The long term effects of being fired

Nurses General Nursing

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I have been fired once in my career. And it really hurt me in alot of ways. It has been some months, since the occurence, but I still get sad. Anyone else, with some long term effects of being fired???:crying2:

Specializes in med/surg.
Thank you to Poochie for this post. I lost my job 33 days ago and am still crushed. I'm trying to talk myself into applying for jobs this week. I'm really nervous about it, I'm afraid that during every interview they will ask me why I left my last job, find out I was terminated and I will never get another nursing job. I never harmed a patient, probably helped more than anything but it is all policital BS. Sometimes I wonder if the DON just likes to take a nurse and make an example out of them with ocassional firings. I also hope that every superior that fires a somebody without GOOD reason gets to feel what it is like for themselves at some point. Especially considering all the rude, unprofessional comments they feel it is necessary to make during that horrible discussion.

I feel for all of you that have been through this. RedZepplin, what you went through, unbelievable!!! I hope you heal completely from your terrible ordeal.

Phoebebrat:

Thanks to everyone for sharing their feelings. I was beginning to wonder why I was taking this situation unusually hard. I see that now I am probably reacting in a normal fashion. It is truly very difficult being a nurse.

Thank you for your kindness in reaching out to me. It scares me that this is the norm. Also I am afraid of what they are going to do tome at court. I don't understand that because I did not agree to release the lawyer from the suit, I have to pay all this money to the defendant. Not that they will tell me why. And not that I can pay it. We as nurses, most of us, all we want to do is heal. But we are often destroyed by the

corporations for our efforts.

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Specializes in med/surg.
Thank you to Poochie for this post. I lost my job 33 days ago and am still crushed. I'm trying to talk myself into applying for jobs this week. I'm really nervous about it, I'm afraid that during every interview they will ask me why I left my last job, find out I was terminated and I will never get another nursing job. I never harmed a patient, probably helped more than anything but it is all policital BS. Sometimes I wonder if the DON just likes to take a nurse and make an example out of them with ocassional firings. I also hope that every superior that fires a somebody without GOOD reason gets to feel what it is like for themselves at some point. Especially considering all the rude, unprofessional comments they feel it is necessary to make during that horrible discussion.

I feel for all of you that have been through this. RedZepplin, what you went through, unbelievable!!! I hope you heal completely from your terrible ordeal.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their feelings. I was beginning to wonder why I was taking this situation unusually hard. I see that now I am probably reacting in a normal fashion. It is truly very difficult being a nurse.

Thank you, my dear. It seems the more it's talked about, the alive it keeps it. I just don't know. I am just not myself right now but trying hard to keep it together. My thoughts are with you guys too.

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Yes, especially if they lied or added their own twist to the "issue."

My last job just burns me up because of how she described things when basically it was pretty obvious that I was fed up and said it the way it was. Instead of tarnishing me, we could have come to an agreement that it was time to go.

I asked her if she wanted me to leave before it came to that. I didn't care. I made it clear that if she wanted that I would do it. If she didn't want to work with me and my concerns I wouldn't waste my time. Instead I got tarnished by retaliation. We went from that clear understanding to the agreement that I would work with EAP over my frustrations. Talked to EAP once and WHAM. I basically was at my wits end with the BS and ready to go. Needed to go. But I told her that I would. She never said I think it would be best - nothing. She was probably floored with that and came across as fake in wanting to work with me or something. It's funny how when you stand up the the boss about the truth how they decide to describe it as insubordination. Unemployment investigated it and said it was NOT.

It hurts for a long time. What hurts is why they lied or why they put their own twist on it to slander you. I don't think it is fair because we can't do that to them but we all know they have plenty to be reported on. It is not fair.

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Specializes in med/surg.
At my last job i made the choice to leave. About 3 months before i was to graduate nursing school i was pulled into the managers office for my "evaluation". Mind you this person had only been my manager for about 2 months and had been a nurse that i have previously worked with. She promptly told me that i was a terrible aide, that the nurses hated working with me, and that i would not be welcome on that floor as a nurse, or any where else in the building. She then told me about all the complaints that had been made against me. I will admit that i walked out crushed and waited till i got out to my car to break down and cry. I had always felt that i did a good job, and that i interacted well with my peers and patients. It wasnt until i left with my tail between my knees and found another job that i really began to think. 1. If my co-workers had hated me that much, where were all the supposed write ups/complaints, i had never seen nor signed them. 2. If i had that many complaints from my patients, why wasnt i given the warnings to shape up or be shipped out. 3. And the most important, of the almost 7 years i worked there, 5 out of 6 evaluations had been excellent, hers was the only poor one. It has taken me almost a year to come to terms with the hurt and the massive blow to my self esteem that this caused, but i am now finally seeing things for what they were, sour grapes for only God knows what reason.

Obviously, business as usual.

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Specializes in med/surg.
RedZeppelinRN, that was alot you were subjected to you, for doing the right thing, at a cost that affected you, in many of ways. But, I commend you. Just imagine, the power nurses would have, to make nursing what it is supposed to be, if every single nurse, could feel free to wholly advocate for patients. We could enforce staffing ratio laws, we could affect healthcare in so may ways. I like your, fight mentality, at least, you fought for what is right. The way you were treated and labeled, is not your fault, or a reflection of you, but, shows the sickness nursing itself suffers. Keep your head up, good always wins out, in the end.

With the heart and courage you have displayed, maybe all that you have been through signals, that you should be in a job position, to advocate for change and patients rights. I would have you as my nurse, any day.

Yours is such a very uplifting post. I am doing all I can to keep my head up, even though I am being charged for things I don't understand. What you say makes so much sense, I am going to hold on to what you say, "good always wins out." Thank you for that. I would be very privileged if I was your nurse.

Red

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.

this is painful and really pulls the rug out from you emotionally. i have always been a "top performer" so being "allowed to resign" after a year of stupid crap was a real blow.

i cried, slept, and felt like a worthless person for a couple of weeks, finally started seeing a counselor (christian, for me) who listened and helped me resstructure my day and plan for the future.:urgycld:

have an incredible job now, with supportive coworkers and bosses, in a small christian organization that walks the walk! last october, i was ready to find a hole to crawl into, now i love life. stay strong, and remember, it really is not about you, its about them!!! this too shall pass...:redpinkhe

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Psych.

They have to be incredibly nasty and get all their digs in when firing you to prove to themselves that it is deserved, when they know they either set you up or or didn't support you in addressing supposed shortcomings.

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it's not only a loss of a job when you're fired:

it's also a major loss in one's faith of mankind.

not only do you sit there, wondering "what the hell just happened here?"

but it's even more gut-wrenching to experience the evil of those involved in firing you.

merely another day in the life of satan.

yet for those who do right, are those who remain crippled by the devastating effects of foul, stinking play.

seldom is it ever a matter of dusting yourself off and moving on.

when you are fired for acts of beneficence, you've been kicked in such a way that sets you back in more ways than one.

it seems that our pts and their advocates, are the ones suffering unduly.

i still struggle with man being so evil and destructive.

it truly blows my mind.

leslie

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.
it's not only a loss of a job when you're fired:

it's also a major loss in one's faith of mankind.

not only do you sit there, wondering "what the hell just happened here?"

but it's even more gut-wrenching to experience the evil of those involved in firing you.

merely another day in the life of satan.

yet for those who do right, are those who remain crippled by the devastating effects of foul, stinking play.

seldom is it ever a matter of dusting yourself off and moving on.

when you are fired for acts of beneficence, you've been kicked in such a way that sets you back in more ways than one

it seems that our pts and their advocates, are the ones suffering unduly.

i still struggle with man being so evil and destructive.

it truly blows my mind.

leslie

as usual, leslie, you put it perfectly! if you are a person who strives to be "good" (as much as we all fall short) it is confusing and heartbreaking to be the victim of this kind of attack. the physical violence i experienced once was less painful than this brutalizing of a spirit. i started to believe in my own worthlessness for awhile. i pray to god that i have never inflicted this injury:heartbeat to another human being.

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as usual, leslie, you put it perfectly! if you are a person who strives to be "good" (as much as we all fall short) it is confusing and heartbreaking to be the victim of this kind of attack.

it really is, blueridge...

for those of us who tried to do good, the repercussions can nearly destroy you.

for a long time, i questioned whether i would ever do the same thing again (standing up for my pts)...

there wasn't any answer readily available...

for if you were serving the desires of your god, the answer was plain to see.

yet knowing that you would likely lose your job/livelihood, combined w/devastating emotional wounds...

well, it takes time to replenish.

interestingly, i did experience other situations that put my job on the line.

and w/o any type of premeditation, i reacted spontaneously and righteously.

but this time, i reminded admin, that any sort of retaliation would be just that, and i'd take them on.

ballsy?

definitely.

but once again, i felt that adrenaline rush that i thought had been permanently squashed...

and realized that i won't let those bastards win.

anyway, my point being, that these types of terminations can and do cause long-standing damage.

and only those involved, can determine how to handle it in the future.

never say never.

that, i did learn.

leslie

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Specializes in med/surg.
as usual, leslie, you put it perfectly! if you are a person who strives to be "good" (as much as we all fall short) it is confusing and heartbreaking to be the victim of this kind of attack. the physical violence i experienced once was less painful than this brutalizing of a spirit. i started to believe in my own worthlessness for awhile. i pray to god that i have never inflicted this injury:heartbeat to another human being.

leslie:

your feelings are mine. it has always bothered me since these things have happened and the scars are really deep. i will never practice nursing again and will not renew my license this year. i think it leaves us with strange ambivalent feelings such as i feel crummy when i think about this side of mankind, but there is nothing in any of us that wants to be like them survive.

red

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I think it leaves us with strange ambivalent feelings such as I feel crummy when I think about this side of mankind, but there is nothing in any of us that wants to be like them survive.

Red

i understand.

admittedly, i've lost a huge chunk of my 'passion' and too often, contemplate another career.

what direction are you headed in now?

leslie

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