I got fired today...

Nurses New Nurse

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You are reading page 4 of I got fired today...

Ntheboat2

366 Posts

I didn't read every single post so this may have already been said, and I might be way off...

But...is there a language barrier issue involved here? Some of the things I read made me say, "huh?"

So, I wonder if when you asked the nurse and "she said it was okay" if she didn't really understand what you had asked? If that's the case then she did have the obligation (to the patients if nothing else) to clarify what was being asked no matter how awkward it would've been. I was just talking to a former classmate the other day and even after asking questions, I never had any clue what she was talking about. Luckily, it wasn't anything important so I just nodded and said "yeah."

I just wonder if a language barrier played a role in all this.

Guest343211

880 Posts

what are you talking about...you're replying to a message that's not even meant for you!!

OK then. Sorry.

Guest343211

880 Posts

Damn Delaware... You don't have to be a **** about it...

Seriously, true dat. :) DE's response was on the harsh side. Seriously. And I can be pretty anal retentive about things.

I say it was yet another ahole environment, and OP should thank God she is done with the place. Toxic environment--non-mentoring. . .seen it too many times over the years. More places are being this way b/c they can--buyer's market and all that.

I'm not a big union person, but when I see stuff like this (not borrowing anything we weren't told mind you), I think, "Why in the world do nurses work without any kind of contract--independent or otherwise?" I'm pretty conservative; but if I haven't worked enough to see this kind of crap repeated over and over; well, I wouldn't tend to think contract. I don't know one physician that doesn't work under contract.

Nurses are chumps for not requiring contracts. Management in nursing is assinine for not requiring objective systems for evaluation and keeping them consistently. Don't even get me started. I'd get annoyed with stupidity and laziness as much as anybody; but what I have witnessed, for the most part, is a form of use and abuse. Nurse = expendable.

N.U.R.S.E.

131 Posts

What was your patient load as well as your patient acuity. You are new and some people expect you to catch on the first time, and have good time management skills as well. Yes hindsight is 20/20 but really get you some books or review your own nursing school books and review your weak areas while searching for a new position. Keep learning from your mistakes the only thing I don't like is people expect you to be perfect, question? How do you expect to get perfect results with imperfect people? Learn to be responsible for your actions.

patrickh_rn

4 Posts

To bbuerke

No, just these two incidents. The manager would do a review with my preceptor every week to see my current progress. Except those two incidents, the manager told me that small things such as prioritizing, group several tasks into one visit per room, walk in and walk out the room fast, morning rounds, and shift report will be difficult at first and they are pretty common among new grads.

So yeah, critical thinking such as whether to administer BP meds if patient's bp is 106/80 (Turned out that I do have to follow the parameter for that, if the order says hold if BP

I thought I was doing really well and I was about the change to night shift next week. So... well, things happen and I just have to adapt to this fortunate/unfortunate event quick, find a new job and move on.

There were a lot of nurses who I met that stopped and asked me where I was going and what happened when I clocked out. Something squeezed me so hard that I have to smile and tear out at the same time. They helped me a lot and this is how I'm going to repay my gratitude? =( I developed a great relationship with the CNA and some RN's there. Dream shatters, that's how we create a new one, right? hah..

Thanks, I will do my best. I'm still somehow sad and have doubts about my own characteristic. But I'm sure I will be fine soon.. Thanks for the support guys =D

I didn't read every single post so this may have already been said, and I might be way off...

But...is there a language barrier issue involved here? Some of the things I read made me say, "huh?"

So, I wonder if when you asked the nurse and "she said it was okay" if she didn't really understand what you had asked? If that's the case then she did have the obligation (to the patients if nothing else) to clarify what was being asked no matter how awkward it would've been. I was just talking to a former classmate the other day and even after asking questions, I never had any clue what she was talking about. Luckily, it wasn't anything important so I just nodded and said "yeah."

I just wonder if a language barrier played a role in all this.

Possible, but in this case, not really. I still have to work on my grammar in writing, and I do have times that people cannot understand my words when I talk too fast. Yet it's been the 9th time I work with her and I believe the preceptor understand what I was saying. She will clarify with me when she cannot understand what I said and I will say the same thing again to her just to make sure she understands.

Sounds to me like you should have had a better orientation. When you hear the words "nurses eat their young" consider this an example. The solumedrol... that extra dose probably helped your patient! I'm not saying that you weren't wrong in giving the double dose but its not something that you would have gotten into major trouble for. If the patient is on oxygen just sitting in the bed then they need oxygen even more when they are up walking around. Hindsight is always 20/20. I know here in Birmingham, AL at UAB they have nurse internships for new grads. Maybe someone has something like that in your area?

I liked the orientation, pretty informative. Still, I guess the main reason that they terminated me was because, like what others replied in this post, I was still in probation and can just let me go easily. That O2 patient was actually weaned off from the oxygen for 2 hours and her O2 was around 93-94%. (She didn't like that thing on her nose and kept taking it off, so we decided not to put it back and it seemed like she was doing okay) So yes bad me I should have just waited for my preceptor and tell the doctor that I wasn't comfortable doing this and I have to wait for my preceptor.

Can you clarify this part? I don't think the one I had is considered as internships. It would be much longer.

"Hindsight is always 20/20. I know here in Birmingham, AL at UAB they have nurse internships for new grads. Maybe someone has something like that in your area?"

First, I am very sorry you lost your job. As a new nurse, that can be very discouraging. The key is learning from you mistakes. We all make them but paying close attention to MD orders are CRITICAL! If I have a doubt about a med order, I usually call the MD but if the MD is an intern (I work at a level 1 trauma center) I call the pharmacist. Typically if an order is modified for the same med and it's been administered already, I just give the new dose at the next time interval. Essentially, that's what should've hanppened here. All of this believe it or not will make you a better nurse. As for your preceptor, she should've been more prudent and reviewed the MAR with you. It would've have taken a few seconds and would've prevented this from happening. :(...Stay encouraged and as a new grad...please have a drug reference book with you! I cannot stress this enough. Btw, I am an RN with 7 almost 8 years experience but the bulk of my experience was in case management. After being bored and a souring job market, I decided to go back to the bedside. I spent 11 months on a trauma med/surg unit and I was blessed to be hired in the trauma/surgical ICU. So essentially, I feel like a new grad. I am okay with that because it has humbled me to really learn and not be afraid to ask questions or look stupid. I feel I will be rewarded in the end and will become a better nurse overall. I think you should consider that, dust yourself off and try again..Peace and blessings to you!

wooh, BSN, RN

1 Article; 4,383 Posts

Sounds to me like you should have had a better orientation. When you hear the words "nurses eat their young" consider this an example. The solumedrol... that extra dose probably helped your patient!

If the patient was so in need of an extra dose of solumedrol, then why did they start weaning it and cut it from TID to BID?

Not to stir the pot .... but on orientation, and even now, I find some of the best resources are asking pharmacists and the doctors ( most of them are less likey to run to management everytime you don' t know something). Orientation and new jobs are hit and miss , I have seen preceptors with worse judgement than yours so they wouldnt care about most errors, But there are ones that take note of every thing and there are indeed new grads who are pretty good with clinical skills and very good with critical thinking and implementing it. nurses are a dime a dozen. maybe you were let go for other reasons you might not even know about? maybe someone who was important enough or in management just didnt like you? or knew of a better candidate? all those are part of "fit" and why many places require a peer interview. Good luck next time

Specializes in LTC and School Health.

OP, I'm very sorry you were fired. It seemed that your workplace did not have an effective plan to nurture and train new grads. I can relate somewhat to your post. I made mistakes during my time in ICU, but my primary preceptor was awesome and we worked out the kinks.

It was some of the other nurses on the unit that weren't so forgiving and felt that my asking questions was a sign of incompetence. Always, always, always asks questions. If you get that feeling in your gut that something isn't right, please ask. I learned the hard way as well. I am a natural leader as EchoRN described, so it was very hard for me to ask. Then, I had to reevaluate and realize that I had to have enough insight to know what I know, and know what I don't know.

Even, with my mistakes I still was not fired. I did eventually resign, because I felt I was not a good fit with the unit and I'd rather resign than to get fired.

Don't let this keep you down. Own what you did, and request to be transferred to another floor. Request a meeting with HR and your boss. I think a less acuity of patients would be great.

Nothing is more painful then your first RN job not panning out. However, you have learned from this.

Take care, and you WILL be okay.

Leonardo Del Toro, RN

1 Article; 730 Posts

Specializes in "Wound care - geriatric care.

I am sorry about what happened to you but remember but there's a good side to everything and something precious to learn. I am a new nurse too and what I noticed is that there are lots of hidden traps in nursing, things that only matter when **** hits the fan otherwise they look like these anal retentive things. Training is poor in nursing as I'm finding out. Some nurses, older and experienced and willing to teach will make sure you learn these traps others will not tell you at all almost like they want you to fall right in it. There are a lot of hidden ones in charting...you must CYA all the time in the minimum details. Things like if you have a TO/RB I write exactly what the doctor said like in quotes, if you note some order make sure all the orders are completely functional and don't assume that they are and there are a million of other ones. I never heard of this one with the O2...wow.

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

The Solu Medrol mistake happens alot where I work.

Every 6 hrs, 0000, 0600, 1200, 1800 means a dose is given at 0600 by nights. They leave, the MD changes order to BID, that defaults to 0900 and 2100. The day nurse then gives a dose at 0900. Double dose, and nobody on days is the wiser.

As far as the O2 goes, that's simply a judgement call.

I'm sorry you were fired. Very few things make you feel lower.

Lots of us have been fired, and still work as nurses. Good luck.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist

NotReady4PrimeTime, RN

5 Articles; 7,358 Posts

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
The Solu Medrol mistake happens alot where I work.

Every 6 hrs, 0000, 0600, 1200, 1800 means a dose is given at 0600 by nights. They leave, the MD changes order to BID, that defaults to 0900 and 2100. The day nurse then gives a dose at 0900. Double dose, and nobody on days is the wiser.

That strikes me as a system problem. If it's happening all the time then perhaps there needs to be an alternate BID standard administration timetable.

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