Fired during probation... what now-- more than 1 yr RN

[Looking_for_sunshine]

Worked in Tele for just over 90 days, then fired!

I am not looking to vent or to cry on an unseen shoulder here, I hope to hear from others

who were in a similar situation who overcame a similar situation, I need inspiration and hope!

I'm in my second career now, working as RN short little jobs here since passing NCLEX

last year... minor jobs and there, finally landed new grad position at a hospital, on Tele,

orientation went rocky from the start, old preceptor nurse who would disappear to do

favors for others on all floors, and constantly going out for smokes.

She refused to let me see my orientation packet/ sign off sheets, I had no idea what my

goals were and got very little feeedback. Her favorite thing to do was to loudly proclaim

anything I forgot or anything she had do for me, making it look like I was such a loser.

I noticed people distancing themselves from me.

When I was assigned another preceptor I was so happy but by then I was so behind

compared to the others and then went on my own earlier than I was ready. I

communicated this fact but it was sink or swim. I was slow but careful... One night I

forgot a med and was written up. And then another time I charted "missing med."

I got bogged down in other things going on, and completely forgot to go to pharmacy or

follow up on this missing med (an inhaler) and my charge told me about it, I asked what

now, the night is halfway through, she said "Don't worry about it now."

"It can wait until the AM."

I was fired the next day.

Now I am so devistated I can't think straight. I am mortified and ashamed, I live

in a large metro area that pumps out new grads from more than 6 different shcools and

it's so competitive I don't know how in the world I will recover with a "Discharge" on

record. I'm not eligible for rehire, and many appications online require me to state if I am,

so I know I will end up not getting as far as an interview.

I saw this coming early on because that old hag preceptor has a lot of power, and early on

the supervisor had a sit- down with me and another charge RN, I was honest but

I could tell they were setting me up for being fired. My union rep said they can fire

me for anything during probation, but they created a paper trail on me about not getting

charting done by a specified time (Mind you, no one gets 100% of their charting done by

22:00 there, but I was required to, or get fired!) if I were dishonest and charted "Patient

refused med" I might still have a job! But then I would have been fired for something

else. I asked different RNs about their time mgmt tricks, I know that I was getting it..

But not fast enough.

I know now that this job was not a good fit for me, I am owning my mistakes and feel

good about loving the work, doing a great job (got "Above average/ exceeds

expectations" on customer service). I feel good about not making any major errors or

causing any near misses, any harm.

I feel good about everything I learned, but I feel really bad about how everyone

there knows how I was struggling with time management and I am so mortified now

to know that 20+ people there at my former workplace who worked w/ me

know I was fired.

I was not there long enough to make any friends and get any good referrals. I don't know

where to go from "Here?" Pure Hell.

I feel good about being able to think critically and plan ahead for my patients, like calling

the Dr. and getting unnecessary "NPO" status removed right away on a diabetic patient

that had surgery cancelled and then suffered with "NPO" for 18+ hrs., the previous RNs

were lazy.

I was so successful in my past life, different career, I always wanted to be a RN,

got great grades in school, my friends from school are doing great, I live in fear they

will find out about my current situation. I am so ashamed!

Plus I need to work.

I am paralyzed by this. The union rep said orientees/ new grads get fired all the time

during probation and they pick up themselves and move on, they get jobs, I asked

"HOW?" She was not willing to give details.

I am older, I look good, stay in shape, I am older though, and it does work against me for

getting interviews, I noticed. I'm 53, I look like I'm late 40's. But they know, when they

look at my app, how old I am. Last year I interviewed for new grad program at a large

hospital and was shocked to see I was the only "older" one in the room, everyone

seemed to be 30 yrs old and younger (30 people). Did not get the job.

Has anyone out there been through a similar situation? I am not a new grad with 90 days

of work in Tele, and I am not a nurse with 1 yr experience, so I am stuck in between a

rock and an impossible place. Even the SNFs here require 1 yr experience! I can't move,

out of the area, due to hubby job. I just need to hear about similar experiences, hopefully

do what you all did, to go get another job at a hospital or somewhere.

Please be kind to reply.

Thank you, and God Bless.

[LandD_RN_chica]

Same thing basically happened to me. Except I already had a year and a half of experience. Went per diem at my position and took a full time job in my dream field. It sucked. The nurses were horrible and they never gave me a fair chance. They tried to fire after an extended probation period but they messed up. They admitted in front of the union rep that the environment was toxic and I wasn't given a fair chance. They then gave me the opportunity to resign and I did. I posted on here about it if you are able to see. Long story short I already have another full time job. I start in a couple weeks. I told them about the experience. Told them it wasn't the right fit and it was toxic. Turned it into a positive by saying I learned what kind of nurse I don't want to be and just got my offer letter for my new job. You will find something else. Just make it ur job to get a new job. Good luck.

[pookyp, LPN]

He called her old which makes you so angry. Yet many of you say that you are a members of the crusty old bat society. If you think of yourself as a crusty old bat (and apparently take pride in it), what makes you think it's wrong for others to think of you that way? Maybe I'm just missing the joke.[/quote']

Lmao!!

[kayern]

Ok, this maybe hard to hear but you are so much better off out of that place. First of all preceptors should not have power! How was she trained and who selected her????? Where in the world was your nurse manager????

With that being said, did they fire you? Did they report you to the state licensing???? If so shame on them, it sounds like new graduate behavior to me and instead of punishing they should have been coaching!!

Take this as a learning lesson. Go look for another job, maybe in a Magnet designated institution where Nursing knows what it is they are doing.

I wish you good luck. Keep your chin up and keep in mind you graduated, passed your boards and have lots to offer.

[HeatherGurl84]

He called her old, which makes you so angry. Yet many of you say that you are a members of the crusty old bat society. If you think of yourself as a crusty old bat (and apparently take pride in it), what makes you think it's wrong for others to think of you that way? Maybe I'm just missing the joke.

and for those proud, moody members of the crusty old bat society, you are why new nurses become "terrified." You try to make us feel inferior and at times stupid. Remember you were once in our shoes!!

[JoseQuinones]

Some weeks ago where I work, we got a walk-in application from an older gentleman who was retired and wanted to work in the field to give back. The boss of the place expressed some doubts about him from the get-go, but I spoke up strongly that he would be an asset. So they assigned him to me and I was his supervisor. He just could not get his head around computers and how they work. I did absolutely everything I could for him, I took his hand every step of the way, I defended him to my boss, and I worked long hours off the clock so I could be there while he was on the clock. In the end, it just didn't work out. My boss canned him, against my loud objections. I believed then and still believe that he had something wonderful to bring to the floor, which was a caring and a maturity. The young whippersappers with nothing but a BSN and an attitude simply don't compare to the breadth of life knowledge and heart that some of these older people bring. Plus as a retired lawyer, he had what it took to learn if they had given him time. I'm 26 years old and I've already had to let four different people go. The ones that hurt are the ones that you care about. I called him after he was dumped out and told him plain and straight that he was mistreated by management, I'd be glad to write him a reference, and that I hoped we could remain friends. I wish you all the best. Somewhere you may run into a hiring manager who feels as I do.

[OCNRN63, RN]

He called her old, which makes you so angry. Yet many of you say that you are a members of the crusty old bat society. If you think of yourself as a crusty old bat (and apparently take pride in it), what makes you think it's wrong for others to think of you that way? Maybe I'm just missing the joke.[/quote[

Yep, you're missing the joke. It is a joke that goes back quite a while, when someone referred to we experienced nurses as "crusty old bats," and not in a joking manner. So, we decided to pounce on it and make it an exclusive "society."

[OCNRN63, RN]

and for those proud, moody members of the crusty old bat society, you are why new nurses become "terrified." You try to make us feel inferior and at times stupid. Remember you were once in our shoes!!

​As I explained before, this "society" is a joke that arose from a new nurse here referring to experienced nurses here as "crusty old bats." I've never tried to make anyone feel stupid and inferior, but it looks like that's what you were trying to do to me. You don't even know me.

[usetimewisely]

Duplicate

[usetimewisely]

Sometimes a closed door heart to heart works well when people or personalities are not clicking. In my current job, we all had to go to "charm school". Actually it was titled Managing Interpersonal Relationships. The class was great; it helped shine a light on the fact people have different personalities and sometimes personalities clash if we don't work at finding common ground. Personalities come in 4 basic categories, Driver, Amiable, Analytical, and Expressive. A person can be a combination of any two. For example, I had a manager that was a Driver/Driver. He liked to be frank and direct when he talked to anyone. He did not like to end up in a conversation with an Expressive, who liked to add a lot of fluff while making their point. I actually witnessed this manager take his watch off and place it on the conference room table during an interview. He gave the person "x" minutes to talk, then would cut them off at the knees when time ran out. I'm a amiable / analytical; I have a friendly disposition but I often, to my detriment sometimes, over analyze things. My personality is a polar opposite of my old managers personality. This often left me irked at him when he said something. I often thought to myself "this guy is a jerk" plus he didn't give me the information I need to complete the task he asked me to perform. After the class, I understood he was likely thinking I needed to just do what he said, quit wasting time asking questions, and figure it out on my own. One day after a exchange that left a bad taste in my mouth, I just went in his office and closed the door behind me. We hashed things out and it improved our relationship.

I wanted to ask you if this was a class or course that was created within your facility, or is it something readily available for me to look up? We can possibly benefit from this at my job.

[AngelicDarkness]

Worked in Tele for just over 90 days, then fired!

I am not looking to vent or to cry on an unseen shoulder here, I hope to hear from others

who were in a similar situation who overcame a similar situation, I need inspiration and hope!

I'm in my second career now, working as RN short little jobs here since passing NCLEX

last year... minor jobs and there, finally landed new grad position at a hospital, on Tele,

orientation went rocky from the start, old preceptor nurse who would disappear to do

favors for others on all floors, and constantly going out for smokes.

She refused to let me see my orientation packet/ sign off sheets, I had no idea what my

goals were and got very little feeedback. Her favorite thing to do was to loudly proclaim

anything I forgot or anything she had do for me, making it look like I was such a loser.

I noticed people distancing themselves from me.

When I was assigned another preceptor I was so happy but by then I was so behind

compared to the others and then went on my own earlier than I was ready. I

communicated this fact but it was sink or swim. I was slow but careful... One night I

forgot a med and was written up. And then another time I charted "missing med."

I got bogged down in other things going on, and completely forgot to go to pharmacy or

follow up on this missing med (an inhaler) and my charge told me about it, I asked what

now, the night is halfway through, she said "Don't worry about it now."

"It can wait until the AM."

I was fired the next day.

Now I am so devistated I can't think straight. I am mortified and ashamed, I live

in a large metro area that pumps out new grads from more than 6 different shcools and

it's so competitive I don't know how in the world I will recover with a "Discharge" on

record. I'm not eligible for rehire, and many appications online require me to state if I am,

so I know I will end up not getting as far as an interview.

I saw this coming early on because that old hag preceptor has a lot of power, and early on

the supervisor had a sit- down with me and another charge RN, I was honest but

I could tell they were setting me up for being fired. My union rep said they can fire

me for anything during probation, but they created a paper trail on me about not getting

charting done by a specified time (Mind you, no one gets 100% of their charting done by

22:00 there, but I was required to, or get fired!) if I were dishonest and charted "Patient

refused med" I might still have a job! But then I would have been fired for something

else. I asked different RNs about their time mgmt tricks, I know that I was getting it..

But not fast enough.

I know now that this job was not a good fit for me, I am owning my mistakes and feel

good about loving the work, doing a great job (got "Above average/ exceeds

expectations" on customer service). I feel good about not making any major errors or

causing any near misses, any harm.

I feel good about everything I learned, but I feel really bad about how everyone

there knows how I was struggling with time management and I am so mortified now

to know that 20+ people there at my former workplace who worked w/ me

know I was fired.

I was not there long enough to make any friends and get any good referrals. I don't know

where to go from "Here?" Pure Hell.

I feel good about being able to think critically and plan ahead for my patients, like calling

the Dr. and getting unnecessary "NPO" status removed right away on a diabetic patient

that had surgery cancelled and then suffered with "NPO" for 18+ hrs., the previous RNs

were lazy.

I was so successful in my past life, different career, I always wanted to be a RN,

got great grades in school, my friends from school are doing great, I live in fear they

will find out about my current situation. I am so ashamed!

Plus I need to work.

I am paralyzed by this. The union rep said orientees/ new grads get fired all the time

during probation and they pick up themselves and move on, they get jobs, I asked

"HOW?" She was not willing to give details.

I am older, I look good, stay in shape, I am older though, and it does work against me for

getting interviews, I noticed. I'm 53, I look like I'm late 40's. But they know, when they

look at my app, how old I am. Last year I interviewed for new grad program at a large

hospital and was shocked to see I was the only "older" one in the room, everyone

seemed to be 30 yrs old and younger (30 people). Did not get the job.

Has anyone out there been through a similar situation? I am not a new grad with 90 days

of work in Tele, and I am not a nurse with 1 yr experience, so I am stuck in between a

rock and an impossible place. Even the SNFs here require 1 yr experience! I can't move,

out of the area, due to hubby job. I just need to hear about similar experiences, hopefully

do what you all did, to go get another job at a hospital or somewhere.

Please be kind to reply.

Thank you, and God Bless.

At least there is a paper trail op. Most facilities may let you go without a reason during the probationary period. Please don't take it too personally. Try again:)

[gypsyd8]

I found this because I have less than two weeks left on probation and I am being written up and having my probation extended 60 days. I got one bad eval from one preceptor who put just about every negative thing she could think of on there - wrote a whole page of stuff that was twisted half truths and some just made up. I knew she was going to do it because we just didn't get along. I am now also thinking I may be fired.

Honestly at this point I hope I get hit by a truck on the way to work tonight. I am the primary breadwinner. My family would be better off with the insurance than an old nurse.

I was hoping that you found something. Maybe I could have hope. I can't believe I quit a good reliable job to start at the fancy hospital with fancy training only to have this happen. I wish I had noticed the signs, if there were any.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I found this because I have less than two weeks left on probation and I am being written up and having my probation extended 60 days. I got one bad eval from one preceptor who put just about every negative thing she could think of on there - wrote a whole page of stuff that was twisted half truths and some just made up. I knew she was going to do it because we just didn't get along. I am now also thinking I may be fired.

Honestly at this point I hope I get hit by a truck on the way to work tonight. I am the primary breadwinner. My family would be better off with the insurance than an old nurse.

I was hoping that you found something. Maybe I could have hope. I can't believe I quit a good reliable job to start at the fancy hospital with fancy training only to have this happen. I wish I had noticed the signs, if there were any.

I hope you don't get hit by a truck. Just keep moving along and doing what you are supposed to do. You made it to the end with only 2 weeks left so you can make it for another 60 days. I hope you have a supportive preceptor now. Let us know how it goes.