Fired from longtime job, too much LOA r/t cancer, deaths in family. Not Fair.....

The abusive spouse is an excellent analogy. I have thought as much myself. In my entire life I have never been abused by anyone or anything like I have been abused by nursing administration. If you talked to some of my previous employers they would tell you I was a problem employee. What was my problem? Is it conflict with other employees, or serious laspes in judgement in the area of patient care or med errors or did someone die in my care or suffer serious injury? No to all of the previous suggestions! My sin is that I protest nurse abuse. Their reaction to complaints about 10 to 1(or God help me even 12 to 1) nurse to patient ratio is "How dare you, you are disorganized, you are not a team player, you are chronic complainer, get out!"

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Then I was diagnosed with cancer at Christmas-time last year. I started treatment, had surgery, and when I called my boss to tell her I would need some time off. She asked why, and I started to cry, saying "I have cancer". Her response? "There's no reason for you to return. You're fired". Click. I can't tell you how upset her careless response made me feel.

I gave 110% to that employer, worked extra, came in when they were short, helped institute a new type of "rapid response" team with the physicians, tried to help everyone despite the toxic environment caused by other shift nurses who refused to do their work. Refused to do admits that came in 4 hours before shift change!!! Refused to do orders after doctor's rounds...left them for next shift. Ridiculous. When this new DON came strolling in...I was targeted. I worked harder with a painful disability than some of the nurses there (I don't want to sound like a snob, but hey, we all know when other's aren't pulling their weight). I wasn't the only one let go either.

A nurse in her late 60's had a MI at work, was sent to ER and admitted. She was written up for attendance!!!! "Leaving work before end of shift". I'm not kidding. A few weeks later, her very ill husband on hospice passed away. She came back to work really fast, but it wasn't until later that I found out it was because the DON told her she'd be fired if she took more than three days off, and to bring in a copy of the death certificate as proof of death!!!! She was so ill sometimes at work, but needed the insurance desperately. She was a very kind nurse, and was a good worker before she got sick. She was let go not long after me. Fired for "excessive absenteeism".
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I disagree, I know people in other profession like teaching that suffered terrible health problems and were treated very well. Matter of fact, most the time they are treated very well. Occasionally I have heard horror stories of a school board that mistreated a teacher with a health problem but it is rare. In nursing the opposite is true, you are much more likely in nursing to be shafted than in any other job that calls itself a profession. There is a deep well of nastiness in healthcare administration that may pop out anytime. I truely would not recommend the profession to anyone. I have offered encouragement to people that felt they had a calling and were determined to become a nurse because I don't like raining on anyones parade. But I refuse to beat the drum and try to recruit anyone into the profession.

I hate nursing. I just found out that a lady I know in town was fired from her longtime job at one of our nursing homes. She and I got out of nursing school around the same time, she's in her early 60s now. She was a resident care coordinator for a long time, and I heard great things about her through the grapevine. She has gone through a couple of bouts with breast cancer, and of course needed time off for that. Then, last April her adult son was killed in an industrial accident. She was naturally devastated and needed a LOA. She now had only one living child out of 3.

I found out today that she was fired after this last LOA because she had missed too much work. I hate nursing. We are expected to give our last ounce of blood, and who takes care of us? No one.

I hate nursing. I just found out that a lady I know in town was fired from her longtime job at one of our nursing homes. She and I got out of nursing school around the same time, she's in her early 60s now. She was a resident care coordinator for a long time, and I heard great things about her through the grapevine. She has gone through a couple of bouts with breast cancer, and of course needed time off for that. Then, last April her adult son was killed in an industrial accident. She was naturally devastated and needed a LOA. She now had only one living child out of 3.

I found out today that she was fired after this last LOA because she had missed too much work. I hate nursing. We are expected to give our last ounce of blood, and who takes care of us? No one.

I have offered encouragement to people that felt they had a calling and were determined to become a nurse because I don't like raining on anyones parade. But I refuse to beat the drum and try to recruit anyone into the profession.