Fired from first job..."not eligible for re-hire"

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I still hate to utter the words, even five months later...I was fired from my first job after only eight weeks. I just applied to a different department, and somehow my application snuck by HR. I had an interview today, and explained the situation to the manager of this unit. At the end, he said that he would contact HR to find out if I was eligible for rehire, and I said that I would also look into it. I spoke with someone in HR who apologized for allowing my application to slip through, but I in fact was not eligible for rehire. She said that the only time that she had seen that decision overturned was when the request came down from the CEO. "If you know some big whigs, you might have a shot".

Is this how it works? You get fired from the only hospital in your town, and that's it??? I would like to fight to change this status, but I don't know where to begin. HR isn't going to help, and I doubt the manager who stuck by his decision to fire me will either. I am in an "at will" state, so I am fully aware that we can be fired without reason at any time, but if hospital policy wasn't followed in the process, or a preceptor blatantly lied about some of the complaints she made against me, who would be the best person to turn to? Any feedback, advice, criticism, backlash, pity partying, or slap in the face is welcome! I still feel that this organization is where I am supposed to be, and it makes the most sense for me right now. I have had several months to reflect on the situation, and have made some life changes. I have always been willing to take full accountability for my actions.

Thanks for any help on this...

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When you stop banging your head against the wall, it feels so much better.

You may be able to be rehired in 2 years, but in the meantime ...unless you do know the CEO.. move on.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
. I have always been willing to take full accountability for my actions.

I am sorry that this has happened to you -- but you need to move on for the moment. Find a job at another facility, even if that means moving to another town or taking a job that is not in a hospital. After you have established yourself as a successful nurse somewhere else and have the positive job references to show for it, you may be able to get a job at your former hospital. But it is not an option for you right now.

On another note ... and I don't mean to be harsh with this ...

People say that they are "willing to take full responsibility" all the time without really thinking what that means. It's as if they think say that magical phrase makes all the bad stuff go away. It doesn't. If you are really ready to accept responsibility, then you are willing to acknowledge that you made some significant mistakes and are willing to suffer the expected consequences of those mistakes. In this case, it means understanding why that hospital is not going to give you another job right now -- and being willing to earn a second chance rather than just being given it because you want it. You need to earn that second chance by becoming a successful nurse somewhere else and showing that by having a good job record for a while -- probably a few years.

I wish you the best of luck.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

" I still feel that this organization is where I am supposed to be, and it makes the most sense for me right now."

I don't know why you "feel" as you do about this facility, but I think it's time for a reality check. As has been said, unless you have some strings to pull, I think your future is elsewhere. Probably better for you to be more realistic about that and begin to look at "elsewhere."

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Maybe I should word the question differently...If I was given a "final warning" for attendance issues, and fired after three more shifts, but the warning and termination did not follow the hospital's attendance policy, who has the authority to change my eligibility for rehire? Also, if both the warning and termination were based on inaccurate feedback from a preceptor, is there anything I can do aside from biting the bullet? Is this the reality of it all? Someone decides they don't like you so they can just make up blatant lies that cost you your job? Essentially driving over an hour to another or hospital or relocating my family are about the only options, and it just doesn't seem right to me. Am I just being a pain in the ass about this, or should we try to defend ourselves and protect our reputation and livelihoods when we feel we are being treated unfairly?

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Maybe I should word the question differently...If I was given a "final warning" for attendance issues, and fired after three more shifts, but the warning and termination did not follow the hospital's attendance policy, who has the authority to change my eligibility for rehire? Also, if both the warning and termination were based on inaccurate feedback from a preceptor, is there anything I can do aside from biting the bullet? Is this the reality of it all? Someone decides they don't like you so they can just make up blatant lies that cost you your job? Essentially driving over an hour to another or hospital or relocating my family are about the only options, and it just doesn't seem right to me. Am I just being a pain in the ass about this, or should we try to defend ourselves and protect our reputation and livelihoods when we feel we are being treated unfairly?

The time to fight this was 5 months ago, when it happened. You were fired for attendance issues after only 8 weeks? I can see the hospitals point. How do you know it didn't follow hospital policy? A lot of our policies are different when you are on orientation. There is nothing that you can do about this.

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Specializes in ICU.

I don't know how you could get fired for attendance issues that were based on inaccurate feedback. You clocked in, right? That should solve any he said, she said issues with your preceptor right there. If you were clocked in, you were there, and there is proof that you were there on whatever software your hospital used to keep track of clockings. You could also point to your documentation as proof that you were there - if you charted on a patient, you were there that shift.

If you really did miss some shifts or were late and were let go for those reasons, there is not much you can do. The normal policies and procedures are not always what the hospital goes by when someone is in orientation. The first 90 days of work are commonly considered a probationary period, and if you are anything other than perfect during this time, you might not be considered a good fit and can be let go.

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Maybe I should word the question differently...If I was given a "final warning" for attendance issues, and fired after three more shifts, but the warning and termination did not follow the hospital's attendance policy, who has the authority to change my eligibility for rehire? Also, if both the warning and termination were based on inaccurate feedback from a preceptor, is there anything I can do aside from biting the bullet? Is this the reality of it all? Someone decides they don't like you so they can just make up blatant lies that cost you your job? Essentially driving over an hour to another or hospital or relocating my family are about the only options, and it just doesn't seem right to me. Am I just being a pain in the ass about this, or should we try to defend ourselves and protect our reputation and livelihoods when we feel we are being treated unfairly?

Want to tell us why you were fired?

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I drive an hour because hospitals in my area won't hire adn rns

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I am sorry you are disappointed and that you are having to adjust your thinking some. For better or worse, this is how the world works. Your "feeling" that you are supposed to work here is not really a realistic or mature way to deal with the situation.

You have no recourse here. None. Take a day or two to grieve, but then big sigh, big person panties pulled up nice and high and march on down the road to the next employer, taking with you what you learned from this one.

I truly do wish you well.

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Want to tell us why you were fired?

Hahah absolutely I can tell you why I was "really fired"...But why is everyone here a "liar"??? I was joking about the pity party part, really, just wondering who has authority here...

I was late twice in four weeks. 8 minutes once, and 17 minutes and I called. We had some stuff going on, spoke with my manager, he suggested I switch to 12s, the shift I was hired for, and I agreed. A few weeks after switching, an assistant manager called me into her office at the end of a shift and handed me a final warning stating I was late three times, 4-8-17 minutes. All occurances happened before I switched shifts. There was a corrective action plan stating that I would be on time for every scheduled shift. I had the next few days off and tried to call and email my manager to discuss it. I had tried to set up a time to meet with him prior about some concerns I had with the preceptor. I worked my next three shifts, couldn't find my manager, but got a call from him the next day. He asked what I wanted to discuss, I asked if I could come off orientation as I felt that I was competent and confident enough to do so, he stated that "you're definitely competent enough, your competency has never been an issue". He then stated "the problem is, you can't get here on time. I can see where you punched in on time your last three shifts, but can't for the life of me understand why you have been 20-30 minutes late and missed report". My preceptor told him this, that I must be punching in at 0300 and taking off for a while. I suggested she was mistaken, and asked if we could talk to the two nurses I had gotten report from, he didn't think it was necessary and asked that I meet him at HR the next day where I was fired for not meeting the terms of the agreement "per preceptor". When I tried to defend myself, I was told that this isn't a conspiracy. When I asked for a copy of the hospital's attendance policy, he told me that he had followed it. I refused to sign the papers, and the HR rep told me to take a while to reflect, and get settled into a new place, and reapply for a different position.

I'm a new nurse, but a seasoned vet of the game of "life". I'm not sure why this young lady who was my preceptor, and a terrible one at that, could not have possibly acted like a catty little teenager who just didn't like me and decided to put my faith into her hands. This isn't some big glamorous job, it's a community hospital that has never achieved Magnet status and has always had a somewhat lousy reputation. However, they have brought in a lot of new managers, invested time and money into upgrades, and into striving to be better. This is where I live, and I wanted to serve my community. I have a sick first grader, and want to be close if he has an emergency.

The hospital attendance policy states that anything over five minutes is considered a tardy, and that four in three months warrants review, and possibly a conversation with the employee regarding the situation. I had two. IF it continues, a formal verbal warning may be given, followed by a first and second written warning, final warning (but only after review by the director of the department, vice president of the division, and HR director. This attendance policy is used from the start of employment, even within the 90 day probationary period. A different corrective action policy is used for competancy and other issues. I was given a final warning first, and fired after three more shifts. I was on time for each one.

I should never have been late in the first place, should not have handed them any ammunition, kept my head down and my mouth shut even when my incompetent preceptor was acting unprofessionally, and later downright being a bully...live and learn I guess.

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Specializes in NICU.

You clocked in on time but missed the first 20-30 minutes. That sounds like the problem. Is that true or how did things get twisted that way?

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