Dismissed from work today - I don't know what to do

[Strawberriess]

I made such a huge error at work and it cost me my job.
I accept liability and made a massive mistake. I work at a drs and a patient had low iron levels and I said I wasn't clinically trained but maybe it might be worth going to the supermarket to buy something fortified with iron so they didn't drop any further - I didn't know I wasn't allowed to suggest something you could buy off the shelf. I would never advise something if I thought I was causing harm. I had the best intentions.
On top of this I've been having trouble with a colleague who is so rude, condescending and snappy. Yesterday I asked a question and she was rude and I said there was no need for it. She has accused me of bullying to the manager.
I went in today and was pulled in to the office and told because I was still on probation my contract was terminated and there was nothing I could do. I've been crying for about 7 hours.
I dont know how this will have an impact moving forward. Putting a patient at risk and bullying sounds awful but not who I am at all. I don't know what to do 😭
I'd been a SAHM for 7 years and this was the first job I applied for and was successful. I've only been there 3 months. I feel like my future is ruined. How can I apply for another job when my reference is going to paint me out to be a monster.

I agree. On probation in a Temp role, for goodness sake don't rock the boat

You made a mistake and criticised an established member of staff when you were on probation in a temporary role.

You made it way too easy for them to dump you

But you've learned. Next job will be a breeze!

Thank you to the person that gave the definition of medical advice. If I had known that I would have probably taken a different approach.

I didn't give the information to take the place of the clinician. I messaged the clinician back to tell them what I'd said and for their input. I told the patient I would send him a message for further clarity.

For the people who said they weren't happy with other things and that was the final straw.. as far as I was aware my contract was being changed from temporary to permanent because they could see me being there long term. I was left to manage the phones and desks by myself because apparently I was 'more than capable'. Maybe you're right and they did want me gone but that was not made apparent.

The other colleague had been there 2 months longer than me, was an apprentice, doing a different job role and had just left school. I only asked her where put the urgent prescription as she was part of the prescription team and rather than just giving me an answer I was basically told to wait until she was ready to tell me. This had been going on for weeks with different things but any time any body else asked her something she'd answer straight away politely. Would ask me for things and never say thank you but did to everyone else. Completely ignore things I said. Never said good morning or bye but did to everyone else. People commented and said she was snappy with me, it was clear she didn't like me and treated me differently to everyone else. Plus her job was half as busy and stressful as the one I was doing. Maybe I did overstep the line by saying 'it's a simple question'. It's done now but I certainly wasn't bullying anybody and I won't be labelled as one because I'm not. I was a little frustrated, yes, because I never said anything and just let her speak to me like crap. It was part of her job role to help me, not the other way around but when she asked me for help I never hesitated, was never rude and just got on with it because we were supposed to be on the same team.

You are welcome to check for yourself that in UK if you get sued for defamation YOU - the one being sued - have to prove that what you said is true.

The other side has only to prove that you did say it, and nothing more.

It's not terribly difficult to check ... all the info is available online.

It’s 3 months out of your employment history, nobody will ever notice, nobody will ever ask!
Onwards and upwards OP!

Second paragraph is why you got the push - you messaged the Dr/Nurse to tell them what you had said and asked for their input! Really!!

So I'm an accountant, if one of our secretaries said to a client "oh, put it in the box under capital gains, then messaged me for my input, I'd hit the bloody roof!!

I'm truly believe you were trying to do your best, but as a receptionist to a professional, be it a Dr, Solicitor, Accountant, Architecht, whatever, you have to understand that they and only they do the advice! firstly because they have done lots of training to gain that right, second because and professional business has to be wary of liability if it gets it wrong, you giving advice would invalidate the insurance if the patient came a cropper.

This. I don't think admin staff should be giving patients any results (having been on the receiving end of a receptionist reading my test results wrongly over the phone. The consequences could have been serious but I asked to speak to the nurse and she checked).
There needs to be clear boundaries between clerical and medical responsibilities.

@endofthelinefinally It was part of my job role to ring patients and give them their results. I didn't just log in to someone's record, have a look and randomly give them a call.

I am not blaming you at all OP. I just don't think your employers should have put you in that position in the first place. I think it is bad practice and leaves you in exactly the position you now find yourself.

There was a situation decades ago in the hospital where I worked where a lab technician phoned a result through to a ward clerk. the ward clerk didn't pass it on to a doctor because:
a. the technician didn't tell her it was urgent (maybe they were new/unqualified and didn't know).
b. the ward clerk didn't know the significance or the result.
The patient died and the ward clerk was dismissed.
It was dreadful, but I still think it wasn't her fault.

OF the result.

@endofthelinefinally that's an awful story! Sounds like the training was not all there and they needed a scapegoat. One of my collegeues told me the lab rings with results sometimes and we have to give the results to the on call Dr. Again, something I was told randomly in passing because of the drs response and he didn't want to deal with it and she was appalled by his attitude.
Maybe I am better gone. There was some questionable situations like a patient potentially having a heart attack at the desk and the dr said to the receptionist "what do you want me to do about it, what would the other drs do". 🤦‍♀️

Fwiw. I'm clinically trained and the comment about the iron tablets was correct and not a big deal. However it was the giving of the advice that was wrong.

As it was just probation, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

If you are clinically trained, then you would know that iron interacts with many medications and can be contraindicated in quite a few cases. If you are a clinician, then you would know not to tell someone to take iron without any knowledge of their other health conditions, and their medications. There is no way you can say she gave the right advice.

It is quite concerning that you are a clinican who would give someone iron without any consideration for any of their health information other than one lab level.

I appreciate you were very much in the wrong but it's seems a pity as you were in probation that they didn't take this as a training point and subject you to a warning. I'm finding I'm having to explain more and more to my GPs receptionists and they seem to be tasked with some sort of "triage" there must be a line drawn somewhere and training ia needed for that. I'm sorry they didn't see this as some sort of failure on their behalf too.

Good luck finding a job location that's a better fit. Sometimes things just don't work out.

Completely agree. To the poster below that is questioning this... the op advised iron rich things from a supermarket! She wasn't suggesting an iron infusion or iron tablets.
Who is going to say don't have iron fortified foods as it's contraindicated. Nobody, clinical or not

Hey OP.

Just here to say ‘chin up’. Something similar happened to me a few years ago. I’d always been a high performer, did a good job, felt like I was doing well. Got a new job in a new sector - was totally out of my depth and wasn’t given the right level of support. I was broken for weeks and lost my confidence and it was just bloody awful.

But it was one of the best things to ever happen to me. It taught me some things about my skillset, but also how to hold bosses accountable for giving me what I need. It also taught me about resilience and dusting myself off and picking myself up.

As the old proverb goes: fall down seven times, get up eight times.

You got this OP

Iron levels can be low for many reasons. It isn't possible to know without knowing the woman's medical history if iron fortified food would keep her levels from dropping further. The reality is that as a receptionist, you can't look at lab results and try to treat or manage the condition. The receptionist role is to convey the results, not advise the patient on how to manage what they see on the lab results. A clinician should also not making recommendations of any kind without considering the medical history, current other medications etc. For example taking iron decreases the absortion of thyroid pills and foods with iron shouldn't be consumed within four hours of taking thyroid tablets. So potentially there are issues to even telling someone to go buy foods with iron. The patient buys breakfast foods high in iron based on the advice given by OP and in doing so causes her thyroid medication to be less effective and her thryoid becomes disregulated.

It sounds like they have done you a favour by letting you go. Coming from someone who works in a similar industry, it can be so toxic. Often very stressful and staff aren't treated very well at all. Don't let it get you down, its just a job!

In this specific case the patient was to be told that their iron levels were a bit low but that there was no intended follow-up.

If there was any kind of realistic chance that taking an iron supplement could have been dangerous then the patient should never have been told their iron levels were low without any follow-up, because given that kind of news 90%+ of people are going to go and buy an OTC iron supplement anyway unless they are explicitly told not to.

If there wasn't any kind of realistic chance that taking an iron supplement could have been dangerous then it sounds like a teachable "yeah, that counts as medical advice, don't do it" moment.

I think the "someone with low iron taking a supplement is dangerous" people need to pick one and stick with it.

If it's any consolation OP, when I called my doctor's surgery to query my low iron and vitamin B levels following blood results the receptionist told me the same. I was a little that they were interpreting my results and giving me advice rather than putting me through to a doctor.