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Discussion

fired in first 60 days

I'm a new grad, recently fired from first job after 60 days. "blatant disregard for safety and patient safety services" I made a med error with insulin...2 units of insulin...barely enough to hurt a cat.

Story goes like this, employer put me on floor that I had never worked on. I informed my ADON, unit manager as well as scheduler that I was not comfortable working on this floor since I was never oriented on it, didn't know the residents on it, and it had more people on it than I was use to. Complained to no avail. They didn't care. Med error made and fired the next day. I feel it was more about the stink I made about working the floor than the error itself. They knew I was looking for new employment, I made it clear that I felt it was dangerous working conditions.

So now, as a new grad and now have a "termination" on my record, do I get another job? Is there any organization that I can appeal to?

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    • Experts

    I'm sorry you had such a hard time in the beginning of your nursing career.

    Nevertheless, before you can move on, you need to acknowledge that you made a potentially serious mistake. It isn't about "just 2 units of insulin." Every med error is potentially very serious and should be treated as such. Instead of trying to rationalize why it happened, you have to take ownership for your part in why it happened. Certainly there can be contributing factors, but you still have to take responsibility.

    As far as what you can do to mitigate the damage when you apply for another job, think about what you would have done differently and how you have learned from the experience. Don't blame your previous employer or try to make excuses. Be responsible and show that you have learned from your mistake.

    Everyone will eventually make a med error in their nursing career. It's how you learn from the mistake that is important.

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    • Experts

    While it is true that they probably wanted to get rid of you because of your complaining, you have to admit that you gave them the ammunition with the med error. Whenever you get yourself in the crossfires, you have to be extra diligent to keep your back to the wall. What happened is to be expected, and now you have been initiated. What is more important for you is what you take away from this concerning med errors. Follow the advice given in the other posts and remember to play it closer to the chest on the next job. Best wishes.

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    You will be able to find a new job, but it is a tough job market right now as you have already figured out. It is common to be fired from a first nursing job. Orientations are never long enough and then you have to float. I was fired from my first job as well: The patient, an 89 year old male, was found expired by me, and i was fired because i did not call a code blue when i found him. I went out to the nursing station and asked if he was a dnr. I was reported and fired on the spot. It was a noc position. I had 2 days of orientation, then let on my own with six high acuity patients. Next day i called a hospital outpatient surgery department, spoke to the manager, and was immediately hired for pre-op. It was a great job. All i did was insert ivs, do h & ps, and recovered some of the patients--that was before hospitals started requiring all these certs. You could do hospice or home health, endoscopy or outpatient. Hospital nursing is a nightmare, but, unfortunately, that is where the bulk of the nurses are needed right now. It is hard to find cushy nursing jobs in ambulatory, outpatient, endo, post-partum, hospice, or home health without some med-surg experience. You can now start out at LTCs; you will get plenty of experience giving many po meds and insulin. Don't feel bad--nursing is very cut-throat. Do not mention this job loss on your resume; apply for unemployment online immediately-- if you are honest about why you were fired and that you did not get a chance to explain to management how overwhelmed you felt, you can still get unemployment in the meantime.

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