Can I be rehired?

[sunkistisawesom]

allnurses

I got my first hospital job September 2014. Cardiac step down.

*****i have a lot of backstory but i'll try to be minimal.*****

i was 7a-7p for about two months but i couldn't keep up. i had some mistakes that made my unit manager question my critical thinking skills. they said i was more "task oriented" than relying on my critical thinking.

while being on that shift, i had pre-surgical pt who had an NG tube. one afternoon i was giving his meds via NG tube. i thought peg tubes were the same so i treated it as such. the tech told me his blood sugar was 34 while i was administering his meds. the meds then got stuck and clogged the tube. my thoughts at that moment was to fix the clog then deal with his blood sugar. my preceptor came into the room upset, "why are you fiddling with his ng tube when you should deal with his blood sugar?!"

another mistake, or more of a priority problem, i needed to prioritize my patients after each shift change report and number the patients verbally to my preceptor. i was nervous and not confident 80% of the time. i feared her 90% of the time. first hospital job, i guess most would be scared. i didn't communicate to her as much as i should have. by not asking questions they were wondering if i was stressed or really that incompetent. because i couldn't prioritize, their level of trust slowly decreased each day.

November 2014, my unit manager decided 7p-7a would be a better pace. i was grateful they demoted me to second shift rather than firing me. but i kept making mistakes.

during training, my preceptor and i were not aware that we were still giving anticoagulant meds a day before surgery. we both got written up.

finally on my own, i thought i was doing fine, but i was still task oriented according to my charge nurse. during shift change one morning, i was rushing to finish. i was drawing labs but forgot to label my tubes. i received a red rule offense and the warning if i commit two more offenses i would be fired.

i don't remember any other mistakes but the final one i'll never forget. a patient was scheduled for surgery. my job was to make sure all preparations and precautions were made before surgery. i thought everything was fine. until a week later. my unit manager sat me down discussing a patient i had sent to surgery who was positive for MRSA. according to the patient file, i was the nurse for that patient and the results stated that I was the nurse who received the positive MRSA result. but there was record that i had reported it to the doctor. the patient proceeded with the surgery without the proper infection precaution. when my unit manager spoke to me about this, i was just getting off shift. my mind was tired and i couldn't remember what happened and why i didn't report it. she asked what is the rationale for reporting this kind of result? i couldn't tell her a proper answer. and THAT right there confirmed to her that my basic nursing skills were incompetent and not fit for this position. She walked away with an upset look on her face. I thought I was "okay." that afternoon, she called and said I was suspended from work until monday (which was about 5 days away). i would then attend a meeting that monday per investigation of my mistake. monday came around and i wasn't just an investigation. i went straight downhill to "you are effective immediately terminated as of this day." the worst part is that my friend who got me this job was working that day and i cried in front of her as i was gathering my things.

I was working for a little over 6 months. my problem is how can I prove to my future employers that I can be rehired? the interview question that always gets me is "what are your reasons for leaving your previous work?" How do I word my answer? How honest should I be?

My mother, who is HR director at her work, believes I should NOT be honest about being fired. Instead, she say I go with the story of how I had an unforeseen family emergency. I tried explaining that to a phone recruiter for a position i applied for. I told him "i had a family emergency on my day off but couldn't be handled in a day. I had to call out the next work day. and eventually call out a second day saying I won't be able to come back to work. i basically admitted to "voluntarily terminating my position at my previous work." i never heard back from that hospital.

my mom thinks that because I didn't work there long enough I don't qualify for that family emergency medical leave thing. idk but that would be feeding into the lie.

so how do i word my answer?

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

It wasn't a good fit for my skills and unit culture. Some mistakes were made while on orientation . I've worked on my challenges to increase my holistic approach to patient care in the interim by _______ (what have you done since leaving the job you were fired from?)

Lying never works. When they call to the hospital verify previous employment you won't be listed as a "constructive termination", "personal reasons/family emergency" or "resignation"Your application will be rejected for lying. You may be marked as a do not rehire at the facility that terminated you for the errors.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Welcome to allnurses.com

We moved your thread for the best response.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

It wasn't a good fit for my skills and unit culture. Some mistakes were made while on orientation . I've worked on my challenges to increase my holistic approach to patient care in the interim by _______ (what have you done since leaving the job you were fired from?)

Lying never works. When they call to the hospital verify previous employment you won't be listed as a "constructive termination", "personal reasons/family emergency" or "resignation"Your application will be rejected for lying. You may be marked as a do not rehire at the facility that terminated you for the errors.

I would NEVER all out lie. It is a small world. It is not unreasonable to think someone who worked at your past employer isn't working at the one you are applying to, especially in HR. You can be vague - but stress what you have done to improve. I think JustBeachy had great advice.

[Jules A, MSN]

I would also soul search what types of nursing jobs might be a better fit for you before moving forward and that could be something you spin as a positive. Maybe volunteer somewhere?

[elkpark]

It wasn't a good fit for my skills and unit culture. Some mistakes were made while on orientation . I've worked on my challenges to increase my holistic approach to patient care in the interim by _______ (what have you done since leaving the job you were fired from?)

Lying never works. When they call to the hospital verify previous employment you won't be listed as a "constructive termination", "personal reasons/family emergency" or "resignation"Your application will be rejected for lying. You may be marked as a do not rehire at the facility that terminated you for the errors.

This. There is never anything to be gained from lying in nursing (and I'm really surprised that someone who works in HR would be encouraging you to do so, even if she is your mom). If you get found out, which is likely in this case, that will immediately eliminate you from consideration for the job, much more definitively than having been fired from a previous job will.

Practice, with friends, with family members, in front of your bathroom mirror, talking about your experience at the previous hospital, answering the kind of questions you're likely to get asked about it in interviews (something your mother could help you with! :)) without sounding defensive and without in any way criticizing your former employer. Be honest about what happened without getting carried away with self-recrimination or going into more detail than necessary, and be prepared to talk about what steps you've taken to address and correct the problem areas in your last experience.

You are certainly not the first nurse to get fired from your first nursing job, and you certainly won't be the last. This happens to lots of people, and they pick themselves up and move on. Years from now, this experience will just be a minor "speed bump" in your career. Best wishes!

[sunkistisawesom]

It wasn't a good fit for my skills and unit culture. Some mistakes were made while on orientation . I've worked on my challenges to increase my holistic approach to patient care in the interim by _______ (what have you done since leaving the job you were fired from?)

Lying never works. When they call to the hospital verify previous employment you won't be listed as a "constructive termination", "personal reasons/family emergency" or "resignation"Your application will be rejected for lying. You may be marked as a do not rehire at the facility that terminated you for the errors.

Thank you JustBeachyNurse and everyone. You really helped me word my answer.

One more question, how long should I wait before reapplying at a hospital that did not accept my previous applications? hopefully it's not entirely over at one hospital that did not consider me for their position.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Was this the facility you were fired from? If it's the facility you didn't tell the truth (fake tale regarding an imaginary family emergency and constructive resignation) the HR may have caught your lie when doing employment verification and marked you as do not hire for false application.

[Caffeine_IV]

Do not lie. I was fired before and I have never been asked about it. I put on my apps that I "did not meet orientation goals within the allotted timeframe."

[SierraBravo]

It sounds as if there were a number of issues at your previous job. I agree with Jules A. If I were you, I would sit down and really reflect on what happened and how you can prevent those mistakes from happening again instead of rushing to find a new job and having the same issues pop up all over again, which will put you into a vicious downward cycle unless you understand why you were deficient in the past.

The error in judgement about the BG and the feeding tube just worries me. You have to be thinking along the lines of what will harm my patient more right now, a low sugar level or not getting their PO meds on time? This is fundamental nursing 101. A BG in the 30's is pretty critical, and it doesn't require a 30 year veteran nurse to realize that. It does sound as if you are/were task oriented which is concerning because you must be able to critically think and apply your knowledge to dynamic situations.

Perhaps that type of floor, or even hospital nursing, isn't appropriate for you at this point in time. You may need to explore other options.

But at the end of the day, it isn't 100% your fault. I am a preceptor and I can guarantee you that none of my orientees would have made an error like that because not only am I constantly forcing them to critically think, I am also with them 100% of the time like white on rice until I am confident that they know what they're doing and they have demonstrated competency to me several times over. So perhaps you didn't have the ideal preceptor. But regardless, you do need to take accountability for your actions.

It also worries me that you considered lying to another employer about why you "left" your last job. This brings your integrity into question. I'm sorry, but your post has sent up a flurry of red flags for me.

In terms of what you should say to a new employer about your past employment, I only have 3 words for you... Tell the truth.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I told him "i had a family emergency on my day off but couldn't be handled in a day. I had to call out the next work day. and eventually call out a second day saying I won't be able to come back to work. i basically admitted to "voluntarily terminating my position at my previous work." i never heard back from that hospital.

If I were to bet my firstborn child, I could plan on her being home for dinner tonight--because I am sure that he contacted your former employer for some fact checking. You did not leave your previous job because you were forced to prioritize your family. You were fired for being an unsafe RN.

Lying during the hiring process will never, ever, ever end well for you. Don't do it.

What lessons have you learned from this whole experience with your former job? Have you learned from it? I wonder, based on some things. Some of this may come across as harsh, and I am not setting out to be cruel here, but you need to hear it straight. Again, to be clear--I want you to grow from this and go on to be a good nurse. At this point in time, based on these posts, I am not sensing a huge amount of insight. Bolding added by me for emphasis:

i had some mistakes that made my unit manager question my critical thinking skills. they said i was more "task oriented" than relying on my critical thinking.

What is your assessment of your critical thinking skills? Were you fired due to their review of your work, or because of your performance?

i needed to prioritize my patients after each shift change report and number the patients verbally to my preceptor. i was nervous and not confident 80% of the time. i feared her 90% of the time. first hospital job, i guess most would be scared.

Most would feel nervous and be on high alert yes...but scared to the point of being unable to prioritize, no. On a unit like stepdown, an RN's ability to prioritize is absolutely vital. These patients are on a stepdown unit with a higher nurse-to-pt ratio because of their potential to decompensate very quickly. My suggestion is to get an NCLEX book and practice the heck out of prioritization questions, and carefully read the rationales.

the worst part is that my friend who got me this job was working that day and i cried in front of her as i was gathering my things.

You made some very egregious errors--ones that could have cost patients their lives. A newly discovered MRSA infection with no thought to contact precautions... A clogged NG prioritized above a critically low BG... Missing labels which could have just as easily been incorrect labels, since you weren't being careful... No, the worst part was not that you had to face your friend and cried in front of her.

my problem is how can I prove to my future employers that I can be rehired? the interview question that always gets me is "what are your reasons for leaving your previous work?" How do I word my answer? How honest should I be?

Well...can you be rehired? Either your former employer has marked you for eligible for rehire or hasn't. Have integrity, and accept personal accountability when answering this question. Tell the truth.

Now take a deep breath. You need to know how serious this was, but at the same time know that self-flagellation won't help. What have you learned from this? What steps have you taken to improve your nursing practice?

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

If I'm understanding your question correctly, you want to know whether you can be hired again at another hospital, then the short answer is yes; with a few caveats...

I was let go from orientation at a hospital early in my RN career; to be honest, at the time, I wasn't a good fit and was unprepared, along with a problem floor that had a not so great way to prepare nurses, meaning, they operate (and still do according to a co worker that works in another department and one of my new co worker confirmed by previously working there) in a sink or swim mentality, along with a lack of proper support for a new to practice and sometimes new to specialty individual; some thrive, others don't-I didn't; however I knew I needed more, and it was like talking to a brick wall; my self confidence was low at the time, but I self-reflected, and took other positions to help home my own experience before I accepted another hospital position; I worked in less than ideal places; but each place helped me with decision making skills, managing and sharpening my assessment skills, how I plan around emergencies and balance changing situation and have the ability to continue to handle the pressure and workload effectively.

Those skills transcended me landing a position from PICU to a PediER within two years; I grown as a nurse and was able to survive transitioning to a new and just as demanding critical specialty; I am still learning and self-study and look out for additional help to continue to hone my knowledge in my new specialty.

I agree with the sentiment here; step back, self reflect, create a plan and take a position that will help you gain confidence as a new nurse and help you hone a solid, competent nursing practice base.

Best wishes.