I have been a nurse for 2.5 years. I got fired yesterday from my first and only nursing job in a hospital setting. I know I'm going to need to brush up on my resume. Also, can anyone advise me what direction to go in? I'm a male nurse. I can't do OB for obvious reasons, ER, ICU, cardiac monitoring med surg floors, Pediatrics, nursing homes. I'm leaning to go into Psych nursing. I was known as the "psych" nurse on my floor. Plus I have alot of experience in dealing with psych patients since my mom is schizophrenic. My sister is a charge nurse on a psych floor and loves it. Since I got fired from my first nursing job, should I expect a pay decrease? Is there any other areas of nursing I'm leaving out? I was thinking of home health nursing but was told it's dangerous and gas prices are outrageous. Doctor's offices don't pay well. I won't have any experience except what I did for the past 2.5 years either. I don't want to do it anymore since it got me fired. I'm going to need references too. I have several work email addresses from my coworkers, would it be out of bounds to email them at work to ask if I can use them as a reference? How do I handle addressing from interviewers why I got fired from my first nursing job? Should I be worried about my nursing license? If you get fired from a hospital, do they report it to the board of nursing? I did not get fired from stealing drugs, narcotics, calling out sick, or patient's complaints FYI. I'll probably have lots more questions later. My brain is spinning. I never got fired before from any job! My wife said "I thought you had to kill someone with negligence to get fired" Trust me, no harm was done to the patient! I wasn't even on probation when they fired me.
"I'm confused. How did you have anything else attached to the blood tubing? From what you wrote, it sounds like you were infusing blood via IV pump through a peripheral IV line, right? And you did not disconnect the D5 that was infusing into the peripheral line, even though you shut off the pump from the D5, right? So are you saying that you got fired for piggybacking blood through the original IV tubing that was used for meds and fluids?
Wasn't there another RN present when you hung the blood? If there are two signatures on the blood slip, then you are both responsible for proper procedure.
Blee"
Well the IV fluids were going in, I attached the blood tubing to it. the IV pump had two channels on it. one for IV fluids and the other for blood. I turned off the channel with the IV fluids. There was a 19 year RN, charge nurse who signed and looked at the ID band with me, but she bolted before I hooked it up. I picked the most experienced person there to help me so I wouldn't mess up anything. I think it was the third time I had to hang blood in my 2.5 years there. I'm glad you brought that up, I was going to ask her for a reference since I got terminated. But she probably won't do it, since I probably caused her not to get a xmas bonus if she got wrote up for it.
Well with experience getting fired from job that I had been at for 10 years I know how you feel. Are you in a right to work state. If so then there is nothing you can do. I would call HR and ask them if you arent' supposed to get a warning first before termination. I know it seems like all has come to an end but it really hasn't. Things happen for a reason and some time from now you will look back and think oh now I know why this happened. Since you have only done hospital, as have I, i also know where your coming from. Hospital is the only thing I know. Hell I didn't even start applying for jobs for 2 weeks because I felt they betrayed and I really didn't know if I wanted to be a nurse anymore. My security was taken away. There is only one other hospital here in town and its only 40 beds. Had an interview 2 weeks ago and haven't heard back. So now I am just seeing what might interest me. Keep your head up. When it comes to interviews just say that you had a problem with a blood transfusion and it had nothing to do with the blood type of wrond pt but the facility terminated you without warning or a chance for education. Good luck
I have been a nurse for 2.5 years. I got fired yesterday from my first and only nursing job in a hospital setting. I know I'm going to need to brush up on my resume. Also, can anyone advise me what direction to go in? I'm a male nurse. I can't do OB for obvious reasons, ER, ICU, cardiac monitoring med surg floors, Pediatrics, nursing homes. I'm leaning to go into Psych nursing. I was known as the "psych" nurse on my floor. Plus I have alot of experience in dealing with psych patients since my mom is schizophrenic. My sister is a charge nurse on a psych floor and loves it. Since I got fired from my first nursing job, should I expect a pay decrease? Is there any other areas of nursing I'm leaving out? I was thinking of home health nursing but was told it's dangerous and gas prices are outrageous. Doctor's offices don't pay well. I won't have any experience except what I did for the past 2.5 years either. I don't want to do it anymore since it got me fired. I'm going to need references too. I have several work email addresses from my coworkers, would it be out of bounds to email them at work to ask if I can use them as a reference? How do I handle addressing from interviewers why I got fired from my first nursing job? Should I be worried about my nursing license? If you get fired from a hospital, do they report it to the board of nursing? I did not get fired from stealing drugs, narcotics, calling out sick, or patient's complaints FYI. I'll probably have lots more questions later. My brain is spinning. I never got fired before from any job! My wife said "I thought you had to kill someone with negligence to get fired" Trust me, no harm was done to the patient! I wasn't even on probation when they fired me.
ou do
confused why can't you do OB? my midwife was male, no kids not married did a sterling job as any female who have done...had twins by the way unfortunatly he couldn't deliver as footling presentation but I would have gone the whole way with this guy if it hadn't been high risk!!!
:typing:typing:specs:PLS PLS STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP!!!!!YOU ARE HUMAN NO ONE DIED THANK GOD FOR THAT, WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES.I KNOW OF NURSES THAT HAD NEAR MISSES AND I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I TELL THEM LEARN FROM THIS YOU WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN. TAKE A DEEP BREATH-GET THERAPY TO DEAL WITH THIS IF IT PERSISTS-YOU WILL MAKE YOURSELF SICK.YOGA THE MEDITATIVE TYPE GREAT FOR RELAXATION.TAKE SOME BENADRYL AND GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP. WE NURSES ARE SO GOOD @ BEATING OURSELVES UP!!!!TOO BAD YOUR HOSPITAL DOSENT HAVE A GOOD UNION LIKE CNA BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED TO FIRE YOU. SHAME ON THAT HOSPITAL AND CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY TO BE RID OF THEM. CLINICS ARE GREAT GET OUT OF THE HOSPITALS. OR GO TO THE OR. MED SURG NURSES ARE THE HARDESTWORKING NURSES IN THE HOSPITAL. GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND FOR GODS SAKE CUT YOUSELF SOME SLACK.
It's been a week since the incident, I was told by management the patient is fine. I turned off the d5 probably 2-3 minutes within starting IV pump transfusion. When I checked the line, the normal saline was still running! Blood didn't even reach the patient's IV yet. I didn't correct the tubing situation, I failed to see it as I was overwhelmed(shift change, MD breathing down my neck in the room). Did I mention the family had a diary and wrote everything I said down and vitals, meds given, who were the nurses, etc for 3 days!?? I really don't want to think about it anymore because it's depressing. My wife is entering her last semester of nursing school this month, it's leaving a sour taste in her mouth about it. I felt railroaded. no one hasn't commented about my license situation? do I need to worry? I haven't slept more than 5 hours a day the past week and I have lost 3 pounds! Job options?? should I be upfront in Job interviews about this? There is more to this story, but please ask via PM. thanks
Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.
I think you got screwed. What type of unit were you working in?? I don't think this 'transgression' would effect you being hired in the future. Pt wasn't even harmed. I]ve seen mistakes that have nearly killed the pt, and those nurses didn't get fired, probably not even written up. You certainly could work home health. My partner is male, the male pts especially love it and bond with "men's talk". HH is not dangerous and the pay per mile is decent.
My advice to you is stopping worrying. I have been in management. Managers know that sometimes hospitals terminate employees for some of the stupidest reasons because they thinking they're covering their backsides doing it. I don't think you have done anything wrong. You realized the situation and corrected it immediately. So buck up and start applying for some new positions. I think you will find a slew of people falling head over heels to hire someone with 2.5 years experience. IMHO, ICU is the best. I always have fun and never more than 2 patients at a time.
litbitblack, ASN, RN
596 Posts
Well with experience getting fired from job that I had been at for 10 years I know how you feel. Are you in a right to work state. If so then there is nothing you can do. I would call HR and ask them if you arent' supposed to get a warning first before termination. I know it seems like all has come to an end but it really hasn't. Things happen for a reason and some time from now you will look back and think oh now I know why this happened. Since you have only done hospital, as have I, i also know where your coming from. Hospital is the only thing I know. Hell I didn't even start applying for jobs for 2 weeks because I felt they betrayed and I really didn't know if I wanted to be a nurse anymore. My security was taken away. There is only one other hospital here in town and its only 40 beds. Had an interview 2 weeks ago and haven't heard back. So now I am just seeing what might interest me. Keep your head up. When it comes to interviews just say that you had a problem with a blood transfusion and it had nothing to do with the blood type of wrond pt but the facility terminated you without warning or a chance for education. Good luck