Do Nurses Live in Fear of Being Fired???

[WVStarFish]

I'm a new grad LPN and just started working at a LTC home. I love it there but all the nurses talk about everyone who's been fired, everyone who gets wrote up and on and on....

The way they talk, it seems the admin can just up and fire you if they don't like you, even if you're a good nurse, even if you work extra shifts.

I feel really paranoid about this, especially because I love the job and the location of the facility. Right now, I feel like I want to work there a very long time, but I don't want to live in fear of losing my job just because the admin is having a bad day.

Then another part of me knows that if you just keep your mouth shut and do your paperwork and make it "look" like you're doing your job, you'll be okay.

Can anyone give me some insight into why all the nurses seem to think they can be fired at any given moment? Is firing beneficial in some way? I just don't get it!!!!!

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Well, my place did and does fire on a whim.

[leslie :-D]

sev'l of the terminations i have seen over the yrs, have been r/t admin being fearful or contemptuous of nurses 'spilling the beans' over internal working conditions.

in other words, those who are perceived to not go along or who have a big mouth.

other terminations have been forth-coming and r/t blatant wrongdoings.

but my experience has been more about the former than the latter.

leslie

[BradleyRN]

Keeping a staff in fear is a necessity if you are going to ask them to do things that would normally cause dissent. An example would be extremely high patient loads. LTC facilities dont want people to complain, as there complaints could possibly spread like a flu to all the other nurses. Make an example out of one and the others shut right up. Dont put your job over what is ethically right, or you will be as guilty as them. Even though you may one day lose your job, maintain your responsibilities to advocate for good patient care and for your own well being. LTC is looking for people who dont care. And those people, though not in on the profit, are in on the neglect. Be careful not to ever become one of them.

[WVStarFish]

Thank you for the replies, and after reading your posts, it is more clear.

I believe I was right in thinking that the ones who keep their mouth shut and make the facility look good on paper, are the ones who don't have to worry.

Now I understand why some "good" nurses were let go.

I wondered, at first, how I could stay at a place like that. Then I realized, #1 most places are like that, around here anyway.

And #2, I don't want to just leave the residents with a bunch of lazy, uncaring staff. I realize I can't make huge changes, but I will do what I can, while on my shift, to do a good job for each of my residents.

Thank you for helping me out on that one.

Now I'm guessing there are alot of nurses who see wrong practices everyday and feel helpless....

[Simplepleasures]

YES, they can and do fire nurses regularly, especially the ones with a strong moral/ ethical compass, who have big mouths. They absolutely do want nurses to be afraid of getting fired and they also like to use your license to scare you . LTC has been and still is a dirty underhanded industry, with money as its bottom line. Speaking from experience.

[ShayRN]

My experience has been just the opposite. Managers don't wan't to fire anyone. Lazy people, the ones who call off all the time, gruff nurses. They all get to stay because they are a warm body to fill the staffing. I know of one nurse who SHOULD have been fired and she was told quit or be fired. She just moved on to a new hospital, she should not be allowed to work as a nurse at all, IMHO.

[ICRN2008, BSN, RN]

Employers who fire their employees without warning, without coaching, and without careful, complete documentation of the ways in which the employee was not living up to his or her end of the bargain (excessive absenteeism, documented performance issues, etc) are asking for a lawsuit. If you feel that one of your managers is gunning for you to be terminated, I strongly recommend starting your own documentation stream. Do everything in writing by certified mail with return receipt. When you have a conversation with a manager, ask for human resources and/or your own witness to be present.

If you are concerned about working conditions, it is advisable to speak up carefully. However, if you start to feel backlash from administration, it might be best to find a new job. Sometimes, it's just not worth it to try to change things from the inside.

It goes both ways. There are a lot of employees with excessive absenteeism, etc. who are not fired and should be. There are also good employees who have trouble with their managers and administrators. If you are doing a good job, following the policies of your institution, showing up every day on time, etc. they will have a difficult trying to involuntarily terminate you because they won't have a legal leg to stand on. However, you have to decide if you really want to work in a place that treats its employees so poorly.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

BSNDec06, NY is an "at will" state and unless you can prove discrimination against you because you are in a protected category your documentation doesn't matter, unless they try to screw you out of unemployment.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

It the opposite where I work. The bad never get fired, no one does. They waltz in late, are lazy and insuppobrinate and stay on for years to the point they feel they can get away with just about anything with the attitude 'they'd better be glad I showed up, what are they going to do? Fire me? hahahahaha".

I too live in a state where you can be fired without reason.

[Rnandsoccermom]

It the opposite where I work. The bad never get fired, no one does. They waltz in late, are lazy and insuppobrinate and stay on for years to the point they feel they can get away with just about anything with the attitude 'they'd better be glad I showed up, what are they going to do? Fire me? hahahahaha".

I too live in a state where you can be fired without reason.

Same where I work, we have a nurse who is still in her probationary period who has been a no call/no show 4 times. She "has family issues". It's fill the position or use agency. I'd rather have agency......

[nurseshepherd]

Most (if not all) of the southern states are 'at will' so you can be fired with little effort on admin's part and virtually no recourse to fight back unless a genuine discrimination can be argued. The only folks I know of who were able to get their jobs back claimed discrimination due to mental illness (as of last week she's still working - not well but working!) and race (did not fare as well, boatload of documentation was kept and she was terminated a few months later but at least she had the opportunity to secure another job in the meantime). Admin's don't like assertive, vocal people who question things. Contrary thinkers are embraced in the business world, seen as 'movers and shakers' because they think outside the box and question everything, real mavericks. Health care, maybe more specifically hospitals, typically are not that way and without protection, those of us working in 'at will' states are subject to termination just because they want you gone. Sad state of affairs for our profession.