[obutters]

I was terminated from my hospice job in October 2006. I was a very good employee who went above and beyond for my boss. I had always had very good reviews and was told my nursing skills were excellent. The problem was family complaints of my being too overbearing, too direct in my communication tactics. I have been a nurse for 18 years and never had this problem or complaint when I did hospital nursing. I was never given any examples of what I said or did, so I really don't know how to change. Needless to say it was a real blow to have been fired, and feel like it will follow me the rest of my career. Every application you fill out asks if you have ever been terminated from a job before. I am very truthful and honest, so I always say yes and go into detail. How can I get the umph to get out there and get going again. Some words of advice please.
Jamie Calder, RN

[sanctuary]

Originally Posted by obutters

I was terminated from my hospice job in October 2006. I was a very good employee who went above and beyond for my boss. I had always had very good reviews and was told my nursing skills were excellent. The problem was family complaints of my being too overbearing, too direct in my communication tactics. I have been a nurse for 18 years and never had this problem or complaint when I did hospital nursing. I was never given any examples of what I said or did, so I really don't know how to change. Needless to say it was a real blow to have been fired, and feel like it will follow me the rest of my career. Every application you fill out asks if you have ever been terminated from a job before. I am very truthful and honest, so I always say yes and go into detail. How can I get the umph to get out there and get going again. Some words of advice please.
Jamie Calder, RN

So sorry about the pain that you are in. Big hugs to you, while you recover. It must be especially hard to be fired for such a vague and non-specific complaint. Can't fix what you don't know. Nice of them to give you a chance to improve, huh? But you are eligible to get unemployment, and they have to pay part of it, at least in the states that I've worked in... So take your time and look for a better job, one that has a union!!!

[Geordi486]

I graduated in Aug 06, passed NCLEX Sept 06. I resigned (given the option between fired or resign) from my first job as a nurse in Jan 07 after 4 months. I worked in LTC at night with a typical load of 40 pts. I was not given a very good explanation of why or any specific cause (but my imagination has filled it in and those who have done lots worse them are still working there). Just told not to seek work in LTC and to work at a hospital. Which the local hospital was in a hiring freeze until Jan 07 and that would have been my first choice any way. I have had 2 interviews since then which niether resulted in an offer of employment. This is the most humulating experience of my life, all my fellow classmates from the fast track program are employed, all be it all but one in other parts of the state. Most of the class we started with in the fall of 04 which graduated this May have jobs lined up. I am not moving anywhere as my husband is a tenured proffesor at the local university. Constant questions of "Where do you work" when they find out your an RN let alone a BSN. I don't know what more I can do to get a job at the hospital as they keep telling me they review all resumes for every position. The one interview at the hospital seemed like it went well. Did I do something wrong? Utterly embarassing. So I am back to working as a HHA at the place I worked for while in nursing school. They give me work as a nurse when they can. Foot clinics and covering for their head nurse otherwise it's back to HHA. I keep telling myself I will get a job, meanwhile my skills are becoming distant memories.

[gitterbug]

Is it possible for you to work in another area part-time? Is week-end an option? How about a state job? This is a difficult and stressful situation for you I am sure, but visit the local employment office, sign up and start looking. Good luck.

[ingelein]

I was fired in retaliation for reporting unethical/ illegal patient care issues.I am fighting back by utilizing my states whistleblower retaliation protection law.NO NEED for any nurse with such a law to tolerate their lives being turned upside down by an unscrupulous employer. Time for nuses to unite for mutual protection, ite WAY past time, how much longer will we allow ourselves to be victimized?

[jjjoy]

Originally Posted by Geordi486

This is the most humulating experience of my life, all my fellow classmates from the fast track program are employed, all be it all but one in other parts of the state. Most of the class we started with in the fall of 04 which graduated this May have jobs lined up. I am not moving anywhere as my husband is a tenured proffesor at the local university. Constant questions of "Where do you work" when they find out your an RN let alone a BSN.

I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties. I know the feeling. I graduated with a BSN and didn't take to clinical nursing; your experience sounds familiar. For myself, I had always excelled academically and performed above average in most settings. In nursing, I found myself in the unfamiliar position of being the straggler, the one barely making it. I'm curious if you had a similiar experience.

I hope that you can be gentle with yourself, as you would be to others, in regard to this. You say you feel humiliated at times; I hope you can see that it's NOT humiliating to have life throw us a curve ball. To try something and have it not turn out as you'd hoped. There is no reason for shame. Keep in mind that most successful people had plenty of failures along the way - it didn't define them nor mean that they were incapable of moving on. You'll be beyond this point in the future and it won't look so horrible. Try not to add to it by beating yourself up or telling yourself that you should be doing anything other than what you are doing. You are learning in the school of hard knocks - the tuition can be steep but the experience is priceless.

[caliotter3]

Geordi486

I don't know if this agency is in your city but you might want to consider this. This company will hire almost anybody with a pulse and a license. I have known them to hire people that have failed the RN boards several times but managed to get LVN licenses. I'm talking about Maxim Healthcare Services, Inc., a national company. They have a poor reputation with some people; but others think they are fine. You must be assertive though, because you do not have a lot of experience. Ask to do home care (not facility staffing, at first) on a stable case and ask for a thorough orientation with a good nurse. Don't denigrate yourself, your experience, or your skills. You can be taught everything you need to know to work on a specific case. You have an advantage by being an RN. While you are working for Maxim (or another homecare agency), you can still be keeping your other applications for employment active. Good luck to you and do not give up!

[deeDawntee]

Oh my God. This brings up painful memories. The first job I got after gastric bypass surgery was at a dialysis outpatient facility. I had no idea how sick I was with hypoglycemia and poor nutrition issues. Anyway to make a long story short, I got fired because physically I could not handle it whatsoever. When I got into the car to drive home after being fired, I passed out while driving!! Thank God, I had a guardian angel, because I actually drove unconscious through 4 lanes of busy traffic and didn't hit anyone (there was a guy across the street in a parking booth who saw the whole thing) anyway I woke up in the ER near the place I had just been fired from. I had been actually seizing from hypoglycemia. I didn't work for 10 months after that, it has taken me years to recover from the trauma from that incident (both physically and emotionally). I regret not knowing how bad off I was and resigning before they fired me.

[jjjoy]

Originally Posted by caliotter3

Geordi486 Ask to do home care (not facility staffing, at first) on a stable case and ask for a thorough orientation with a good nurse. Don't denigrate yourself, your experience, or your skills. You can be taught everything you need to know to work on a specific case. You have an advantage by being an RN. While you are working for Maxim (or another homecare agency), you can still be keeping your other applications for employment active. Good luck to you and do not give up!

It is a possibility to look to agency work even without lots of experience. Some do have contracts beyond just acute care nursing that would suit someone looking to get more hands on experience bit by bit. Some organizations will provide a few days of paid orientation to an agency nurse to get you up to speed. You must be judicious as some agencies will ask you take assignments beyond your skills. It's not the path most take starting out, but you just need to do what works for you.

Even admitting to being let go, though, needn't keep you from getting hired again into a new grad position. Any nurse manager worth working for will understand that sometimes things just don't work out and that it doesn't mean that you're any poorer of a hiring risk than any other new nurse. Read through other threads here from new nurses who have struggled so that you can get some perspective. So that at an interview you can hold your head high and confidently say that you ARE a good candidate even while being open about your previous position not working out.

[Geordi486]

Well things are doing better now. I had 3 more interviews since the last post and I was offered a job on the last one. It is actually my dream nursing job. So it all worked out in the end. After almost 11 months. Talk about stress. I really feel know it was a blessing in disguise. If not I would not have been able to take care of my Mom as she died of cancer or received this job I'll be starting on Tuesday. I had hesitated to apply for it because my former DON said to work in a hospital. So thats what I was aiming for. Then I got POd and decided I can't let someone dictate to me what kind or where I should work. I know I will be a competent nurse and it's the job I have wanted since starting nursing school not something that I am settling for like I did before in LTC. I am hoping that this will help my confidence. I just hurts to be rejected especially when you care so much. Unlike the time I got fired by my own sister, no less, because I just plain sucked as a waitress. I do not feel that way about nursing . Thanks to all for the encouraging words even though I have not logged on for quite a while to read them.