I Was a Victim of Retaliation at Work as a Nurse, Heres How To Handle It

Have you ever voiced a concern at work about a process or coworker that you were genuinely concerned about? Maybe you were worried about something related to safety, staffing, or someone’s lack of professional conduct then suddenly you find yourself in a situation where what you thought was supposed to be an anonymous report to improve practice and outcomes for the patient no longer feels that way because now it feels like the people or departments that you reported are now out to get you? If so, you might be experiencing what is considered retaliation.

First off, let’s not act like this doesn’t happen in nursing. In fact, it’s unfortunately more common than we may even realize. And it’s the number one reason why nurses and other staff are afraid to speak up on certain issues. 

Retaliation in the workplace should never happen. No one should feel like they’re being punished for bringing attention to important safety, practice, or behavioral issues. We are not snitches. We are advocates and it is part of our professional duty to speak up on behalf of the patient and for our profession. To be silent is to be complicit.

I Was a Victim of Retaliation - My Story

So, let me start by explaining what happened to me. I was working at a particular ER that was notorious for having non-working equipment such as inoperable EKG leads therefore limiting the ability to cardiac monitor patients who needed it. Also, the big industrial-size flush commode thing that’s in the soiled utility room was often broken, as was the nearby sink. So here we are, dumping poop and pee into a broken flusher, and then we can’t even wash our hands before we leave the room. NASTY! 

We reported it to the leads and managers several times, but nothing was being done – only on a few occasions when things were really bad as if they weren’t bad already. But the straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when I got chewed out by a patient asking me for lab results before discharging her. Long story short, the prior nurse had avoided talking to the patient about it because there were no results, and that’s because the provider hadn’t ordered any labs. Come to find out, the prior nurse drew a set of rainbow tubes for labs (meaning she drew blood – one of each tube color). In the ER, sometimes nurses try to get ahead by drawing blood work and starting an IV before a provider orders them. In some cases, the triage nurse can order these based on a protocol, but in this situation – there were none. 

So, the patient was asking me to return her blood because it was taken in error. I was SHOOK – no one had ever asked me that. And I knew this was a big deal, so I asked the manager to come to bedside to handle it since she was still there. And instead of dealing with the obvious practice issue, she was pleading with ER providers to please order something so we could provide the patient results before the patient complains to authorities. So, at this point I’m like, leadership doesn’t care about doing what’s right and all this is unsafe for patients and staff – so I filed a report with the TJC (formerly JACHO) and the Department of Health. 

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Then The Retaliation Started…

But by virtue of what happened and me being one of the most boisterous nurses on the unit,  the manager assumed it was me that filed the complaints and from there on out work was a nightmare,

• all my PTO requests denied, 
• my schedule was changed to work every other day,  
• I was given all the psychiatric hold patients, 
• I was no longer assigned as triage or charge nurse 

All these changes for no specific reason and when I asked about why the change in assignments and schedule - the manager couldn’t give me a reason. 

But I knew what was happening - this was retaliation. 

I was prepared for the ride, after all I was well versed on the policies and politics in the hospital. So some might say, she chose the right one. I kept being the awesome nurse I am and concurrently complained to Human Resources about the retaliation. The retaliation was so subtle, at least in the eyes of others that there was nothing Human Resources could do about it. 

This was obviously a manager abusing her authority, but the court of public opinion knew what she was doing. So when the surveyors came by, ALL the staff sung like canaries not only about the work conditions but the retaliation as well. 

How To Identify Retaliation

One of the biggest challenges of raising awareness around retaliation is that nurses do not necessarily know what is and is not retaliation. Defining retaliation in a clear manner is crucial, but it is even more crucial to ensure that the definition is shared repeatedly. It is important to ensure that there are multiple and diverse methods for communicating about retaliation and that the messaging remains consistent.

Retaliatory actions can be broken down into two main types: overt and subtle. 

• Overt retaliation consists of behavior and actions that are clearly retaliatory. The person or entity engaging in the retaliatory behavior makes no effort to conceal or disguise the actions, and it is apparent that the actions are meant to be averse to the employee.
• Subtle retaliation, however, involves a more indirect way of engaging in actions that are averse to an employee. Subtle actions can be more difficult to recognize as retaliation, but these behaviors can still be retaliatory. 

Examples of Retaliation

If you are a nurse and you spoke up about your workplace rights, you could be retaliated against. Sometimes the retaliation is so subtle that it’s difficult to determine if you are actually being retaliated against. Rule of thumb - if you feel like you are being retaliated against, you probably are. Here are some examples of what retaliation might look like:  

• Termination
• Driving you to quit 
• Demotion
• Change is duties/assignments
• Changes in schedule
• Lack of promotion
• Uncalled for discipline
• Poor performance reviews
• Verbal abuse
• Hostile work environment
• Bullying at work 

Retaliation is oftentimes a scare tactic, to punish the person who was brave enough to speak up as to deter others from exerting their own workplace rights.  

Workplace rights are there to protect you, you are entitled to those rights. You should absolutely speak up. 

If you’re thinking about becoming a nurse, are a nursing student, or are a current nurse who is ready to transition careers - this guide will help guide you to make the best professional decisions.

What To Do About Retaliation

During the pandemic the American Nurses Association, received numerous reports of employers retaliating against nurses and other healthcare workers for raising concerns about their personal safety while caring for COVID-19 patients.

According to the ANA they received reports of intimidation, firing and ostracizing of nurses and have called for ongoing, transparent and effective communication between nurses and employers about nurses' ability to provide safe care.

The ANA released this statement on retaliation and condemned the practice, “ANA condemns employers that retaliate against nurses for advocating on behalf of themselves and their patients.”

The association also urged nurses who are experiencing acts of retaliation from their employer to file a whistleblower complaint online with the U.S. Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This article outlines the laws state-by-state. 

Retaliation is wrong on so many levels. As a victim of retaliation, I want you to know that you will get through this and whatever you do, you do NOT have to be a victim of retaliation - make sure your speak up. 

Have you experienced retaliation? Let us know what happened, what you did and what the outcome was.