Published Nov 11, 2012
Travelnurse44
4 Posts
Reading these forums makes me sad, but brings me hope as well...to say that you can talk to your mgr to explain things you did wrong
WOULD be nice, but in my world that didnt happen. Im a canadian nurse who went to Fl & Az to work for a few yrs, now want to rtn but
am quite excited, but a little scared at the same time. I worked many, many hospitals in Az...got fired in a few...to say that you can
"talk" to the mgr about what u doing wrong is an understatement for sure...so here goes, I NEED ADVICE FOR THE NEXT TRY!!!
1. Worked per diem at one hospital med/surg. Charge nurse said to use her name to split referral bonus. I'd done this lots so no
problem. Waited 3 mos to get my share, went down to HR to ask where or how long it might be...they said she got it 2 mos ago, I
approached her again, she told me, "I told you - I never f''got it" (She was a rough character, but had worked there 7 yrs, me I was just
per diem. Next day I go to work, get cld into mgr's office - was told I 'forced" a mexican pt to speak english...I told them that was an out
right lie (which it was) and that charge nurse owed me $, hence the false accusation. Me w/ mgr etc etc No way did they believe me, I
was fired.
2. Worked in ER, pt going down fast (drug addict) I knew something wrong and kept telling nurse who was orientating me...She yelled
at me, showing me vital signs, saying "you will never make it, she is stable (VS) and just a drug addict. I had been speaking w/ Dr
about her (17 yrs as anRN, u just have a hunch...) Dr walks in says what do you think
min. Me: Fired...I asked Mgr if I could even talk to Dr. No, its just not working out...I also, didnt want to discharge a pt as he wasnt
feeling well, (alcoholic) but was told by same orienter, to "Treat and street" or I wouldnt make it in that ER. I had to pretty well force his
to leave, and when he stood up, seized, broke all his teeth, blood everywhere, Dr walked in and told the other nurse who was "on me"
that she should of listened to me....! There was no resolving anything, these nurses get it in their head, they are staff, u r a traveller,
no chance in hell. That's why they call it "Right to work".
3. Worked in ICU, was told I didnt give an IV abx, as the empty bag was not in the garbage - "Are you kidding me?" fired. "There were
numerous complaints about you...I asked like what? "You didnt give proper report...Please elaborate...no, its just not your fit...
Btm line - I had no problems dealing with the Dr's, Pts, difficult pts and their families, but if a woman RN doesnt like you....you are
toast in those states. I tried to take it up the ladder to no avail....ANY ADVICE? CUZ I'M HEADING OUT AGAIN...MY RN FRIENDS
MENTIONED BOUNDARIES AND SAID they noticed schoolyard bullying w/ me not knowing how to stop it.....thanks for ANY advice!
BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN
1 Article; 909 Posts
Wow, I don't know what to say about this other than pure honesty. You were fired three straight times, admit no fault, call it "school yard bullying," but if I was interviewing you I would really have Serious reservations about your work history.
I understand "right to work states." I live in one, and work in and out of them regularly. They are no more "fire-happy" than the next. Everyone has and sets boundaries, but I have worked in 16 different states, and more facilities than I can count, and I only broke one assignment- which I completed two weeks later, and due to my niece's death. That was in a "right to work state," where theoretically they could have fired me.
I would ask you to rethink your work history and see really why you were fired from this many facilities. I am not calling you a liar, but maybe the way your looking at this is fogged. Even one firing can be detrimental to your future, and scrap your resume in this economy. If the facilities were sooo bad, why didn't you resign? So I'm not saying that your post is untruthful, but it just can't be the "whole truth."
I hope things get better for you next time, but if something doesn't change, I think you might be adding another termination to your, with all due respect, too long termination list.
Good Luck:)
P.S. many larger facilities have Employee Assistance Programs, check for one of these or the like next time you have some trouble-as they are a wonderful resource to struggling employees.
MJB2010
1,025 Posts
Honestly, if you got fired 3 separate times, there is a reason. You need to do some soul searching and try to figure out what happened at each of these jobs. It can't always be someone else's fault. Once you could write off as no reason or not your fault, 3 times shows a common denominator. Your best bet is to Figure out what is going wrong so you can prevent it from happening again. No one is perfect we all make mistakes. But you need to admit to them and do our best to prevent repeating the same ones again. A lot of people get fired, but you need to know what he cause was. Might be worth calling these places to seek out the real problem. I can tell you, in all honesty, if you go to an interview and say you got fired 3 times and none were your fault, the odds of getting hired are not good.
Ntheboat2
366 Posts
I would suggest to settle down and not be a traveler. It can be easy to not give report to the standards of the unit if you don't know what the standards of the unit are. I dunno...some people don't adapt well. Really, it can be hard to adapt to a new setting because so many nurses are passive aggressive and instead of telling you what you're doing wrong they will just treat you like crap and tell everybody else. Anyway, try to stay at one place and see how that works out. It might be a lot better fit for you!
HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD
9,051 Posts
PPs are all offering excellent advice.
I happened to notice the OP's comment -"but if a woman RN doesn't like you ... you are toast in those states" Hmm - my Spidey sense is telling me that the OP is likely a male nurse, right? So is there a possibility of a wee chip on the shoulder that may have a negative effect on interpersonal relationships with co-workers?
Travel nurses I have worked with are comfortable 'working without a net' - in the form of workplace guarantees that the rest of us need from our employers. Their skills are awesome, and they have a real knack for quickly adapting to fit to any environment and situation. Seems like the OP does not fit this mold - so maybe, (as suggested by Ntheboat2) should re-think this line of work.
TopazLover, BSN, RN
1 Article; 728 Posts
I agree. Once could have been a fluke, twice a bit of bad luck, three times and you have to look in the mirror.
Travelers have a difficult time. Many places need them but hate the cost and difficulties they bring. There is always a local "this is how it's done" even if it is never said or written. Do you like traveling? It seems like you might do better with a stable job. At least with that you know the place has made a large investiment in you and is leass likely to drop you, especially for what might be considered less than critical incidents.
Did you have time under your belt before you started to do traveling? Do you come across as a know it all? There may be a number of issues in play ut one that stands out to me is what sounds like putting others down when you are making your point about what is happening to a particular patient. Most of us would rather discuss rather than have someone blast. Not saying that is what you were doing, it does seem like it might have been taken that way.
tigerlogic
236 Posts
It may be worth it to really look at your team building/social skills. It sounds like people don't like you and it's important for your team members to like you. This isnt a profession for lone wolves. Do you have a sense of humor or personality that alienates new coworkers? If you aren't good with first impressions and making friends, maybe settling in one place would be useful for you.
BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN
3,520 Posts
Sorry, the text speak and grammar was so sad in the OP's post that I'm having a hard time processing it all. Multiple firings? Never your fault? Seriously I think any HR interviewing you would hesitate. Also, your comment about a woman RN not liking you? Sounds like an incredible attitude to have to deal with. Maybe we've just figured out a reason for your multiple firings?