My director of nursing had a meeting with my nursing subordinates and asked if they had ever seen me do anything incompetent. Is this legal?
Question - Dear Nancy, My director of nursing had a meeting with my nursing subordinates and the asso..
Nancy Brent replies- Dear Peggy, Your director of nursing probably did not do anything illegal, but she did display poor leadership. When a DON has a concern about a staff member, it would be much mor... read more

I'm having trouble collecting travel and vacation pay owed to me the agency I work for and have not been given any work. What can I do, other than quit?
Question - Dear Nancy, I have been working as a nurse educator at a home care agency for the past two..
Nancy Brent replies- Dear Kendra, It is a little unclear what exactly is going on in your employment setting. One thing is clear: Earned benefits, such as vacation time and travel time, which are regu... read more

I would like to know the legal limit as to the number of patients an LPN can have.
Question - Dear Nancy, I am working the night shift in a skilled nursing facility. I would like to kn..
Nancy Brent replies- Dear Melissa, You will need to check your state's laws to determine if there are minimum or maximum requirements for the number of patients an LPN can care for. Such laws would in... read more

I was let go from a job because of unsatisfactory job performance. How can I protect my license and determine whether my termination was fair?
Question - Dear Nancy, I was let go from a job I absolutely loved and had been at for less than a yea..
Nancy Brent replies- Dear Jennifer, Because it appears that there may be allegations that you were chemically impaired while at work and the fact that you have been reported to the board of nursing, y... read more

After I resigned from my position, the board of nursing contacted me with allegations of medication errors. What should I do?
Question - Dear Nancy, I turned in my resignation notice and a week later changed my mind. My manager..
Nancy Brent replies- Dear Amy, The situation you describe seems quite up and down in terms of your employment and practice while at this facility. Regardless of how it sounds, you are now in a difficu... read more

When I am in a procedure room with an anesthesiologist, a gastroenterologist and a certified endoscopy technician, whose license is the technician "working under"?
Question - Dear Nancy, I am an RN working in a hospital endoscopy unit. When I am in a procedure room..
Nancy Brent replies- Dear Marcus, It is difficult to respond specifically to your question because it has so few details, so only a few general comments can be made. The first is that no one "practice... read more

What happens if a dialysis nurse takes my patient off the med/surg floor without my knowledge or consent, begins his treatment and this patient has a complication - who is responsible?
Question - Dear Nancy, What happens if a dialysis nurse takes my patient off the med/surg floor witho..
Nancy Brent replies- Dear Kendra, When you handoff a patient to another nurse and service, it is essential that the handoff information be complete, informative and up-to-date, so the patient is not p... read more

I was terminated for allegedly giving medication without an order. I feel it was the ambiguity of a computer program and inadequate instruction on the program that caused the supposed error. What should I do?
Question - Dear Nancy, I was terminated for allegedly giving medication without an order. I argued th..
Nancy Brent replies- Dear Rob, Unfortunately, this situation is a difficult one, especially because it involves a controlled substance. It is understandable that inadequate orientation to a new comput... read more