on your honeymoon. I promise not to write you up for unauthorised use of the computer. I promise not to sack u for spending an extra 10 minutes in the loo because you have worked 10 hours short staffed, underpaid, dealing with demanding paternalistic doctors, dealing with families,,,,, and you really just need to sit and contemplate why u r a nurse in the first place.

I have never experienced nor to the best of my knowledge worked with anyone who has been written up in the way u guys describe. It sounds just awful, and my empathy to those of you who have gone though it. I made an error a few months ago. There was never any talk of writing me up or reporting me. The nurse manager and staff were very supportive, I was allowed to have a cry, explain what went wrong and then talk about ways to prevent it from happening again. I think if I had someone ranting and raving at me it would have been enough to make me quit.

Hang in there guys. Remember if it gets to much we can always use more fantastic nurses like yourselves in Australia:beer:

I knew there was a reason I've always loved everything Australian, especially the attitude & the cool accent!

[Plagueis]

You hit the nail directly on the head. The 2 coworkers who told on me are the facility gossips.

I can readily admit that my actions went against company policy, but I don't think they warranted a punishment as austere as a final written warning before I'm terminated. After all, my personnel file was completely clean prior to this final written warning, with no previous write-ups or disciplinary action of any sort.

That is a ridiculous punishment for using the Internet at work. And there were no previous write-ups? Come on! :angryfire I am surprised that you found out who told on you, since I've heard from some nurses/CNAs that when they were written up or reported for anything, they were not told who reported them. I'm sorry again that this happened to you.

[linzz]

Well I just hope that the person who wrote you up enjoys living in fear because now I'll bet you will be watching this person like a hawk. I guess these people who write up everyone for silly things think that they have an abundance of friends at work. I am so sorry for you. Hope this all ends soon. You deserve better.

[smarter]

There is a code of conduct that Nurses are to follow, state regs. etc. Use the write up and/or disiplinary action as a BIG learning experience and don't take it personally. None of us enjoy making mistakes or do it intentionally. But, THINGS happen unfortunatly. Remember, we have a liscense to get the job we have and make the money we do. Be mindful in your every day events.

[weesyanne]

Hey Commuter,

I have been a nurse for over 20 years and got into really big trouble a few years ago for playing what was a practical joke on a fellow coworker.:trout:

It happens to the best of us, so please hang in there and don't let them get you down.

[jeffrey_rn]

Well, I wasn't written up for the "incident" due to the fact that the patient stated I was very nice, but I was called into the boss' office after she received a complaint from an ex-pt who complained that she never received a bath during her 2 day stay. She said she was told by the nurses that they were too busy.

I admitted that it was possible though I could not recall the pt and thus the event. However, I told the boss that I'm sure if I said it, I WAS too busy with higher priorities and could not get to it. I also told her I regret not being able to do everything for everybody all the time but I could assure her that it would most definitely (and regrettably) happen again and again and again. I then offered her my signature on whatever write-up she required so that I could get back to doing the billions of things I needed to do for my patients in the impossibly short time I had to do them in. She smiled and said, "It's ok. She said you were very nice. Get back to work." Obviously, my boss hasn't lost her memory of what it's like to be a floor nurse.

I don't know if there are any morals to this story, I just thought this was the right forum to share it in.

[hollyvk, BSN]

Smarter,

I believe your "chin up, make the best of it" advice is pollyannaish at best. The #1 reason people leave a job is a poor manager, and there are plenty of them to be found in nursing.

If you work for a governmentally-related employer, you have guarantees of "due process" in evaluating and reviewing your situation. If you work under a union contract, you are usually also guaranteed a more objective process.

But in "at will" employment anyone can be written up for anything. Yes, human resources usually requires that the manager conforms to the progressive discipline policy, but any motivated manager can work around that to make you look bad. And the only thing worse that a manager with malice towards you is the one who fails to understand the gravity of initiating the progressive disciple process and thus is prone to writing up employees for incidental, non-significant events.

Your at-will manager can put any sort of half-truth or distortion in his/her write up on you. There really is no effective way to challenge it. Sure you can write your rebuttal, but then it's just your word against the manager's, and administration will almost always side with the manager. So even asking for a human resources review is essentially futile.

Anyone with an at-will employment situation who feels they have been written up for something that isn't true or valid needs to give SERIOUS thought as to whether they need find another job. It can be a short trip to termination once progressive discipline has been started, and there are a ton of nurses who have found themselves terminated who thought, "It could never happen to me." And it certainly is easier to explain an invalid disciplinary report in one's file than it is a termination.

And Commuter, why would you want to continue to work with peers who appear to want to do you harm? That's a toxic environment and I STRONGLY suggest you get yourself out of it ASAP.

HollyVK, RN, BSN, JD

There is a code of conduct that Nurses are to follow, state regs. etc. Use the write up and/or disiplinary action as a BIG learning experience and don't take it personally. None of us enjoy making mistakes or do it intentionally. But, THINGS happen unfortunatly. Remember, we have a liscense to get the job we have and make the money we do. Be mindful in your every day events.