fired if they don't like the color of your nail polish...

[fungez]

I read that a lot. But I've only seen a few people get outright fired in my career. Either for 100% objective reasons, like excessive absences, or for major errors (like giving the wrong chemo, to more than one person) and that was after multiple warnings for other errors.

Has anyone ever had a coworker or herself fired for purely personal reasons? And if so, what official reason did they give?

[kcochrane]

As a severe asthmatic I really appreciate when businesses go smoke free. I don't give a crap if people want to pollute their own lungs, but why should I have to cough and gag my way into a building because SOME (not all smokers) people want to smoke right at the dang entrance???

As a former smoker, I don't enjoy going through the smoke myself. I think there should be a place for smokers, but not at the doors.

To the op, no I haven't seen anyone get fired for appearance, nails, etc. The only firings I saw were for lack of performance.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

In many places, there is no nail paint permitted, thus its not personal.

Just as many places do not permit visible extra piercings (other than the standard ears), tattoos, excess jewelry or perfume.

[countessyana]

I've never smoked in my life, but nazi rules like that make me want to take it up. And blow the smoke in my boss's face.

At my hospital (north of Israel) you can't get fired for "silly" reasons...you have to be a bad nurse and lack every skill possible to get fired IF you have tenure....you obtain tenure after 2-3 years of work...and after that you can be moved to other wards but not fired.

I know a nurse who almost killed her patient giving him the wrong med and the hospital didn't fire her 'cause she had 3-4 years left to her retirement- they just downgraded her from RN to CNA...but kept her high salary :)

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

I'm just picturing a nurse with Goth makeup and purple hair.

A nurse who looks like Lisbeth Salander is certainly frightening. But so far, I have not seen that. Most nurses and support staff have common sense.

[coolpeach]

At the last hospital I worked I was told by the employees that hardly anyone ever got fired. That if you got on the wrong side of the powers that be that they would force you to quit. I was told that one employee was constantly sent home early, told she wasn't needed as soon as she got to work, and not scheduled for days at a time until she finally quit. Other instances of crappy assignments, overloading your rooms, and generally making your life miserable. In other words they don't have to fire you to make you go away.

[caliotter3]

At "home", my apartment is over the car ports. I can not open my windows because for some reason several people choose to smoke in the car ports. It permeates my apartment even with the windows closed and I start to get nauseated. I can't seem to escape the smoke anywhere, at any time. I don't care where someone smokes if there were a way I didn't have to suffer because of their habit. So, I am happy to go to a place of business or a work place where I have less of a chance of getting sick from the air quality.

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

I can honestly say, during the length of my career as a CNA and RN, I have seen more instances where I am questioning someone NOT being fired than cases where someone is fired for what seems to be a ticky tacky reason.

I've known nurses who stay late, at least 45 min. every single day despite warnings from corporate that OT for any reason will not be tolerated. They get written up, but never fired. I've seen nurses call off to the point of being beyond the firing point total for occurances three times and still they are working. Know more than a few nurses who show up significantly late more often than on time (again, write ups but no firing). Know of a nurse who consistently has the wrong fluids hanging on multiple patients, and of course the wrong rate if the right fluid......still working. Know of a nurse who does not do her admits, leaves it for the float nurse to get and if they don't, the next shift can get it.........write up but never fired. Know more than a few nurses who have gone nose to nose with the manager for triffle reasons (didn't like being told about not locking med drawers was one), and they are still there.

Once, when I was a travel nurse, a nurse got fired because they cracked one too many jokes about the lack of clinical experience the unit manager possessed. That one got written up for petty things left and right, never put two and two together to realize their jokes about the manager were getting back to her, and one day they were gone. This is the only example of a "questionable" or "personal firing" I have witnessed.

[Ambitious-Girl]

I'd just like to know where are the write-up's, warning's, and firing for those who can't come to work and atleast look decent!!! Yes,I work he!!a hard and everyday isn't a breeze for me but does it have to show? I love my lip gloss,nails clean & hair done. I mean if it's in the policy.Fine! I can understand the loud color's & ridiculous hair colors/do's. Seriously..soft pink's & nude colors shouldnt be a warning it should be an ALERT to other co-workers to do something with those jagged edge's and hang nails stretching patients (I was a victim to this and bad body odor).

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

you know, i thought nursing was a professional occupation.....you are not going out to a pub/club, hair should be up if directly involved with patient care and make-up should be at a minimum!!

it's no wonder that people think that nurses are just there to "marry a doctor"

you know, nursing is a profession. so nurses get to decide how to wear their hair and how much make-up to use. as for people who think nurses are "just there to marry a doctor," they're ignorant.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i've seen several people fired who thought they were getting fired for "no reason" other than the color of their nail polish or something equally trivial. most of them were so clueless about the job they didn't realize that they weren't cutting it and so overconfident they didn't get it when someone tried to tell them. there was the guy who insists he was being fired because he was "so close to retirement, i'm at the top of my pay scale." i'm sure it had nothing to do with the notes he put in a patient's chart blatantly stating that the attending physician was an incompetent idiot. not just once, but several times. he'd been counseled for it over and over.

and there was the guy who was sure he was fired because management was homophobic. of course, he also "took care of" a patient for an entire shift without realize she was dead.

there was the woman who insisted she was fired because of her religion. (calling in sick every saturday, sunday and holiday probably had nothing to do with it -- nor did the coming in late and leaving early.)

there was the manager who was fired "so they could put the director's best friend in my job." or it may have had something to do with the fact that she insulted half of her staff at a staff meeting and they all gave their notice over the course of the next couple of months -- as soon as they could find new jobs.

there was the guy who was sure he was fired because he used to date one assistant manager -- until he eloped with another. that might have been a good reason to fire him, but i suspect it was more due to the fact that he "forgot" he was taking care of his third patient, or insisted he wasn't assigned to that patient (when the assignment sheet clearly stated that he was) or otherwise failed to see, assess, chart or give meds to one of his patients. anyone can screw up once -- but every day?

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

The bosses usually never give you an 'outright' reason (they don't want to get sued). They usually just ignore you with no work.

Though my last psychotic and very highly stressed nurse manager who wanted me to virtually work 24/7 rang me later & told me I was being 'let go', because I wasn't taking any of the shifts she was offering. Mind you, she seemed to forget that (as I pointed out):

1) I don't do straight on call - where you drop everything to go to work,

2) told her at the job interview my studies come first, hence not doing number 1.

If only people would listen to what one actually said at a job interview, the so-called nurse managers could save themselves a LOT of bother.

[lkwashington]

My hospital recently went 'tobacco free'. Some have gotten fired for smoking on the campus

I have heard the facility I work is planning on going to be tobacco free. They are going to have to go near the street to smoke. I dont know how this going to work. There are so many nurses and staff smoke there. How about the patients, we just have to order more nicotine patches not just for the patient for the staff, too. This is going to be disaster in planning.