Hub Intakes

• Civil Rights
• Disability Rights
• Employment Law

• Myself

On 3/28/2025, I reported to work and learned that my behavioral health unit had 19 patients but only 2 assigned nurses. I would be assigned 10 patients and my coworker was assigned 9 patients. The unit was very acute and it was a dangerous environment that placed patients and staff at risk for harm with the limited amount of staffing. I reported my concerns verbally to my direct supervisor before clocking in that morning. I was told that due to multiple call offs in the building, there were no available staff. She hinted that “possibly” a nurse would be available by 10 AM. I explained that for the unit acuity, an ideal assignment would be 5 to 7 patients. I was instructed to call my nursing director. When I spoke with the director, she yelled at me, called me “unprofessional,” accused me of “not being a team player,” and threatened to report me to Human Resources for Job Abandonment. I told her I had not clocked in or accepted report. I was asking for the assignment to be adjusted and additional nursing support in order for me to safely provide patient care. She had the supervisor change the assignment: I was assigned, 8 patients, my coworker 8 patients, and the supervisor assigned the other 3. The 3rd nurse didn’t arrive until 3 PM.

That evening, I sent a message to HR through or hospital system to file a complaint detailing the Unsafe patient conditions and threats of job abandonment. I was seeking guidance. I never received a follow up response.

On 4/15/25, a technician of mine volunteered to obtain bloodwork for a patient of mine. I had the patient labels printed and inside the blood bag. He took the labels and vials, wandered off and returned a little later with the labeled specimens. At my hospital, to maintain workflow, staff will scan the patient armband from the patient’s chart instead of their wrist. It has been that way for the over 7 years I’ve worked there.

It wasn’t until a few hours later, I discovered my technician had mistakenly collected the blood from another patient. He did not verify the patient’s name and date of birth before beginning the blood draw. I immediately notified the lab, my supervisor, and filed an incident report on the situation. Everything was taken care of.

A week later on 4/22/25, I was called into a meeting my manager to discuss the blood incident. My technician had given me the heads up. He told me that he had “accepted full responsibility and acknowledged his error.” My manager gave me a verbal warning: I was not supposed to scan specimens that I personally didn’t collect from patients and I was not allowed to scan the armband out of the patient chart. The entire written warning was written assigning me the blame.

On 5/21/25, when patient safety rounds were not being done in the “every 15 minute” time frame, my manager entered the unit and tasked me with the job of completing the rounds. The following day, I was called into a meeting with my manager and HR to discuss my actions on 5/21 and told I had “ignored a direct order.” Despite reasonable accommodations, saying I am excluded from completing patient safety rounds every 15 minutes.

I subsequently learned that same HR representative was the one assigned to the original HR complaint. She resolved my complaint on 5/12/25. A week later, my manager accused me of ignoring a direct order, started giving me unfavorable patient assignments (I was physically assaulted), and mocked my disability.

I am seeking guidance on what I view as retaliation against me by my manager and hospital for engaging in the protected act when I filed the initial HR complaint.