MovingtoTasmania Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I think you are taking a very negative view of this. You made a mistake, you need to face up to that and explain in interview to the prospective employer what happened and then allow them to make up their mind accordingly. It's not all doom and gloom. Things happen in life and we all make mistakes, what is different is how we all deal with them and it's in how we deal with them that our true character is shown. I'm guessing you're pretty young so I will say to you what I would say to my own child. This is a slight speed bump on the road for you and you will deal it but you must not allow yourself to sit there and wallow in self pity and take such a defeatist view as ultimately, that will drag you down and if you can't cope now, with one little thing, how will you manage the next few decades as a nurse? Now is the time to stand up and shake yourself off and get on with it and do your best. Don't allow this mistake to define you or your life xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlornax Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Give your head a wobble your career isnt over. .you'll not keep any job long if you give up every time u make a mistake! Its not an ideal situation but its not the end of your career unless you want it to be. Have a few days feelin crap n then you need to look at this whole thing from a less negative angle. .its an experience you will grow and learn from in many ways and no one was harmed...you were brave to come to a new country to work..you need to use that bravery again to move forward use the reference or dont use the reference, either way..apply for other jobs Yeh im starting to think i may as well kiss goodbye to my career its a no win no win situation, i either dont use the last reference from these employers, which would make other employers suspicious or i use the reference and no employer will consider me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratherangelic Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I really don't think your career is over. I'm a radiographer and have in the duration of my career x-rayed the wrong patient (they had the same surname and the porters brought the wrong one down with their x-ray packet. I checked the patient details from the x-ray packet rather than the request form). I was during the 1st 2 years of my career and I used it as a learning experience. At the time I felt completely like I was the worst radiographer ever. A number of colleagues told me of their mistakes they had made during their careers and how they learnt from it. Now I am so hot on checking that it is the right patient. I also tell students of my mistakes so to try to stop the same mistake happening in the future. You could explain something like this in a job application. Yes you have made a mistake but no-one died and you can learn from it. That is part of being a health professional reflecting on your practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 There have been loads of errors where I work. One nurse shouted a patient by their surname, which was the same as another patients Christian name. Patient shouted that's me. Pt took into room, procedure done, pt wheeled out into recovery. Another nurse from another room comes for her patient, only to find the patient in recovery post procedure. All 3 members of staff in the room were oblivious to the fact that they'd scoped the wrong patient. No one checked patients name, dob, no one had discussed how the pt came to be here (the 2 patients were for different procedures). Doctor blamed the nurses. Nurses blamed each other. Not one of them held their hand up and said its my fault, I made an error. They were all at fault. As a result we have to triple check everyone and sign to say we have. The point I'm trying to make is you are honest. You held your hand up. You made a mistake. People like honesty. Now you have to draw a line under it and start applying for another sponsor. What happened is now in the past. Today is a new day. Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) I'm really surprised at the response you had from your employer - we would offer the nurse education on administrating medication and in some cases put them on a period of supervision so that any time they dispensed medication it was with a senior nurse checking. I think your issue that you can pursue with your employer via HR is the process they have/haven't followed. You are allowed representation/support at any meeting to discuss the event. By pulling the meeting forward and giving you 30 mins notice they won't (I'm assuming) have followed due HR process. Someone suggested that you write down the facts from the moment the medication error was discovered, include the phone calls you made and if the messages were returned. Give dates and facts only. Did you receive a letter telling you about the meeting? Usually in a disciplinary you are given a letter with the allegations and a date to give your response by. I would contact HR immediately and ask about the grievance process and that you wish to make a complaint (it doesn't matter that you've been dismissed as you're complaining about the process). You can't make them give you a 'good reference'. Edit to add: Is there a policy for new starters? When we have a new member of staff they meet with their manager at 1 month, 3 months etc., to look at their progress, how they're settling in, if there are any problems from either side. If there is a policy or work instruction saying this should happen and they haven't met with you then that is something else you can include in your documentation. If for example they say there were problems during the probationary period with your performance (I'm not suggesting there was), but they never told you about it - that's not following process Edited February 9, 2014 by ali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMay24 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 The probationary period is a time for both employer and employee to confirm they are happy with each other. Your error may have been just too much for them to consider reasonable and they've exercised their right to end your employment. You can't force them to give you a good reference, but you can make sure you explain it to any potential employers as to how you responded to the error (how you caught it, who you reported it to, what was done to correct it, etc.) and what you've learned from it. I think you need to focus now on where to from here. Either looking for another sponsorship, applying for a PR visa, or returning home. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 If it's any conciliation the 90 days I believe start when immigration write to you to say your visa is going to be cancelled unless you find another sponsor. This can take them a while. To be honest it sounds like they had already decided they didn't want you there and this was a happy accident for them. Give up the 'legal advice' route, you will just cause yourself stress for no positive outcome. Yes chase up if they have followed correct disciplinary procedure, but the reference you will not win on. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 This all sounds a bit strange. They cannot sack you for making a medication error so long as you were honest, owned up, took all necessary steps to keep the patient safe and were convincing in your regret for what happened. I have read some of the posts on here about people being over and under medicated and being kind about it because nurses are under pressure but to be honest, thats not really any excuse. Medication errors shouldn't happen and if you are on the receiving end of one you have every right to be angry (incidently, what did your patient think of it?) Having said that, in my job I give out medication to 22 people a day, maybe 4 or 5 tablets each plus all the extra meds as required and injections etc. Over the course of a year thats about 2000 single times I will give someone some medication. I am afraid it is inevitable that there will be the occasional error. I do not know a single nurse that has not made a medication error. How did the hospital treat you prior to this incident? Im not being nasty but they are either a hospital that do not accept mistakes of any kind or, for whatever reason, they wanted you to leave. This could be due to financial issues, it may not be personal at all. Its a great pity you are not in the union. Australian nursing unions are brilliant, far more militant than these UK ones who don't fight anything or anyone. I did hear that Aussie unions may help you even if you join after the adverse event, give them a call. You need to put this down to experience and ask them politely to provide you with a reference. I wouldnt go down the unfair dismissal road at the moment but I definitley would if they dont provide you will a reasonable reference. You cant lose your career over one mistake which you were honest about. I would be interested to know where you worked? I understand you may not want to tell me. Best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I think you are taking a very negative view of this. You made a mistake, you need to face up to that and explain in interview to the prospective employer what happened and then allow them to make up their mind accordingly. It's not all doom and gloom. Things happen in life and we all make mistakes, what is different is how we all deal with them and it's in how we deal with them that our true character is shown. I'm guessing you're pretty young so I will say to you what I would say to my own child. This is a slight speed bump on the road for you and you will deal it but you must not allow yourself to sit there and wallow in self pity and take such a defeatist view as ultimately, that will drag you down and if you can't cope now, with one little thing, how will you manage the next few decades as a nurse? Now is the time to stand up and shake yourself off and get on with it and do your best. Don't allow this mistake to define you or your life xx I'm not surprised she is being negative. If what she says is true, this is not a "speed hump"; she has been unfairly dismissed and is quite right to feel aggrieved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'm not surprised she is being negative. If what she says is true, this is not a "speed hump"; she has been unfairly dismissed and is quite right to feel aggrieved. Not if it is within the probationary period, which it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Surely they still have to have a decent reason don't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We have to check IV drugs with another nurse before administration. Is that not the case everywhere or is it just trusts that implement that in the drugs policy. I know there was a fatality in the trust where I work because of a bolus dose of potassium. It was a student nurse and she didn't realise it was supposed to be infused. From that, students are not allowed to have anything to do with IV drugs until they qualify and nurses have to check each others IV drugs. If the op had the drugs checked with another nurse, shouldn't that other nurse also be accountable. Incidentally, can anyone recommend an Australian nurses drugs book to me please. Want to get an idea of drugs names etc before I land in oz. Thanks. Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 They use mims, its also on line. You'll find patients will give you a brand name of the drug rather than the generic name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelchic Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Thanks Ali. Will look for one. Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkm10 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) We have to check IV drugs with another nurse before administration. Is that not the case everywhere or is it just trusts that implement that in the drugs policy. Hi, yes we also had to double check IV's, I had it double checked, but nothing happened to the other nurse who checked it with me, she wasn't even called in for questioning. Edited March 3, 2014 by blossom Fixing quote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 We have to check IV drugs with another nurse before administration. Is that not the case everywhere or is it just trusts that implement that in the drugs policy. Hi, yes we also had to double check IV's, I had it double checked, but nothing happened to the other nurse who checked it with me, she wasn't even called in for questioning. That sounds highly suspect. Are you telling us the whole story? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkm10 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Thanks for everyone's comments/support on here. I did get in contact with the nursing union and a lawyer who both said unfortunately employers can do whatever they like during the probationary period. Looking back now they were very overstaffed, always offering staff annual leave, moving staff to other wards, I believe I just gave them the necessary push they needed to help out with staffing issues. We have to double check Iv medication, and I had the med double checked, nothing happened to the other nurse, not even called in for questioning. ok, medication errors shouldn't happen but sometimes unfortunately they do, everyone working in the health profession knows this. I gave the correct medication and the correct dose, I just didn't put the drug in enough fluid - it was too concentrated, it wouldn't have caused any effects to the patient anyway, and I know back home this particular drug doesn't even get infused. I never received a letter of termination from them, should I have received one? I don't have anything documenting why I was terminated. So manager confirms she will give me bad reference stating the incident, I ask HR for basic reference stating my roles and responsibilities. Doesn't have to say whether or not I was any good at them. And today I get the reference, it's not what I asked for, they haven't even put I was employed as a nurse, it just has I worked full time, sick leave and annual leave, that's it. I'm trying to move on, and applying for other jobs any where in the country. But I am just a paeds trained nurse so I'm limited to what I can do. I've had 3 interviews so far, didn't get 2, but still waiting to hear from one, fingers crossed I get it, but I won't hear til end of the month. In the meantime I am gathering the docs I need to apply for anmac. It's looking pretty likely that I will have to go home and work there, as I will soon be running out of money. A few things I wanted to ask - if I do go home, I have a rental lease til august, if I break the lease will I be forced to pay out the remaining rent - what if I don't have enough money to pay this? What are my options for having someone else take over the lease and change it to their name on the contract? Also, I had everything shipped over here when I came, it seems such a pain and a lot of money to have to get it shipped back to UK and then when I get PR visa ship back to oz. would I be allowed to store this stuff in oz using professional storage company, or would that not be possible as I wouldn't have my PR visa? thnx jess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosiew Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 A lot of employers will now only provide a written reference stating period of employment and other basics. It is usually policy. Think carefully about who you would like to name as a referee from your employer - anyone giving a reference is obliged to be completely honest - not just the good bits. Hopefully you can think of another person who supervised you who will be happy to give an oral reference to potential employers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosiew Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Under the terms of your lease you should be able to give the required notice (usually 60 days) and you will have to pay the rent until a new tenant moves in as well as the costs of reletting - advertising, new lease, letting fee. All up it should add up to less than paying until August. Call the real estate agent - they will be happy to give you the details. They don't mind earning another letting fee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkm10 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 That sounds highly suspect. Are you telling us the whole story? Yep Sammy, if u read my post right at the start that tells the whole story, I made the error by not adding enough fluid to the drug prior to infusion, had the drug double checked, but other nurse didn't actually see me add the amount of fluid to the drug as she didn't come to the bedside. but nothing happened to her at all, she was obviously not in probation period Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkm10 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 A lot of employers will now only provide a written reference stating period of employment and other basics. It is usually policy. Think carefully about who you would like to name as a referee from your employer - anyone giving a reference is obliged to be completely honest - not just the good bits. Hopefully you can think of another person who supervised you who will be happy to give an oral reference to potential employers. thanks for advice, I have past employers who can provide references but 2 out of the 3 interviews I have had have wanted reference from current employer. I was thinking of asking another senior nurse from that ward, but I'm just scared that who ever I ask will mention what has happened. I do understand that they have to be honest, but there are so many people going for jobs that if you get a bad reference it is pretty certain you won't get another job. I need sponsorship as well so it's a tricky situation.thanks for lease advice as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 I think the written reference you got was standard procedure. Not many give them these days at all- they rely on referees so do be careful who you pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkm10 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Thanks starlight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.