Have you ever been fired from a nursing job?

Nurses General Nursing

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Just curious to see how many nurses have been fired from nursing jobs? At my place of employment, a new management team is cracking down and firing nurses left and right. 4 nurses since October 1st!!

Brandie

Specializes in Med/surg, telemetry, ICU.

I work in a small community hospital. We belong to a nsg union, and I have not seen a nurse fired since I started here 1.5 yrs ago. I have seen a couple negligent docs being let go, but not RNs. I dislike paying pricey union dues, but I guess they are worth it if they ensure some job security...

I feel for all the nurses who have been unjustly fired in these difficult times. What waste of money for the hospitals... Don't they realize that once the economy picks up they will need more nurses and will spend way more money hiring and training new people?

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Specializes in EC, IMU, LTAC.
Well, my unit is currently doing the "witch hunt," it seems. Meanwhile, they let the worst, laziest, and error prone nurses linger on. I just hope that I'm not going to be one of the "witches!"

I've noticed that too. Can someone please explain to me how that works? I have a couple theories There's one notorious troublemaker who complains to the nurse manager every day and is known to be frivolous, yet she's kept her job. I think that managers are scared that such loud people will cause trouble if they're disciplined if they're fired. For example, someone once told me about how he fired an absolutely useless secretary who hit him with a sexual harassment suit. It was bogus, but lawsuits and accusations will cause a hassle regardless, and other things will be dug up. I certainly wouldn't put it past the notorious troublemaker to make wild accusations and have no qualms over ruining someone's life. Another nurse manager at my old job admitted to me that she was hit with racist accusations, and felt that she had to walk on eggshells and give special privileges because some people will make it a race issue when it's an employee issue. Methinks that these kind of people are grenades that will cause more damage when you throw them.

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Specializes in Psych , Peds ,Nicu.
I work in a small community hospital. We belong to a nsg union, and I have not seen a nurse fired since I started here 1.5 yrs ago. I have seen a couple negligent docs being let go, but not RNs. I dislike paying pricey union dues, but I guess they are worth it if they ensure some job security...

I feel for all the nurses who have been unjustly fired in these difficult times. What waste of money for the hospitals... Don't they realize that once the economy picks up they will need more nurses and will spend way more money hiring and training new people?

Lets be clear here , as some people think that unions make it difficult to fire ' poor " nurses , this problem is usually related to poor management .If management follows the law and their own printed policies the union will not be able to save them . What usually happens is that managemnt feels it can do whatever it likes , tries to shortcut the system and therby gives grounds for , an often sucessful objection to the firing . The union representative is obliged to act upon the grievance of the member , so if there are grounds to appeal , they will .

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I did a short stint in pediatrics while I was waiting to take the NCLEX LPN. They let me go after 6 weeks, because I was "too slow." Since I'd been sent there by a staffing agency, (it was a temp to perm job) they called the agency and told them I was a good nurse, but wasn't fast enough yet and they still gave me a good job reference when I went job hunting. The nursing supervisor told me that it wasn't anything personal, they just needed someone with more experience than I had. Sure I was ****** but realized that I wasn't cut out for pediatrics. Getting fired sucks, but sometimes it can be a good thing in the long run.

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i totally agree with you, i gave demerol stat to a patient who was writhing in pain, the dr was at the patients bedside when he told me to go get it and was right there in the room while i gave it. and, to top it off it was not MY patient! ok, so i didn;t scan it right then! i got busy with own patients and and i forgot all about it. That patients nurse asked me an hour later what i gave her patient!! Never saidd thank you or nothing , she had a real bad attitude toward me, so i told her,,, here is the vial, YOU scan it and I will NEVER help you out again, I find out a later she tells the Director of nursing about it. who knows what she said, but i was taken for a drug test told to stay home, the drug test was negative ofcourse! they fired me anyway for misconduct and i cannot even colllect unemployment, i have appealed and will appeal again.

bottom line is the patient DOES NOT COME FIRST ANYMORE AND I HATE NURSING!! I WILL NEVER HELP ANOTHER NURSE OUT AGAIN!

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yep its usually when your helping out that gets you, let alone if you don't then its said your not a teamplayer, can't win for losing.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

wow, I didn't know you need to know how to be cut throat in nursing! I was " Let Go" 2 wks ago to my dismay. It was completely unexpected. Im a new "green" nurse. I worked 6 months at a facility that i loved, i got along with the other nurses and residents AND the families, Missed 2 days d/t grandaughter being born, she had to have CPR when first born and wasn't doing well the first day or 2. Never late, went in when they needed me and stayed over when needed.

I made 2 med errors early on, but i had made alot of improvement and was picking things up well. The last weekend I worked we were short staffed. 2 aides called off each day,weekends are busy with families and phone calls and general visitors and trying to catch residents that are able to leave before they do to administer meds and tx. And the nurses were told recently to help the aides more or we would be assigned residents for primary care as well as our usual responsibilities, to get to the chase, i went to do one residents tx, the order had been changed the day before on friday, the tx are either on the cart of the hallway that person is on or locked in a cabinet in their bathroom and it wasn't in either place. The nurse supervisor and i both tore the cart up and came to the conclusion that the must not be in yet, I forgot to go back to it and investigate it d/t being so busy, the residents went down to activities so i sat down to document on my residents that day at that time, i documented that the treatment had been done and no changes at this time, I know i shouldn't have done this since it hadn't been done but that was the perfect opportunity to do charting. When they came back we where hit with another wave of family and visitors, and i again forgot to look into it more. Sunday when i came in I had remembered the day before, looked for the tx meds again and hoped that pharmacy had delivered them. I still didn't see them, I went to ask what to do and got pulled into a room by a very demanding family member and spent a good half hr trying to appease them, I forgot the tx in whole that day till was time to document and documented again that no changes at this time and tx tolerated well... I really didnt intend to NOT do the tx on her which was a stage 4 btw, I forgot about it again so when i got a call monday to come in i had know idea what this was about. I go in and the DON and the resto nurse asked me about this and i told them what i told you. Turns out the resto nurse DID the tx on friday and initialed the dressing,Standard practice, but put her tx in the wrong cart altogether! He said i should have at least changed the dressing which i would have but i didnt have an order to substitute the meds used, And I dont take off dressing before i have my supplies together and ready to administer, She was teary eyed as well, She told me i was not eligible for re-hire at this time. What does that mean? Is there a waiting period? Or is she sugar coating things and it is really not at all? I know I am at fault in this matter but in my opinion so is the resto nurse for not putting tx where it belonged. I would have happily done the tx if I had been able to find it to begin with! I would love some input and advice please!

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so sorry that happened to you. If you apply for another job , they will call your old job and tell them they will not re-hire you. Meaning they cannot say you were terminated(fired).

Another reason I hate nursing, yu have to be everything for everybody!!! and the cut throat co-workers will use you as a scapegoat !

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.
wow, I didn't know you need to know how to be cut throat in nursing! I was " Let Go" 2 wks ago to my dismay. It was completely unexpected. Im a new "green" nurse. I worked 6 months at a facility that i loved, i got along with the other nurses and residents AND the families, Missed 2 days d/t grandaughter being born, she had to have CPR when first born and wasn't doing well the first day or 2. Never late, went in when they needed me and stayed over when needed.

I made 2 med errors early on, but i had made alot of improvement and was picking things up well. The last weekend I worked we were short staffed. 2 aides called off each day,weekends are busy with families and phone calls and general visitors and trying to catch residents that are able to leave before they do to administer meds and tx. And the nurses were told recently to help the aides more or we would be assigned residents for primary care as well as our usual responsibilities, to get to the chase, i went to do one residents tx, the order had been changed the day before on friday, the tx are either on the cart of the hallway that person is on or locked in a cabinet in their bathroom and it wasn't in either place. The nurse supervisor and i both tore the cart up and came to the conclusion that the must not be in yet, I forgot to go back to it and investigate it d/t being so busy, the residents went down to activities so i sat down to document on my residents that day at that time, i documented that the treatment had been done and no changes at this time, I know i shouldn't have done this since it hadn't been done but that was the perfect opportunity to do charting. When they came back we where hit with another wave of family and visitors, and i again forgot to look into it more. Sunday when i came in I had remembered the day before, looked for the tx meds again and hoped that pharmacy had delivered them. I still didn't see them, I went to ask what to do and got pulled into a room by a very demanding family member and spent a good half hr trying to appease them, I forgot the tx in whole that day till was time to document and documented again that no changes at this time and tx tolerated well... I really didnt intend to NOT do the tx on her which was a stage 4 btw, I forgot about it again so when i got a call monday to come in i had know idea what this was about. I go in and the DON and the resto nurse asked me about this and i told them what i told you. Turns out the resto nurse DID the tx on friday and initialed the dressing,Standard practice, but put her tx in the wrong cart altogether! He said i should have at least changed the dressing which i would have but i didnt have an order to substitute the meds used, And I dont take off dressing before i have my supplies together and ready to administer, She was teary eyed as well, She told me i was not eligible for re-hire at this time. What does that mean? Is there a waiting period? Or is she sugar coating things and it is really not at all? I know I am at fault in this matter but in my opinion so is the resto nurse for not putting tx where it belonged. I would have happily done the tx if I had been able to find it to begin with! I would love some input and advice please!

I would have got an order for a 'substitute' dressing (something you have in stock) until the original could be found or re-ordered. I would never ever sign something I didn't do or leave a stage IV decub dressing that was ordered for daily changes. When in doubt call your DON, that's what they're there for. Something to learn from I don't know that it constitutes being fired for but in this day and age employers can be picky. GL to you.

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i am a nursing student so i have never been fired from a nursing positon but my mom has. she had been at her job for close to 10 years and was loved by mostly everyone. my mom's friend (who also worked at the hospital) was pregnant at the time with twins and could not fit into any of her scrubs so she took some large ones from the hospital (not uncommon,everyone used the hospital's scrubs) and was fired for it. my mom spoke up at a meeting about how ridiculous it was and that everyone wore the hospitals scrubs and called the adminstrator a "ding dong" and for that, was fired as well. she was heartbroken because she was standing up for her friend but i don't think she should have been name calling.even though the name was hardly insulting. many people cried when my mom was fired and thought it was unfair but my mom says she doesn't regret speaking up because everyone in the meeting knew her friend wasn't in the wrong..that everyone took the hospital scrubs..but no one else would say anything.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

I never thought about a substitute order for dressing. But neither did the unit manager! She is a new RN, still learning too.

I have been thinking about this alot, making mental notes on what to do in the future and how to handle things better. Thanks for your suggestion!

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