Got fired in Jan... Haven't been able to find another job.

[Spikey9001]

Until recently, I worked in NJ at one of the worst nursing homes in the state. I only accepted this job because the hospital I worked at and other hospital systems would not hire me because I did not have a BSN. I worked for this nursing home for roughly a year before I was terminated. I was terminated because I a patient stated that they had not used the bathroom for about 5-6 hours and I didn't take proper action. I assessed the patient, noted no distention and no pain upon palpation. It was also 2230 and the 2300 shift was coming on. Instead of calling the doctor, I let third shift know about the situation and told them to monitor it. Long story short, they didn't and it fell back on me since I discovered the problem. When I got fired, I had a year of experience This was my first write up since post orientation (which was 10 days as a NG).

As a NG, I had to adjust working in a nursing home that was never adequately supplied or staffed and continuous, changing management as well as archaic methods of doing things.

Since being fired, I have applied to numerous hospitals, to no avail. I've also had an interview at a 5 star nursing home and a rehab, but those fell through as well. I am NOT trying to ever work in a nursing home setting again if I can help it. I'm posting this thread because I need some advice/understanding on how to handle this situation. I finish my BSN this summer and I'm also taking dysrhythmia and ACLS this summer on my own dime as well.

[lurn1234]

I would suggest applying to farther away like 20miles or more. Also you wouldn't have to worry about blacklisting.

[anonymurse]

Disclaimer: What follows is my story. Like all stories, it's anecdotal and specific. I'm not an attorney. Nothing I type or have typed is to be construed as legal advice. If you need a lawyer, see one. When you pay a good attorney for your case, you'll get back a whole lot more money than you put in.

MY STORY (your mileage WILL vary!)

Introduction

I'm going to tell my story on the installment plan, adding to this post as I have time. All stories have a beginning. Ours, the victims', always begin the same way. After that, it gets way more specific, but for now, it's easy--for me. I tell you to read two things. That'll give me time to write the rest.

Nurses often say "nurses eat their young." This is untrue. The conscienceless, generically termed 'psychopaths' or 'sociopaths,' are 4 to 5% of the general population. It is THEY who eat anyone they can get away with eating, with the tacit, unwitting assistance of the rest.

They get their jollies from lying, stealing, cheating, and destroying the careers of those whom they feel have encroached on their natural entitlement--the slightest word of praise from anyone for anything. All you have to do is be smarter, better looking, richer, or--most hated of all--respected for being a truly good and moral being.

They have NO empathy, no ability to know how others feel. They are amoral. They consider themselves superior, because while others tie themselves in knots agonizing over matters of conscience, these can strike as quick as thought.

If you haven't read the two sources I linked to, do so. The conscienceless are unimaginably different from 'normal,' so much so that it took Martha Stout an entire book to pound this into my head.

Check out this fMRI study. Robert Hare's original paper based on EEGs was rejected because the editor thought the evidence MUST have been faked. No, it wasn't.

Nursing school didn't teach me this stuff, and I didn't learn until it was too late. Same for you, bro. With advance warning, maybe others will fare better than we.

[anonymurse]

Aha, I can't go back to add stuff because 60 minutes has gone by without an edit. OK.

Emotional Prep

So after all this sinks in, you look over your FB friend list, and like anyone else, you have roughly 400 friends. Ermagerd, you mean to say 16 to 20 of these are just waiting for me to turn my back so they can select the ribs between which to slide the blade? At this point, you're going to want to go heavy denial, but remember--paranoia is an UNreasonable fear. That means there is such a thing as a reasonable fear. And because you've been juked, you have ample reason.

It seems the hardest thing to deal with is the feeling of betrayal. You trusted all these people (you may never figure out who did it, but you trusted them all), and now THIS. You want to beat yourself up for not having figured it out.

Hey man, in the middle of divorce agonies, I learned my wife had led a double life our whole marriage, a decade and a half. All of a sudden, I had peace. I couldn't very well get 'back' someone I had never known. She was a stranger, and our marriage, a fiction, like a movie.

Like any good movie, it had its good times, it had its bad times, but when the movie's over, you don't sit crying in your seat, hoping there's more. You go to the parking lot to find your car and move on.

So you may be missing that job, the patients, your good co-workers, but it wasn't as good as you thought it was, and it's gone. I don't know if you can use my way of thinking. Everybody's different. But there is a way for you to achieve closure and heal, and if you want it, you will find it. You have to do it before your head is clear enough to make a plan.

[anonymurse]

[skipping prodrome clues, defenses, and pre-firing strategies--irrelevant to your situation; maybe I'll add them later.]

[anonymurse]

Not today, nope.

[caliotter3]

Also suggest looking some distance from your current area. Although I was being actively blacklisted, I was able to find work when I moved away from the area where my reputation was "tainted". It also helped that I went to a bigger area, population-wise, with more opportunities for employment. Even though I moved away, the individual that was slandering me was able to affect me getting hired. When I was told by a prospective employer what he had done, I went to an employment attorney, who assisted by sending a cease and desist letter to the legal department of the previous employer. Eventually, I found employment. Passage of time will also help. Good luck.

[Spikey9001, BSN, RN]

That's just not fair. I shouldn't have to move or relocate to satisfy the sake of someone who doesn't like me. I'm not saying I'm entitled to a job, but I want to at least have the opportunity to showcase my knowledge or ability before management or HR decides to hire or not hire me. I couldn't care less about a "black list." If I have to ask the HR reps themselves, I'll do that. If anyone is going to be the cause of my troubles, it's going to be I, and I only.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

This will sound harsh, but for goodness sake, where did you ever get the impression that life is going to be fair to you? It isn't and it won't be. Sitting around whining about the unfairness of it isn't going to get you a job. You say if anyone is going to be the cause of your troubles it is going to be yourself.....can you not see that this is already the case by your childish insistence that things should not be that way? You can't change the way the world works, only how you react to it. By this I mean you can't butt your head up against social realities and expect them to bow down to you. You have to change your strategy.

Do I think you are blacklisted? I have no idea. I don't know where you live. I do know the medical community even in big cities is smaller than you could ever imagine. I also know the economy sucks, that LTC nurses are less marketable in the acute care setting and that a one year nurse who has been fired from the only job they have had is going to have a hard time finding a position no matter what. I do think your unwillingness to move because to you apparently that feels like they would "win" is foolish. If you are blacklisted, the purpose is to keep you from getting a job. It is in not working at all that they "win". If you find a way to recreate your career and move past them, you win, no matter how it is done, no matter if you are blacklisted or not.

Your profile says you are 25 years old. "Unfair" is childishness. Nobody cares about being fair. Do yourself a favor and take the word "fair" out of your vocabulary. It paints you as a victim when you cry "Unfair!" and once you are a victim, you have thrown away all the power you have to change anything. Fair/unfair has NOTHING to do with life. Nothing at all. Resourcefulness, inner strength, proactiveness, determination...these are powerful words and words you can use to forward yourself. Be sensible. Look at your local economy. Beyond whether you are blacklisted, you may have to move to get what you want out of life....namely a job.

I wish you the best of luck.

[hope3456, ASN, RN]

Many nurses are having to relocate for jobs - I think it has more to do with the economy and the fact certain locales have surpluses of nurses. I am not living in my ideal location, either.

As for getting fired from LTC, you are not the first and won't be the last. Have you tried applying with travel agencies/registries?

[Spikey9001, BSN, RN]

I see your point, but moving is a lot easier said than done. You kind of need money to move. I did use the wrong word when I said "fair." What I meant was more of the lines of "just." But I hear where you're coming from.

[hope3456, ASN, RN]

I know this is not for everyone - if you have a family, ect but there are agencies that will pay your travel costs, room and board if you work temporary assignments for them. The pay can be quite good.