Terminated!!!..now what

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Hi. ANY advice is appreciated here. I am a 15 year veteran RN who just got terminated for something so trivial I am embarrassed to post it here. It has nothing to do with patient care. I have never made a med error, never received a patient or family complaint, in fact I get commendations almost daily with many "You are the best nurse I have ever had." I LOVE my job and I think it shows. I work well with and am well respected by my peers, CNA's, physicians I work with, and other staff and am friendly with everyone from the Attendings to housekeepers.

I have worked several units, but this last one I have witnessed the worst favoritism, discrimination, and no support from management than any other unit I have worked. My coworkers are hardworking (some bad apples, like every unit) and we have come to work well together as a team for the most part bc management does not support us, unless of course we are this manager's "pets" and do favors for her. Things started to get really bad and my vacation requests would not get approved when others with much less seniority got approved, and I started to complain. Things got even worse and I started getting written up for trivial things, having NOTHING to do with patient care. I had never been written up before. I went to HR and filed complaints. HR of course "found no merit" to my complaints, even though many of my coworkers confided to me and complained about the same things for years, even before I transferred to this unit. Out of fear of losing their jobs they would not complain to HR. Of course I tried to transfer but the writeups prevented them.

My biggest fear was that this manager would retaliate and try to fire me because of the complaints I filed. I tried to tell HR this. But my prediction came true and this manager found another trivial write up that she used to terminate me bc I was on final warning from the last 2 trivial write ups. trust me the write ups have nothing to do with my performance as a nurse, they were for things all nurses forget to do once in a while such as forgetting to do a valuables checklist when transferring a patient from one room to another---writeups no one else was getting written up for. So now that this manager term'd me, she is bragging about it, my coworkers are scared to death themselves of getting fired, and they are upset that this happened to me. I was a nurse who helped everyone, even when I was busy, even if I knew that nurse talked behind my back if she needed an IV for her hard stick patient, i would do the IV for the good of the patient. I am appealing the termination to get re-instated, even though I was so stressed there for the longest time. always afraid of getting written up, and fired. Even though I have overwhelming evidence that this manager is retaliating, HR seems to be siding with her. I am thinking of filing charges with EEOC. Is there anything else I can do, anyone else I can contact, would writing a letter to MAGNET or the CEO of my hospital help?

I am in step one of the appeal process, but I do not feel anyone is on my side. I plan to go on to step two and all the way to step three of the appeals process just to be heard, I am not naive enough to think I will get my job back although I'd love to be reinstated just to quit. No matter what proof I provide HR twists it, and I don't see how they will reinstate me bc this would undermine this manager and her boss' decision. I don't even want the job back to be honest, it is a sad unit with management that truly does not value their employees. I feel bad for my coworkers stuck there. Does anyone have any advice? I agree with an earlier post I read somewhere, "the truth gets a good nurse in trouble". Administration is not interested in the truth.

Thanks for any advice.

ShillaBSN, With all due respect, like I said, I have overwhelming evidence that this management discriminates, plays favorites, targets, abuses her power, and is RETALIATING. HR is IGNORING the facts. I predicted this manager would find a way to fire me, went to HR for help, and now she has fired me.

Of course there were a few RN's that did not like me, that's just the nature of a female dominated profession, and typically they are RN's who are lazy or knew I did not respect their work ethic, playing on their phones at the RN station while their call lights were going off or sitting in the breakroom all day, complaining about having to give "so-n-so pain meds again". But for the most part I worked with some great hardworking RN's.

The floor IS as horrible as I say, my coworkers were all afraid to go to HR to complain with me, now I know why. HR, this HR anyway, is twisting the facts and siding with the management. I guess they will get away with this as long as RN's are afraid to complain for fear of losing their jobs. BTW, I am that rare breed of nurse who makes time to hold my patients hand if really needed AND get the non-patient care stuff done too. And my manager knows it, shame on her.

don't waste your energy. i hate to say this, but move on. let it go. keep your chin up. sounds like you're a good nurse who met a corporate problem. not yours. i like what jadelpn says. it's a sad time for experienced nurses. but every corporation in america does the same thing. you get to a point in your career where you're too expensive. so keep calm and carry on. someone will love you! they didn't deserve you anyway. good luck!

Specializes in Management, Med/Surg, Clinical Trainer.
ShillaBSN, With all due respect, like I said, I have overwhelming evidence that this management discriminates, plays favorites, targets, abuses her power, and is RETALIATING. HR is IGNORING the facts. I predicted this manager would find a way to fire me, went to HR for help, and now she has fired me.

Of course there were a few RN's that did not like me, that's just the nature of a female dominated profession, and typically they are RN's who are lazy or knew I did not respect their work ethic, playing on their phones at the RN station while their call lights were going off or sitting in the breakroom all day, complaining about having to give "so-n-so pain meds again". But for the most part I worked with some great hardworking RN's.

The floor IS as horrible as I say, my coworkers were all afraid to go to HR to complain with me, now I know why. HR, this HR anyway, is twisting the facts and siding with the management. I guess they will get away with this as long as RN's are afraid to complain for fear of losing their jobs. BTW, I am that rare breed of nurse who makes time to hold my patients hand if really needed AND get the non-patient care stuff done too. And my manager knows it, shame on her.

California2, I really hope you have the evidence to prove this. To think that this kind of bullying and retaliation is going on is beyond sad and absolutely frustrating. Politics are a ***** to say the least.

My point in displaying the emotional items in the thread was to show what can be used against you....if management is this reactionary they will think nothing of twisting all of your caring words into ways that you did not not do your job. If you want to use emotion to explain what kind of nurse you are, then absolutely back it up with facts. "I hold patients hands but am able to get all of my charting done and get out on time as evidenced by my charts and time cards.'

When starting other nurses IVs did that put you behind? I am sure it allowed that nurse to get out faster, so she looked good, but what about you. TAKE care of yourself.

California2, I really hope you have the evidence to prove this. To think that this kind of bullying and retaliation is going on is beyond sad and absolutely frustrating. Politics are a ***** to say the least.

My point in displaying the emotional items in the thread was to show what can be used against you....if management is this reactionary they will think nothing of twisting all of your caring words into ways that you did not not do your job. If you want to use emotion to explain what kind of nurse you are, then absolutely back it up with facts. "I hold patients hands but am able to get all of my charting done and get out on time as evidenced by my charts and time cards.'

When starting other nurses IVs did that put you behind? I am sure it allowed that nurse to get out faster, so she looked good, but what about you. TAKE care of yourself.

Thanks for your post. You're right, management has twisted alot of my words in order to support their actions, that's why I'm in this boat. I have not rec'd my letter of no-reinstatement yuet but I fully expect a no-reinstatement decision. I am in the beginning stages of getting legal advice now, and am advised that my scenario is not that uncommon these days, unfortunately. I wonder if other nurses fight back, as I am, not to get their job back but as a matter of principle.

As far as your last comment, when I was asked to start a difficult IV for example, I would have that nurse do a favor for me as well, so that I could also get out on time, and I rec'd many written commendations from peers for this help. I did and DO take care of myself.

BTW, I don't miss that place AT ALL. Enjoying this time off with my family and already have job prospects thru friends that quit working at this place years ago (bc of management). For now, taking time off, taking it one day at a time.

Keep up the fight. I was terminated unjustly from my previous employer. I went all the way through an arbitration and was found I was unjustly terminated and was fully reinstated and awarded everything I lost, pay, PTO, pension,etc. it took 1 year and 4 months for a decision. Now the hospital has now taken 4 months and counting to pay me what they owe me. Still a work in progress.

Just keep hope but do move on to better pastures.

Keep up the fight. I was terminated unjustly from my previous employer. I went all the way through an arbitration and was found I was unjustly terminated and was fully reinstated and awarded everything I lost, pay, PTO, pension,etc. it took 1 year and 4 months for a decision. Now the hospital has now taken 4 months and counting to pay me what they owe me. Still a work in progress.

Just keep hope but do move on to better pastures.

thank you so much for your post. I am in the process of talking to an employment law attorney now. I'm glad you won everything they owed you and not surprised they have taken over 4 months to pay you back. It helps alot knowing I am not the only one who has ever gone through this.

Really appreciate your comments and I will move on to better pastures :-)

I know this is an old post. I am currently going to the same thing. Do any body know any Nurse attorney in South FL, please pm. Thanks and i will appreciate that

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