Do nurses get fired often?

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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)?

I just got terminated last month for BS. I live in Louisiana (at will state). I worked with a bunch of the typical backstabbing mean girls and they were bad enough but my immediate supervisor was the problem. She was one of those with the Jekyll/Hyde personalities and I had trouble with her. She got mad at me and made a false allegation against be basically claiming that I threatened her life. I don't play that and that is not me. I was extremely upset by it and it was so serious that the police technically could have been sent to my house to question me for what she said, and all of it was false. I went to the hospital police and made a complaint for workplace hostility and also went to HR and complained. I told them all that I would retain an attorney if necessary to protect myself and then the retaliation began. I was terminated two weeks later when the invented a "policy violation" that I broke to get me out of there. They denied my unemployment and blacklisted me and I can't get a job anywhere in the city. I now have to move out of state to get a job and I am devastated. I would like to know how you terminated nurses got new jobs because I can't even get an interview. I am losing my home and I don't even know where I will end up. They are just going to get away with what they did.

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Specializes in ICU & ED.
I know of one who got fired for yelling at patients, one fired for taking duragesic patches off of patients to chew, one for chronic absenteeism, one for not being a team player... Several for calling off on weekends (pattern- they seemed to ONLY get sick on Sat or Sun and it was FREQUENT, not once a year, more like once a month) one for not transitioning well and just generalized cluelessness (new grad)and one for staying out longer than expected on Maternity leave, but they were let back a few months later. Then there are the lay off's..... They don't get called back so they are pretty much fired.

Dear Jesus...

Please never let me be addicted to anything bad enough to CHEW SOMETHING THAT WAS ONCE STUCK ON ANYOTHER PERSON!

Amen

:barf01:

PS The whole political thing/mean girls/sucking up is why I took a float pool job... I pretend I'm Switzerland. Doesn't always proctect me from the Nazis, though...

PSPS The right to work state thing is why I still keep in touch with my handler from the agency...

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Dear Jesus...

PS The whole political thing/mean girls/sucking up is why I took a float pool job... I pretend I'm Switzerland. Doesn't always proctect me from the Nazis, though...

...

LOL !! That's good KJS !

FWIW, since reading this board, I noticed that there sure seemed to be a ton of people getting fired for this, that and the other. That was not the case years ago. It was a big dang deal to get fired and was almost always related to nurse's overall inability to put all the pieces together, i.e. clinically assess a patient, review the data to ID the problem and then formulate and implement a plan. It blows my mind re the # of times I hear on this board that someone was written up, fired , BON notified, for things that would have been viewed as opportunities for enhanced mentoring by senior staff for that specific deficiency.

One thing that was quite different was that, for the most part, we all were hired for and guaranteed FT hours. FT was five, 8 hour shifts rotating to all threee shifts within a 2 week period or permanent eves or nights. That, and the fact that acuity was not as great as is currently, provided more time to get to know and interact with your peers. That usually resulted in fewer barriers to seeking assistance from peers when stumped by a particular skill or situation.

I have tremendous respect for every single nurse who is successfully working in the today's landscape that constitues bedside nursing. I sincerely mean that. It's a totally different world.

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Not often enough IMHO.

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This is a very depressing but very honest thread that should send a strong message out to nurses.

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/LTC/homecare/correctional/.
Awesome post and completely accurate from my point of view also.

10 yrs in the profession, DeLana said it well...I could not have said it better. I have walked in these horribly uncomfortable shoes. As a new RN, I found preceptors were like a bunch of swordfish protecting their turf. They exist to demean, humiliate, argue and play god. The reality is, they make the new grads unsuccessful so they can keep there own jobs. Self glorification and over-important attitudes by eating their prey.

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/LTC/homecare/correctional/.
I just got terminated last month for BS. I live in Louisiana (at will state). I worked with a bunch of the typical backstabbing mean girls and they were bad enough but my immediate supervisor was the problem. She was one of those with the Jekyll/Hyde personalities and I had trouble with her. She got mad at me and made a false allegation against be basically claiming that I threatened her life. I don't play that and that is not me. I was extremely upset by it and it was so serious that the police technically could have been sent to my house to question me for what she said, and all of it was false. I went to the hospital police and made a complaint for workplace hostility and also went to HR and complained. I told them all that I would retain an attorney if necessary to protect myself and then the retaliation began. I was terminated two weeks later when the invented a "policy violation" that I broke to get me out of there. They denied my unemployment and blacklisted me and I can't get a job anywhere in the city. I now have to move out of state to get a job and I am devastated. I would like to know how you terminated nurses got new jobs because I can't even get an interview. I am losing my home and I don't even know where I will end up. They are just going to get away with what they did.

Its called creative resume time. We have all had to eliminate jobs from our resumes due to blackballing. Eliminate some jobs, extend dates on other jobs. My biggest pet peeve on a job application is "Please explain all periods of unemployment" I have sometimes written "None of your business, rate me on my merits"

In one job, I saw the fire ball coming, was able to get some phone numbers of co-workers and physicians to list as references.

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Can a nurse get fired for entering a relationship with a doctor? We both work at the same hospital. He's been separated from his wife for 6 months and getting a divorce. We spend most of our weekends together when we're off and my son likes him. No one knows about this. Don't want some of the other nurses to know who might think it's wrong. Just want to make sure I don't get in trouble. I heard that a nurse can get in bigger trouble for this thing than a doctor. Is that true?

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Specializes in LTC, Med-Surg, IMCU/Tele, HH/CM.

At my facility I have not heard of any nurses being fired for ANYTHING except using too much sick time. On my floor there are people who were told to "take a break" for a few months (unpaid) but are right back working again! Over things that are much more serious than just being sick a lot.

Getting someone fired at my facility is like moving a mountain. . . we suspect a secretary of illegal drug use, besides the fact that she is unlicensed and gives medical advice to patients over the phone and various other things you'd think would get someone fired. . . .There is at least 6 months of information recorded on this person and yet she is still coming to work.

But I guess at least I know I'll need a good reason to get fired which I suppose adds a feeling of security.

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I am a new graduate (1year) and have seen multiple new nurses get fired? Somehow they where not fast enough with med-pass and time management was a problem. Also, i"ve noticed new grads who have confidence are put on the chopping block? I don't understand why nurses who look to me are going to work out get fired? I keep my mouth shut and do my job - it's kept me employed!

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I've also noticed a pattern with new grads being fired - because they don't make the cut! We have had 4 nurses hired and two are let go. The two who keep there jobs are meek, quiet, and don't do that good of a job. We had a new grad come in and she Was a perfectionist, very social, but got the job done & she was let go?

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I just got terminated last month for BS. I live in Louisiana (at will state). I worked with a bunch of the typical backstabbing mean girls and they were bad enough but my immediate supervisor was the problem. She was one of those with the Jekyll/Hyde personalities and I had trouble with her. She got mad at me and made a false allegation against be basically claiming that I threatened her life. I don't play that and that is not me. I was extremely upset by it and it was so serious that the police technically could have been sent to my house to question me for what she said, and all of it was false. I went to the hospital police and made a complaint for workplace hostility and also went to HR and complained. I told them all that I would retain an attorney if necessary to protect myself and then the retaliation began. I was terminated two weeks later when the invented a "policy violation" that I broke to get me out of there. They denied my unemployment and blacklisted me and I can't get a job anywhere in the city. I now have to move out of state to get a job and I am devastated. I would like to know how you terminated nurses got new jobs because I can't even get an interview. I am losing my home and I don't even know where I will end up. They are just going to get away with what they did.

First, I'm sorry you got fired and hope things work out for you. :hug:

Even in "at will" states (mine is one of them), it's tougher to get fired if you are union. Why anyone would choose to work without one is beyond me.

Also, if someone is going to threaten to get an attorney, they should be prepared to follow through or not make the threat at all. In your situation, I'd have gotten an attorney involved from the get go; it could have saved you from getting fired at all. Even if it didn't prevent it, you would have had everything documented and it would be easier to get your job back, or get compensated in some way if you chose not to continue employment with them.

This entire thread makes the perfect argument for not only belonging to a union, but also having your own . Most people will say they cannot afford an attorney in a situation like this, but it's covered with insurance. I hope all who don't currently have insurance will seriously consider getting it.

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