What can get you fired??

Nurses Professionalism

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Hi everyone,

I'm a nursing student and would like to ask the nurses here, the "hospital policy".

I'm doing a poster board for the class and came up with just a few. I'd really appreciate all your inputs.

-documentation error

-not storing needles in sharp container box

-medication mix up

Thanks so much!

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for all of your great inputs. Thank you, Thank you!!

If a healthcare facility wants to get rid of you...any excuse will do whether it's true or not.

You can nit-pick charting, call outs, and a lot of other normally mundane things and use that over time to form a case to get rid of someone.

Specializes in LTC, Memory loss, PDN.

"Is there life after getting fired in nursing?"

Fortunately the old saying, "one man's junk is another man's treasure" holds true. I've only been fired once (and ended up coming out way ahead), but I've

worked with many nurses who'd been dismissed from various places. Most of them were not only excellent, but glad they were no longer at the old place of employment.

I wish I could assure you otherwise, but it's unbelievable how much nurses still eat their young (or their own; it's not limited to new grads). I'm one of those who got canned (actually, forced to resign) in her very first job out of nursing - and can't really tell you why. I think the manager simply didn't like me, or I didn't fit in with the "clique". The only feedback I ever got was that I was "too meticulous" (read: "Too slow"; never mind I was a brand new grad who took the time to read up on unfamiliar new meds before giving them). I wasn't dumb (BSN, magna cum laude), but maybe she hated me for that. Who will ever know.... (I was immediately hired in another hospital, so it wasn't career ending - but you can imagine what this will do to your professional, still very shaky new grad confidence).

I often wonder why it's so easy to get fired in nursing. Your knowledge, skills and ability may not have anything to do with it; in fact, they can be the problem, if other nurses feel threatened by you. There is a horrible henhouse mentality - the overwhelming majority of nurses are female (well over 90%), as are most managers. You may not "fit in" for being too young/old/pretty/homely/obese/thin/intelligent/dumb/average... you name it. Not "polishing the apple" (aka brown nosing, a$$ kissing) is also a major problem in nursing (and yes, mine; I just don't do this, and have paid dearly for it. But I have to be true to myself.)

Once they decide to get rid of you, it's very easy to find grounds because so much in nursing is subjective. One nurse I know was told by her supervisor that "I have a feeling that you're not safe"; she was also a new grad, and forced to resign. Another was told that "you seem to have problems with critical thinking". In either case, no examples were given when asked, and neither nurse had ever received any disciplinary actions or "write ups". So what do you do about a feeling or opinion?!

That said, please don't let it discourage you. Just keep in mind you need to be vigilant, stay under the radar, be enthusiastic (but not too much), ask questions (but not too many), compliment the boss, do all you can to get along with your coworkers.... it also helps to have connections. And - of yes, skills and knowledge (but keep some of that to yourself.)

I wish you luck.

DeLana

P.S. A good way to have a much easier time in nursing: Be male. No kidding - my husband, an ICU nurse, has had very few problems. But he has seen most of his female colleagues having to deal with it....

Ha thank you for the responce :). THis post has been really good reading for me, because if I should ever be fired I will know that it doesn't necesarily mean I'm the worst nurse ever.

But I will say - I have noticed that, as a male - in a sea full of women it IS a lot easier for me to stay drama free and out of the line of fire. I work as a vet tech right now where I am the only male on staff. Two of the females are pregnant, and everyone is on the same monthly frequency I'm sure. It's weird, because I see the hen house mentality sometimes, and I see the drama sometimes, but everyone seems pretty content keeping me neutral.

I'm sure the same is true in reverse... a room full of men with a single female (believe me, there is drama in a room full of men as much as men don't like to admit our drama).

Specializes in ER.

I got fired for taping the ER doc's on call room door shut in the middle of the night. I even taped some scissors to the door for his conveinence, so I don't know what the big problem was. He would have gotten out.

(True story, and no, the door wasn't stuck. Myself, and about five other people near peed ourselves doing it, but I was the one who got caught.) I used to get called into the office about once a week when I worked there- they really needed to unclench a little.

Specializes in ER.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

Just about anything can get you fired. It depends a lot on what the issue is and the type of manager that you have. And it also depends on hospital policy and the board rules for your state. Certain errors might not get you fired right away but most managers look for repeat patterns over time.

I have terminated employees on the spot for the following:

1. Giving medication to a patient without a doctors order and resulting in harm to the patient.

2. Failing to properly restrain a combative patient, getting in an altercation with the patient and breaking her arm.

I have immediately suspended employees for :

1. Being intoxicated on the job. Some facilities fire people at once for this. We chose to suspend and investigate and refer the employee for intervention and treatment, depending on the circumstances.

2. Acting out in a patient care area (throwing charts, cursing). This particular employee was bipolar and off her medication. I gave her two weeks off, she got back on her meds and she was fine).

3. Fighting in the workplace.

4. Leaving the hospital, the assignment, without notifying the charge nurse.

5. Placing a patient in harm. Pending investigation.

6. Smoking pot in the restroom.

7. Having sex in the stairwell while on duty.

It goes on and on.

Specializes in ER.

Diane- when they were in the stairwell, were they on a break? Inquiring minds want to know.

Specializes in Emergency Department, House Supervisor.

Leaving the siderails down...and a patient gets hurt. Or, if you are targeted, anything that can be blamed on you. Or, certain disabilities that prevent you from performing your usual and customary duties...happened to me.

Specializes in drug seekers and the incurably insane..

Where I work at it is rare to see someone fired for job performance issues....it is usually politics that does a nurse in. That's why I preach to all those whom work in healthcare to be constantly vigilant of others who will or have the potential to throw you under the bus. Some of us become too trusting of others too quickly, and the consequences can be disastrous.

Specializes in Case Manager.
Just about anything can get you fired. It depends a lot on what the issue is and the type of manager that you have. And it also depends on hospital policy and the board rules for your state. Certain errors might not get you fired right away but most managers look for repeat patterns over time.

I have terminated employees on the spot for the following:

1. Giving medication to a patient without a doctors order and resulting in harm to the patient.

2. Failing to properly restrain a combative patient, getting in an altercation with the patient and breaking her arm.

I have immediately suspended employees for :

1. Being intoxicated on the job. Some facilities fire people at once for this. We chose to suspend and investigate and refer the employee for intervention and treatment, depending on the circumstances.

2. Acting out in a patient care area (throwing charts, cursing). This particular employee was bipolar and off her medication. I gave her two weeks off, she got back on her meds and she was fine).

3. Fighting in the workplace.

4. Leaving the hospital, the assignment, without notifying the charge nurse.

5. Placing a patient in harm. Pending investigation.

6. Smoking pot in the restroom.

7. Having sex in the stairwell while on duty.

It goes on and on.

These are all applicable reasons which I wholeheartedly agree with. I don't agree with "just because the manager doesn't like you, they're gonna nit pick and find a very small reason to fire you."

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

No they were not on break when they were in the stairwell. Once, someone was actually in there with a hooker. If you want to have sex on your break I don't care. Just go out to your car.

You just cannot imagine some of the stuff that goes on in hospitals. It really provides a lot of fun, interesting stories. The human condition and the reasons that we do what we do and make the decisions that we make is just fascinating to me. People are so interesting.

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