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Discussion

Advice for after termination

Hello there,

I am new LPN grad. I was recently terminated from my job at a hospital. I was terminated due medication errors and charting.As per my governing body policy, the hospital reported me that organization. All other issues were not discussed to me. I was deemed unsafe and unfit for medicine. I can't go into too much detail regarding it due to fear of it affecting future employment if it were posted on here.

My questions are;

I worked at this place for 3 months under probation. Do i have to put it on my resume?

What is a way i can make a cover letter that is honest but can still get me noticed for the right reasons?

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    • Featured Replies

    Have you talked to a lawyer about the complaint filed against you? Finding another nursing job isn't a priority if you are facing a disciplinary hearing.

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    • Author

    I haven't yet. I have to contact my governing body and ask what the the complaint is about. My union rep said it could take months to process the complaint , so she encouraged me to keep applying to other jobs. This all fairly new and fresh.

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    • Experts

    Contact your malpractice insurance carrier to report the situation with the Board and to inquire about utilizing the policy benefit regarding defense of license before the Board, should matters go that far. Legal advice can be obtained from an attorney experienced with dealing with the Board through the referral service here: TAANA Executive Office - Home

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    • Experts

    Your union should be helping you with this. Where I work firing someone is a long process due to the contract. They have to try to work with you on the issues first. They cannot just fire you with no warning. I work with a dreadful nurse that they want to fire but it's taking a long time due to the contract guidelines

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    • Author
    Your union should be helping you with this. Where I work firing someone is a long process due to the contract. They have to try to work with you on the issues first. They cannot just fire you with no warning. I work with a dreadful nurse that they want to fire but it's taking a long time due to the contract guidelines

    I am going through union with this issue. I did try to work on the issues with my practice along with the company. I was placed on an improvement plan and my probation was extended. However, I was constantly stressed due to the gossiping and bullying I faced. I feel it contributed to my downfall and I decided to resign. I had another job at another site with the same company and they felt I was unsafe and terminated from both because I refused to resign from my other job. It's a huge mess of a situation.

    I am trying to move forward but I am stuck on how to go about it. I have no intentions of going back to acute care and I am looking at community or continuing care.

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    I haven't yet. I have to contact my governing body and ask what the the complaint is about. My union rep said it could take months to process the complaint , so she encouraged me to keep applying to other jobs. This all fairly new and fresh.

    If you are Canadian, you dont contact the governing body, they send you a registered letter advising you that you are the subject of a complaint and they are investigating. Are you covered under the unions legal expense assistance plan?

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    Contact your malpractice insurance carrier to report the situation with the Board and to inquire about utilizing the policy benefit regarding defense of license before the Board, should matters go that far. Legal advice can be obtained from an attorney experienced with dealing with the Board through the referral service here: TAANA Executive Office - Home

    I don't believe the American Association of Nurse Attorneys makes referrals for those living and working in Canada

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    • Experts
    Contact your malpractice insurance carrier to report the situation with the Board and to inquire about utilizing the policy benefit regarding defense of license before the Board, should matters go that far. Legal advice can be obtained from an attorney experienced with dealing with the Board through the referral service here: TAANA Executive Office - Home[/quote

    the OP is in Canada

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    • Experts
    Contact your malpractice insurance carrier to report the situation with the Board and to inquire about utilizing the policy benefit regarding defense of license before the Board, should matters go that far. Legal advice can be obtained from an attorney experienced with dealing with the Board through the referral service here: TAANA Executive Office - Home[/quote

    the OP is in Canada

    Thanks for pointing that out, although if I were the OP, I would contact them to find out if there is a Canadian equivalent.

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    In many provinces, the College issues our malpractice insurance as part of our yearly registration fees. The also protect the public from us. Catch 22 anyone?

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    Since you were terminated for medication and charting errors, suggest you review online courses on medication administration and documentation, especially courses that may be offered through you licensing body.

    Regarding your resume, when considering whether or not you should include the terminated job on your resume, consider the nursing code of ethics and the nurses obligation to tell the truth.

    Regarding your plan to avoid applying to acute care and applying to community and continuing care position, if by community care you mean working independently in the community, than you should reconsider, as it would be be better from a patient safety perspective, for you to work where you can be monitored and mentored by experienced nurses.

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    • Experts

    Okay. A few things stand out here. Not only is it possible to terminate someone without cause during their probationary period, it's very well articulated in the majority of union contracts across the country as to how and when it may occur. The wording usually looks something like this: "if an employee is unsuitable in the opinion of the employer, such employee may be terminated at any time during the probationary period without recourse to the grievance process'. The fact that a learning plan was established and probation extended indicates there were a number of problems in the OP's practice. Attempting to excuse those concerns by invoking "stress from gossip and bullying" raises red flags for me that the OP doesn't want to be held accountable for those concerns.

    The OP mentions "the company" and multiple associated sites. This suggests to me that s/he works for a private provider like Bayshore, Revera or WeCare. Those companies' employees typically don't have union representation and are basically at-will employees. The chain of events is difficult to follow - one sentence says, "decided to resign" and then the next says, "terminated for refusing to resign".

    As far as the complaint to the regulatory body, it's pro forma when someone is suspended or terminated for the employer to be required to notify the regulatory body. In this situation the complaint would be along the line of unskilled practice (medication errors and charting deficiencies) and may include unprofessional conduct (accountability). Once the regulatory body has the complaint, they investigate the complaint. This involves interviewing all pertinent parties, gathering documentation, re-interviewing if necessary and then interviewing the nurse involved. All of this takes a long time. Some investigations take 2 years to get to the hearing phase. For union members, assistance from their labour relations advisor begins with the initial suspension/termination. LRAs usually have a background in law and are quite adept at handling the entire matter.

    The Canadian Nurses' Protective Society is a non-profit organization that most provinces have an arrangement with to provide professional liability protection - malpractice insurance, if you will. It doesn't cover LPNs, only RNs and NPs; Ontario and Québec nurses are not covered through their regulatory bodies but are eligible to obtain private coverage. Generally speaking, LPNs' malpractice insurance is provided by the Colleges of Licensed Practical Nurses and provides similar coverage. BUT! Liability insurance doesn't cover termination, with or without cause. The OP will have to find a labour lawyer willing to take the case, and pay for it out of pocket, if s/he plans to dispute the termination.

    It would be unethical to leave this job off a résumé, and so would concealing a termination. That would be pouring gas on a fire. Not a good idea. Most employers want a reference from management with the most recent employer so it would come out anyway. The only way I can see out of this mess is to take steps NOW to overcome the knowledge deficits leading the the med errors and charting deficiencies, and to be able to prove that it's been done. So when asked about what led to the termination there's documentation that those reasons no longer exist.

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