I was let go from my first new grad job this morning on a busy Med/Surg unit. I was on week 5 of my 12 week orientation and had 4 patients. Most nurses have a normal load of anywhere from 5-6. My manager took me into her office and told me that I am not efficient enough My preceptor even told them that I refused to do a PICC line dressing on a patient. That is NOT true. I had never done one to begin with, and I had asked my preceptor if I could watch the first time and next time I would do it. She said that would not be a problem. I told me manager this and she would not give me a response.
I had also written on my Facebook status that I was stressed out at work trying to get into the swing of things, learning how to organize and pace myself. My manager had a PRINT OUT of this and told me that saying this was unacceptable. I was in no way rude or derogatory. I had even written on there that I was using days off to practice prioritizing my work days.
I tried to tell my manager this and she would in no way listen to me. She told me that I may be a good nurse somewhere else but not there. I dont know what to feel
I honestly feel like I will never be a good nurse. Is it normal to feel this way? Back to the drawing board of applying for jobs. I am guessing I wouldnt even use them for a reference since I wasnt there long enough.
I could say so many things... I am so sorry this happened to you and I hope that sorry excuse for a "nurse manager" will get herself in a really miserable situation, such as being investigated by the Board of Nursing. What goes around comes around ... Keep us posted and good luck in your job search! :flwrhrts:
I think you were treated VERY harshly. Your facebook statement was nothing... and who is "efficient" five weeks out of school? I hope you find something much better!
I'm sorry! That has to be hard. My other question is do you not have your FB privacy settings adjusted? Mine is set so NO ONE who I'm not "Friends" with can see ANYTHING of mine. If you plan to keep your FB I would suggest making it private...and of course, only vent to people face to face...or here
I am starting my first job on a tele floor in mid-Feb and I am petrified.
thing with that is employers are now seeing that as you may have something to hide if you have your profile on lock. we were just discussing this in my bioethical issues class
My question is: Why do some people feel inspired to post their most intimate feelings, complaints, you name it, on Facebook? Seriously, if you post it on Facebook, it's "out there" in the cyberland, and anyone's eyes can land on it. And yes, an employer can use the statements/pictures that you post on it as fodder to get you fired, written up, etc.
Like the students in my clinical group that posted pictures of the medical student interns that they would frequent bars with. My question: Why?!! Stop making it everyone's business! If you want to score a date and not focus on clinicals, that's totally up to you. But to act surprised when it's "discovered" by a higher up is just a sign of immaturity and ignorance.
We've all turned into a bunch of zombies where we have to type out everything that we're feeling, what we ate during lunch, who was wearing what in class, and it continues......
I am very sorry this happened to you. I do believe your manager treated you harshly as I was in no way able to take on a full patient load by myself only 5 weeks into orientation. I was barely managing a load after my 12 weeks was up! The FB thing could very well have something to do with it. I know at my hospital we have all signed a notice saying we understand we are not to post anything concerning work on FB and if we do there will be consequences. I am not saying I have never posted something along the lines of, "What a night!!" but that is my own deal and I am not saying it is right. I also have my privacy settings strict as they possibly can be. Bottom line - refrain from mentioning work on FB - very well could have been the real reason since she took time to print it out and bring it up to you.
Let this be a learning experience and go with your head held high. You ARE and good nurse and you WILL succeed at your next job! :)
I am very sorry this happened to you. I do believe your manager treated you harshly as I was in no way able to take on a full patient load by myself only 5 weeks into orientation. I was barely managing a load after my 12 weeks was up! The FB thing could very well have something to do with it. I know at my hospital we have all signed a notice saying we understand we are not to post anything concerning work on FB and if we do there will be consequences. I am not saying I have never posted something along the lines of, "What a night!!" but that is my own deal and I am not saying it is right. I also have my privacy settings strict as they possibly can be. Bottom line - refrain from mentioning work on FB - very well could have been the real reason since she took time to print it out and bring it up to you.
Let this be a learning experience and go with your head held high. You ARE and good nurse and you WILL succeed at your next job! :)
i really am sorry that you had to learn the lesson in such a hard way, it must have felt like a pretty big blow.
others have suggested that it was not fair, was overly harsh, that the facility didn't have an adequate support system for new grads etc; an overall tone of no phi and nothing derogatory, so what's the big deal?
i see it a little bit differently and have to wonder if we've focused so heavily on hipaa during nursing education, that other key concepts are being given short shrift. i think you, like many other new grads enter the workplace relying on hipaa alone to guide your professional judgment and behavior that is not clinical in nature.
i think that "risk management" is one area that is not fully appreciated by many of today's new graduates. most have grown up with technology and a tendency to over share. with that one seemingly innocuous comment, " i was stressed out at work trying to get into the swing of things, learning how to organize and pace myself", you are potentially handing yourself and your facility over to a plaintiff's attorney on a silver platter. if you ever happen to be one of the nurses that provided care for a patient involved in any type litigation against the facility, you better believe that would bite you and your facility in the butt big time if discovered.
are the chances of that happening, slim? of course, i'm just pointing out how your hospital likely viewed it.
dust yourself off and hopefully, within a few short months, it will be just a distant memory of a very hard lesson you learned while navigating a very steep learning curve. good luck.
I was let go from my first new grad job this morning on a busy Med/Surg unit. I was on week 5 of my 12 week orientation and had 4 patients. Most nurses have a normal load of anywhere from 5-6. My manager took me into her office and told me that I am not efficient enough My preceptor even told them that I refused to do a PICC line dressing on a patient. That is NOT true. I had never done one to begin with, and I had asked my preceptor if I could watch the first time and next time I would do it. She said that would not be a problem. I told me manager this and she would not give me a response.
Well that explains that. I am a new grad and I would not due a task I did not do before if I had any doubts. Let them complain all they want about me asking to see someone else do one first.
"I had also written on my Facebook status that I was stressed out at work trying to get into the swing of things, learning how to organize and pace myself. My manager had a PRINT OUT of this and told me that saying this was unacceptable. I was in no way rude or derogatory. I had even written on there that I was using days off to practice prioritizing my work days.
This is why I don't have a facebook and probably never will. I don't want somone keeping tabs on me. Can't you block others from seeing it? never friend anyone from work i suppose.
I tried to tell my manager this and she would in no way listen to me. She told me that I may be a good nurse somewhere else but not there. I dont know what to feel
I honestly feel like I will never be a good nurse. Is it normal to feel this way?
]My question is: Why do some people feel inspired to post their most intimate feelings, complaints, you name it, on Facebook? Seriously, if you post it on Facebook, it's "out there" in the cyberland, and anyone's eyes can land on it. And yes, an employer can use the statements/pictures that you post on it as fodder to get you fired, written up, etc
Like the students in my clinical group that posted pictures of the medical student interns that they would frequent bars with. My question: Why?!! Stop making it everyone's business! If you want to score a date and not focus on clinicals, that's totally up to you. But to act surprised when it's "discovered" by a higher up is just a sign of immaturity and ignorance.
quote]
What was "discovered"? I ask this in all seriousness. Were the pictures taken at bars? Are all these people over 21? Were they planning these dates during clinicals (work-if they were interns not med students)?
I'm so sorry this is happening to you! Now you know how nasty these people are, they did you a favor getting out of that place.
As far as facebook goes, I don't see anything wrong with posting work related things there as long as it in no way identifies a patient or a patient situation. There is a difference between writing "had the most annoying patient today" and "what a busy day I had, trying to get into the swing of things". I feel like the employers have no right to go searching on someones facebook unless you have done something illegal. I would be asking them to show you a written policy where it says they are able to look at your personal life.
Secondly, I'm sorry you had a crappy preceptor. I didn't have that experience as a new grad but some of my classmates had ones just like you. The preceptor would go behind the new nurses back and lie or exaggerate things. Its pretty normal in my book to have someone show you something that you don't know how to do first and then you try it the next time. In fact, that is the safe way to do something, not buy just trying to wing it. The fact that she told the manager that you "refused" to do it, shows me she is just being a B.
Best of luck with another job, the right place is out there for you.
I'm so sorry this is happening to you! Now you know how nasty these people are, they did you a favor getting out of that place.
As far as facebook goes, I don't see anything wrong with posting work related things there as long as it in no way identifies a patient or a patient situation. There is a difference between writing "had the most annoying patient today" and "what a busy day I had, trying to get into the swing of things". I feel like the employers have no right to go searching on someones facebook unless you have done something illegal. I would be asking them to show you a written policy where it says they are able to look at your personal life.
Secondly, I'm sorry you had a crappy preceptor. I didn't have that experience as a new grad but some of my classmates had ones just like you. The preceptor would go behind the new nurses back and lie or exaggerate things. Its pretty normal in my book to have someone show you something that you don't know how to do first and then you try it the next time. In fact, that is the safe way to do something, not buy just trying to wing it. The fact that she told the manager that you "refused" to do it, shows me she is just being a B.
Best of luck with another job, the right place is out there for you.
Thank you so very much.....I am hoping to find that perfect place for me.
I agree with the other responses that the FB comment was the dealbreaker. They do have software that can trace you in FB. That is why I don't use my FB anymore. I've met new nurses who took them a year and more to adjust to the rhythm of the unit.
My preceptor even told them that I refused to do a PICC line dressing on a patient. That is NOT true. I had never done one to begin with, and I had asked my preceptor if I could watch the first time and next time I would do it. She said that would not be a problem. I told me manager this and she would not give me a response. 
BEDPAN76
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I could say so many things... I am so sorry this happened to you and I hope that sorry excuse for a "nurse manager" will get herself in a really miserable situation, such as being investigated by the Board of Nursing. What goes around comes around ... Keep us posted and good luck in your job search! :flwrhrts: