What do you do in this case?

Recently I worked as an Assistant Director of Nursing in a small nursing home. I got into it with the Administrator several times and she fired me. I have never been fired before!!! Now I hear through the grapevine that she is saying some really nasty things about me--I have always had a good reputation but am wondering how this will impact my future in nursing in this small community. I took a month off work to enjoy some time with my family--a much needed vacation after several years of high stress nursing--and recently began looking for a new job---this is when I learned about what she is saying about me. I am so upset and and even thinking of getting out of this line of work. Please help me. I began nursing with the ideals of helping people and can not believe the politics involved in this career field. I feel like there is no recourse--how do you stop somebody from saying untrue things about you. Of course, people who do not know me would not know what to believe and it is making job seeking difficult. I don't know where to turn so I'm asking for advise from others who may have gone through the same type of thing--I have always believed that your reputation out there is all you have and again I don't know where to turn.