Do nurses get fired often?

[queenjulie, RN]

It seems like I see people talking on here constantly about how they were fired from their first job, or their last job, or know several people who were fired. Do nurses get fired a lot, especially for relatively minor errors? Is it a career ender? It just seems so odd to me, but I'm coming from a career in publishing where I only saw maybe five people fired in twelve years at several companies, and three of them were either stealing or using Media on their work computers. It's just really, really rare, so it seems totally bizarre to me to think that nurses get fired on a regular basis. Can you still get a job after that (assuming it was for something like a med error, not for stealing narcotics or violently abusing a patient or something like that)?

[llg, PhD, RN]

I wouldn't say it happens "often," but it does happen regularly. In particular, new grads sometimes struggle with the transition from student to practicing professional and either quit or are asked to leave their first jobs. Nursing is a challenging career and many people enter the field not fully prepared for one or more of the most difficult aspects of it -- the physical labor, the intellectual skills needed, the schedules that include unpopular shifts, and the complex interspersonal relationships that must constantly be negotiated, et.

In school, they focused on physiology, technical skills, etc. and may have learned those ... but success on the job requires addition skills of psychological strength, perservance, patience, emotional intelligence, flexibility, etc. The healthcare work environment is more complex and more emotionally charged than many work environments because lives are at stake as well as a lot of money. The nursing profession asks a lot of its members and not everyone adapts to the profession easily.

And then of course ... there are also work situations that are so stressful and/or poorly managed that almost NO ONE would thrive there. They have a revolving door for new employees.

As for whether or not a career can survive being fired depends on the circumstances. People usually get a second (or even 3rd) chance if there has been no gross malpractice involved, but a repeated pattern of jobs "just not working out" raises suspicions that the individual lacks the skills or drive needed to succeed -- and their career options become increasingly limited to those jobs that no one else will take.

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I've been at the same hospital for 16 years and I've only known of maybe 4 nurses to be fired in that time. It is a large hospital with almost 5000 RN's on the payroll, so I'm sure there are some that are fired and I don't know about it. The ones I'm aware of were either diverting, or just not showing up to work. I'm amazed at the younger nurses who seem to think it's ok to call in over and over with lame excuses and are then suprised to lose their job!

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

I think the same nurses get fired repeatedly, lol.

[IowaKaren]

Well said Llg.

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

I have been at my current facility for two years now, and have seen 5 nurses let go. Another is on the chopping block but doesn't seem to want to change her ways.

People don't get fired for occassional and minor med errors. They get repeated warnings for laziness, lack of teamwork, absenteeism.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I think also people who are fired tend to be more vocal. Not that many people come to a bulletin board and start a thread that says "Hey! I am still employed today!"

[queenjulie, RN]

I think also people who are fired tend to be more vocal. Not that many people come to a bulletin board and start a thread that says "Hey! I am still employed today!"

LOL! That's an excellent point.

[kcmylorn]

Yes!! nurses get fired alot. It's not always for things that would make sence for a nurse to be fired over- drug diversion, call outs, gross incompetence. Nursing is the flavor of the month club. If the 'IT' clique likes you- your in, when they don't like you- your out. And it can be for the those life crucial things like- you know more than they do (aka. you threaten the poor little dears) you are more experinced than they are(aka. you threaten those poor little dears) your patients like you( aka those poor little dears are not liked by their patients but that becomes your problem not theirs. als insecurity, jealousy) But don't get me wrong, they do dress it up where it looks and sounds legit. They scrutinize. everything that you do: examples: you don't 'fit'in( aka- the IT group is a bunch of inexperienced dumb a** and haven't a clue what your explaining to them. Case in point: a non diabetic, vascular, dialysis pt with hypoglycemic episodes for 2 weeks who the IT group figured and stated "She's does that all the time!!" When you dare to ask the Doctor, turns out the patient is septic, Doctor sends pt to the MICU stat.) You don't document the way they do ( you document LATE ENTRY @*** and the dissertation of events. You are picked apart like a peice of meat. But when you document like you are talking to a bunch of simpletons because you are so damn pi***d you get rave reviews on you documentation), your med timing is not the same as their(aka: you could take longer because you ask more questions or see a side effect they have missed for DAYs- pt is behaving strangly because their TOXIC, your doomed, screwed and unemployed), perhaps you care about your work( aka the It group doesn't and you make them look bad, so your gone before that happens. US vs HER/HIM) and the list goes on and on and gets longer as you are in nursing longer. Oh yes. Nurses get fired more than should be and for more reason than something legit.( this makes the IT group feel like they have done 'do diligence', like they are actively participating in the manatory reporting process. Like they will receive a Bronzed Turd Pin for their accomplishment. Yes nurses get fired more so than other professions. Why because Nursing attrack mostly women who feel inadequate about themselves and this boosts their fragile fair egos- The helping profession, "I'm a Nurse" As evidence by- allowing other professions/diciplines/fields come in, take over nursing, create a disaster and leave with bank accounts worth millions. If you look at the turmoil nursing is in these days- the evidence of this are abundantly abound. Like a bunch of Wedding Planners who can't decise on a theme for 1 Wedding, Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth!! I have had Doctors say to me- Nursing creates it's own problems. How very true.

Corrected spelling before the Bronze Turd recipients flame me. More important to spell correctly also in nursing.

[kcmylorn]

My all time favorite for the Bronze Turd award- Thousands of nurses unemployed or under employed in this country, many more on the brink(aka: not enough money to pay the monthly food and mortgage bills) and Nursing is waving the flag for going back to school or higher degrees. Putting the corvett before the paycheck!

[Rathyen]

Well..I had turned in my two weeks notice at a job and got fired on my last day because we had to call the cops to the private clinic I worked at because a patient called me a ****** stupid **** and tried to hit me with her cane because I told her that the triage room was too small for her entire family to fit in and asked if I could bring them back after triage.

She called and complained about me, not the doc, the medical tech or the MR that all told her to leave as well. So, I got fired.

[caliotter3]

When you witness the nurse who provides controlled meds to the DON for her personal use commit an act of elder abuse, you can bet you will get fired. The abuser nurse will continue providing drugs to the DON from her cart and will soon move to an RN role from that of an LPN, while you wonder why you have problems getting hired.