Poll: How many of you have been fired from nursing jobs?

[weetziebat]

I can't believe this. I've been working at this awful job now just short of three months. The State is expected any day now, and no kidding, they will be shut down in five minutes flat. The place has been without nurses for six months, can't keep the nurses it does get, and the only reason I've stayed so long is because I didn't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire, so been looking carefully for a 'good' nursing job.

Guess the problem started because I was in administration. Not a good place for me, especially in a for-profit environment. All they care about is the money, and all I cared about was the patients.

The caregivers as well as nurses got NO orientation, no inservices and had to pick up skills such as taking blood pressures (manual machines) from other caregivers. Who also did not know how to do it, but afraid to say so.

But they won't say anything. I'm not like that. I was supposed to be admin. and I thought they needed to know, and do something about, all the deficiencies.

I tried to do my best in a department that would need to stop the clock and then spend about a year getting it all up to snuff before starting anew. I was overwhelmed, frightened for my license, and determined that things be set right. I was also all for the caregivers.

So, today, just before quitting time, I get called into the office. It is the end of my three month probationary period, and they decided it was just 'not a good fit, and here's your final paycheck'. Well, I told them in no uncertain terms that 'fit' had nothing to do with it.

And went into detail about all the administrators (none of whom have a nursing degree) making the nursing decisions, while ignoring, backstabbing, or going around the nurses. For example, a recent very serious med error was made by a part time, but 'favored' nurse. No incident report, no investigation and not one word about how did I feel about what should be done.

I am seriously happy to be out of there, and was actually going to give my notice in on Monday, after getting some details ironed out about my new job offer, but it still hurts to know you are a dang good nurse, but if you don't play 'the game' with the corporation, you are put down as a bad fit.How dare I be fired?!?!

I am seriously pissed! :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire Thanks for letting me rant and rave.

[Simplepleasures]

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, LPN]

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, RN]

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, LPN]

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.