Got fired... again. Should I not be a nurse?

Nurses General Nursing

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Yesterday I was termed from my job at a LTC facility (technically I "resigned"). I had only worked there a couple of months. I understood their reasoning for letting me go. Due to low census they sent home the nurse who was working the other end of my hall and so I then had 70+ residents to take care of (something I'd never done). On top of that I had an admit (never had done that either). I got confused b/c I thought one of the nurses from a different hall (there are 2 on that hall) would be coming up to cover the other half of mine, which turned out not to be the case. Anywho, so when it was all over and done with some people ended up getting their meds too late and some didn't get them at all. The nurse that had been sent home had already signed out the meds but hadn't given them. Apparently they were in little cups somewhere in the cart but I don't remember her showing me where. I tried to get some help from the other nurses but they were busy with their own stuff and I wasn't sure whether one of them was coming to help. I called my ADON, got her voicemail, and got a call back 1.5 hrs later telling me to do my best. I was quite overwhelmed by the end of the shift and may not have been thinking clearly. :confused:

I also got termed from an L&D floor at the end of my orientation b/c they said I wasn't learning the ropes fast enough and they could no longer make an investment in me. I was also in grad-school full-time while working there.

I also got asked to leave a nurse-midwifery program I went into right after nursing school b/c of professional issues. They said I should work as an L&D nurse for a while and try again (really easy in this economy, right?)

I originally went to nursing school b/c I wanted to go to midwifery school and I found I like being an RN and am proud to be a nurse. I'm very passionate about women's health and helping women have the births they want safely. I did quite well in midwifery school in terms of my clinical skills.

After dumping all my dirty laundry on you guys I'd like some feedback. Is it possible to be so passionate about something and just be bad at it? Are there any recommendations for me? I have started applying for jobs and am willing to move anywhere. My dad asked me last night whether I should think about something other than nursing since that doesn't seem to be my forte.

I am very confused and my self-esteem is pretty low so any advice would be greatly appreciated. :(

" forget med-surg, it is not relevant. Yeah, it's good experience but it's not what you want to do and you can learn the same skills elsewhere"

Told you someone would disagree. People that disagree with this statement generally don't have med/surg experience and don't know what they are missing. It IS relevant, esp if she lost a job because she wasn't catching on quickly enough.

I actually do have MS experience. I just don't think it is all that foundational. It's not a bad thing but it's not really necessary, either. It really depends on what type of nursing one wants to do. I think it should be required before going to Psych, for instance.

I'm not sure how it would help the OP to catch on any quicker.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

You need to take a step back. You need to get way far away from long term care. It is ALWAYS a bad idea. And an unsafe place for a new nurse to be. In addition, it is my STRONG recommendation that a new nurse get a minimum of at least 5 years of working experience under his/her belt before going off to graduate school. First of all, nursing school does not even come close to preparing you for what you need to know to start your first job. You can't concentrate on grad school and hospital orientation at the same time. You had the perfect job there in the area where you had your greatest interest. You should make that your focus again and get back out there and get a job in the area where you want to work. After a while, go back to school, after you have mastered being a nurse for a while. You have a lot of years ahead of you. One thing at a time. Nursing is hard. Gotta learn the ropes first. Best of luck to you.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Pedi/Tele.

I don't think you should give up if your pationate about the profession you will find your niche. I do believe the LTC facility was 100% at fault on this one and wouldn't take the blame for what you went through.

I'm sure you'll find something that fits for you and you'll be great.

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Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).
I actually do have MS experience. I just don't think it is all that foundational. It's not a bad thing but it's not really necessary, either. It really depends on what type of nursing one wants to do. I think it should be required before going to Psych, for instance.

I'm not sure how it would help the OP to catch on any quicker.

I don't think it would help the OP catch on quicker, but it seems to me that going into a specialty like L&D, it would be good to already have your fundamentals down, so they could concentrate on teaching you the more specialized skills. ICU might not be the place to learn to start IVs. Of course, more and more nurses are starting out in specialties, and I've known classmates who've done fine right out of school. But I've also known a couple who struggled a bit and went to med/surg, and it seemed to help them. It's nothing to do with "paying dues" to me, I just think it's a chance to learn the general skills before learning the special skills. And it isn't a law, it's just a suggestion.

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Sarah K, RN: I am interested to hear how you are doing these days. :) Your situation sounds just like mine. Except the LTC position is the one where I started out and still kept. I want to hear that you will now be posting in the "Success Stories" forum after you have gotten through all of this. For good or bad, I'd like to know what you have decided.

I don't want to repost everything that I have written previously, but you can find me under my post "New grad fired 2x- now what?"

Times are tough in this economy and I am still looking for another job. Some days I just don't have it in me to look.

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Hey everyone! I thought I'd update you on how I am seeing as how you all gave me such good advice!! I'm working on an L&D floor in a small hospital that's part of a big system. My co-workers and my manager are very supportive and I've learned a lot. They sent me to all sorts of classes when I started and my orientation was very thorough. I really felt like they wanted me to succeed. I've gotten very good reviews and really like my job! You all gave such great advice and I did contact the Health dept re: my old work. They did an investigation and said that all the stuff I told them was true so I felt a lot better. :)

I see a bright future and am working on improving everyday and being an awesome nurse! :yeah:

-Sarah K

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Wonderful news, Sarah K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in FNP.

oops, learn to check dates and read all the way through before posting, lol. Basically, I just said hang in there. I see your situation had a happy outcome, so my post is moot. Congratulations and good luck in the future!

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

Setting up the meds, signing for them, but expecting you to give is a lot of nerve. Dealing with 70 patients is insane, but unfortunately, that is the experience of most LTC nurses...these facilities almost force them to treat patients like a meat market rather than human beings.

At this stage of the game, at least you know what you don't want to put up with...now, maybe with this experience, you'll be able to make better assessments of the places that you are interviewed for.

This is one of the major frustrations of nursing...so many disgusting situations to have to put up with, and if you don't play the game, you are targeted. Maybe Public Health Nursing is the better deal for you. I think what bothers me the most is that many of the reasons that you are no longer at these previous positions are why most nurses are running as FAR from the bedside that they can go, where they are needed the most.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Sarah K,

Awesome follow-up. Congrats.

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I then had 70+ residents to take care of (something I'd never done).

Low census?, what would they consider understaffed?, I could do no better than you did.

lucky for you, someone posted an image of this nightmare on the internet.

comaimage1.gif

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