final warning

[srercg6]

anyone ever have a position, and feel like your doing great, and things are moving along smoothly, and then you hit a glitch, and all of a sudden your managers start bringing up things that you were lead to believe were not problems, but now all of a sudden its like they've been part of your record and they use it to give that one thing more clout.

I had some minor stupid things - not mistakes, not anything to do with anything I did -but my name was mentioned, and it was mainly gossip, and a manager creating more out of weird thing a patient with behavior issues said - nothing I did wrong.

However, this manager/s are making these things issues now to lend more clout to something that happened more recently that I am accused of - that would have been very wrong if I had done what this patient said I did - but I absolutely did not. However, they are siding with the patient and embellishing upon these oddball things to say they were actually "hints" that I may not be a good fit all along. They are doing this to allow this one thing more clout, and so it can be fast tracked past initial warnings to a final warning.

It feels really dishonest to me. I really love this job, and really loved the people I worked for. I can't afford to leave this job, and I really don't want to, BUT 1- sounds like they are going to let me go soon anyway which I don't want on my resume and 2 - I really don't trust the management there now after hearing this manager flat out lie about the facts in the other two things. That or the mgr has fallen prey to gossip that they all laugh about in their offices - either way - that's not a comfortable place to be working with that going on.

So, I'm off to update my resume. grrrrr. Not happy about this at all. There needs to be more in place to protect nurses from this kind of immature crap. :)

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

From my personal experience, in such situation there is only one thing that has to be done: immediate resign and medical leave for any time that remains. Doing so doesn't change anything in terms of "being eligible for rehire" or not, but it ties the hands of management for the time being.

Check PM!

[klone, MSN, RN]

Are you union? What policy does your facility have in place for discipline? Many places have a "progressive discipline" policy in place wherein they can't do C before they do B or A (meaning, that other stuff that you didn't know about should have been part of an informal coaching before it was brought to a written reprimand or whatever you received).

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I've seen that happen a lot on my unit. I can name at least five people off the top of my head that I know have been forced out because they weren't liked. It's usually new grads who had the unfortunate combination of not being the quickest learners and having a preceptor that wasn't in the "in crowd" at my job. There is no protection because there is no proof. Management can find the flimsiest things to write you up over - and there is no way to prove that you're getting written up for things other people aren't, because the other people doing the same things who aren't getting written up don't have documentation of them performing those actions. It sucks.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

If they have started a paper trail, you need to find a new job, post haste. If you don't think you'll last after you resign, do what KatieMI said and take medical leave. It might very well keep you off the do not hire list.

Best of luck

[caliotter3]

Surprising that they are giving you a heads up about the handwriting on the wall. Many employers completely blindside someone when they get rid of them. You have the right idea to brush up the resume and start the search. Good luck with finding a better situation.

[TriciaJ, RN]

I've seen that happen a lot on my unit. I can name at least five people off the top of my head that I know have been forced out because they weren't liked. It's usually new grads who had the unfortunate combination of not being the quickest learners and having a preceptor that wasn't in the "in crowd" at my job. There is no protection because there is no proof. Management can find the flimsiest things to write you up over - and there is no way to prove that you're getting written up for things other people aren't, because the other people doing the same things who aren't getting written up don't have documentation of them performing those actions. It sucks.

Running people off and then having to replace them must get expensive. You'd think by now the bean counters in your hospital would have a talk with your unit management about the high cost of turnover.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I've seen that happen a lot on my unit. I can name at least five people off the top of my head that I know have been forced out because they weren't liked. It's usually new grads who had the unfortunate combination of not being the quickest learners and having a preceptor that wasn't in the "in crowd" at my job.

If they were still in their probationary period, then often time that is the ONLY time someone can be let go without out significant documentation. If there is an inkling that a nurse is not going to work out, it's often the best choice to let them go.

And I think social issues is nearly as valid a reason as performance issues. If a nurse doesn't fit with the culture of a unit, it's going to interfere with teamwork and unit morale.

[srercg6]

that's just it - they do have a progressive discipline - however, they are using these two items that weren't really problems, or anything I got in trouble for - I just happened to be involved - but not "problems" of any kind - the one manager is using them to say they are "hints" and in our policy it gives them the option to skip A and B and go directly to C if they choose to....but its really shady.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Resign gracefully. Then run....

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

And I think social issues is nearly as valid a reason as performance issues. If a nurse doesn't fit with the culture of a unit, it's going to interfere with teamwork and unit morale.

And if a nurse thus unceremoniusly discarded like trash just for "not fitting" and "social issues" will spread the news about her mistreatment wide enough and far enough, then your unit, and eventually, your facility's business, will suffer.

I can imagine "social issues" like laziness, gossiping or anger/stress management problems being reasonable basis for termination. But when an otherwise good nurse is terminated for being not a cookie-cutter type or for not "fitting" with old gals clique, this is just plain wrong. And I guess you know it. And yes, doing so can bring up unsavory sequlae, very much long term.

[nutella, MSN, RN]

Oh man - yeah, I wish I knew back years ago what I know now.

I am older now, less reactive and my personal situation is much better.

But there was a time when I was younger, very stressed out in general because of my child having several chronic illness problems, intermittent family leave so they could not fire me for staying at home when she was not doing well. I was also very direct and blunt in a way. I did not talk much about my personal situation at work - few people knew about the problems I was facing with my child at home.

The manager was not ok with me speaking up about how work was going there. Apparently, she wrote all kind of stuff about me in my files that I was not aware of. Yes, she had said that she did not appreciate that I would point our problems in that kind of direct blunt way. But it was not like she had written me up or she had told me it was not ok. She made it sound that she was ok with me "venting". A year later, I had to appear and talk to upper nursing management because somebody had complained.

I was speechless to begin with and I got scolded for all kind of things and the manager's report came up and was used to tell me that I had an "ongoing "problem and they wrote me up. So I started to look for a new job right away and waited to give exactly 2 weeks notice.