Fired for "sounding like I'm high"....

caliotter3 · Jan 10, 2015

You will find nasty people in all settings, just as you will find decent people in all settings. You just go to places where you have heard that they have a good reputation or you take your chances where you are hired. Many people take what they are offered in this day and age, because the chance that they can find another offer, good, bad, or indifferent, is not necessarily there. Good luck.

bethann27 · Jan 10, 2015

LTC can be hard to navigate in the areas of politics and delegating / supervising CNAs. Not to mention the sometimes overwhelming nursing responsibilities.

It takes a good year with competent coworkers to begin to feel confident. Another job just might be a better fit with better support. Maybe this DON actually did you a favor and doesn't even realize it.

RNDude2012 · Jan 10, 2015

Wouldn't they have to drug test you prior to firing you for suspicion of drug use? This just seems fishy to me. I say contact the employment and labor, or lawyer up. Unless you're in an at-will state, that is.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jan 10, 2015

LTC can be hard to navigate in the areas of politics and delegating / supervising CNAs. Not to mention the sometimes overwhelming nursing responsibilities.
It takes a good year with competent coworkers to begin to feel confident. Another job just might be a better fit with better support. Maybe this DON actually did you a favor and doesn't even realize it.

This. :yes:

Although I do have a question; was the MD the medical director, as well as did you have several occurrences where you were counseled? Those do add up, and can constitute grounds to release you, even during probation.

Dust yourself off and find another job; just know that these issues can arise at other jobs as well, so be proactive, willing to learn, and advocate for yourself; put people on notice that you are there to work and don't have time for foolishness. :no:

PinayUSA · Jan 10, 2015

Make sure you check in with an attorney if you find out that you are being blacklisted for "sounding high". They can criticize your job performance all they want, but when they accuse you of being "high" there had better be a positive drug screen and follow-up if they think they can destroy your career with allegations before you have even started.

This

A lawyer can eat their lunch for this. Most companies have insurance for them getting sued. And this one sounds like they were in the wrong

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2015

I have learned from personal experience that doctors have heavy weight when it comes to the decision to fire someone. If the doctor does not feel you are competent then you are automatically out the door. It is a shame that this is the way it is though.

MrChicagoRN, RN · Jan 10, 2015

So today I got a call from the DON of the placed where I worked at and she stated that "We are going to have to let you go. The doctor just got done chewing me out because she thinks that you are incompetent, don't know what you are doing, and sounded like you were high during the phone call (even though other nurses where guiding me during the call). I know I screwed up a few times while I was there due to this being my first nursing job, but something seems really wrong with the way they fired me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had awkward phone conversations with doctors. I got the information that needed to be communicated to her. I had an even more awkward conversation with a on call doctor who had a thick accent, but I didn't receive a complaint from her. I had trouble delegating CNA's, some who were just plain lazy and didn't care, others who had a severe attitude problem....
....The only area I was struggling in was delegating the CNA's for the reason listed above which led to several complaints and such. Not only that ,but within the first month of me being there rumors were circulating of me getting into relationships with the CNA staff that the DON approached me about it. I told her they were in no way true. It turns out that the nurse in charge of the other halls on the same shift started those rumors in the first place. It kind of feels like I was at a place where I couldn't win. Everywhere I went it felt like I had a target on my back. They even told me if I applied for unemployment, that they wouldn't argue against it, which is a red flag if I ever saw one.

Yes, it is generally unprofessional for a manager to fire someone over the phone. There are better ways to handle this. If nothing else, the employee should have the opportunity to ask questions & to present her side, even if the decision has already been made.

Right now,you need to look at what you might have done differently, and if there is a better way to present yourself in a professional manner. They didn't say you were high, only that you "sounded like you were high" even when nurses were "guiding me". FYI, One thing that ticks docs off is when they get calls and the nurse rambles. You are calling them, and they appreciate it when the caller is succinct and to the point. It's very important to be organized, know exactly what you need to say, and anticipate what what the doctor is likely to ask. SBAR, or similar, needs to used consistently.

in any event, it sounds like you're better being out of there. No one can function well feeling that they have a target on their back. File for unemployment, work on figuring out what you'll do differently the next time, and work on finding something better.

Good luck to you!

Altra, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2015

Life lesson learned: unless you are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, or have a specific employment contract, employment is generally "at will". If you are not familiar with what this means, you will want to google search the topic so that you have a better understanding of employment in the United States.

Employers large enough to have a certain amount of organizational structure, a human resources department, for example ... tend to have formal policies detailing the procedure for terminating an employee. Smaller organizations often do not -- but as long as they comply with applicable labor laws (such as not basing employment decisions on the basis of legally-protected statuses such as race, gender, etc.) they are not required to.

I'm sorry for your difficult experience, but I do not see this event, as described in your post, as needing a lawyer or communication with your Liability Insurance carrier. Someone simply decided that a particular employee was not a good fit for a position. It is an employer's right to do so.

Review your own performance and prepare for how you will discuss this unfortunate employment experience in future job interviews ... and move on.

allnurses Guide · Jan 11, 2015

Knuckles31--

So sorry this happened on your first job. I don't really have much to add to the already excellent posts by others except this. No matter what stage you are in as a nurse, when you start a new job you'll be given cues by both your coworkers and your supervisors as to how things are really going.

Sometimes just because we so much want a job to work out we ignore or minimize those cues either consciously or not so much. Often it really isn't enough to say "I've never had a write-up" or "I thought everything was fine" when if you look at things such as the general attitude toward you from longtime employees, seemingly insignificant run-ins with other people and the like it adds up to one big red flag that job isn't right for you no matter how badly you need it.

I'm not saying this is what happened here, just that it is something that may help you next time. I know from experiencing it myself that minimizing those things in a genuinely toxic environment will never have a positive outcome no matter how hard you try. Wishing you all the best for a much better start to your career, a job that benefits both you and your employer. :up:

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Jan 11, 2015

Alright I will look into an attorney as soon as possible especially if I find out I'm being black listed. When I went to the department of labor it only listed that I was terminated. They did ask if there were other factors involved in the termination so I told them what I told you guys. I'm not discouraged just yet. I am skeptical of working at another nursing home since from what I experienced at that place is that word of mouth is very powerful rather than a person's performance and effort. Maybe a clinical setting would be better?

I hope you applied for unemployment. You can always try for unemployment and it is good if they told you they wouldn't contest it. But even if they did contest it, you could still prevail and get unemployment at least.

Delegating can be difficult and as the new person on the block I'm not surprised you got push back from the CNA's. Even where I work with fairly good staffing I have to take some CNA's by the hand to make sure patients get turned etc. You have to politely ask, but then some will still make excuses or tell you they will do it and then when you follow up and check and see they didn't do it they will have an excuse. IT can be frustrating and not everyone is hardworking, some will do the bare minimum.

If you work in a nursing home you also sometimes have to deal with LPN's who resent that you are an RN and they will be offended that you are the supervisor when they have so much more on the job knowledge and experience, while you still have so much more to learn. I experienced this situation at a hospital back when LPN's were part of staffing and all it took was one resentful, jealous LPN to make my life a living hell. Looking back it was almost comical that she was so jealous of me as if I had somehow prevented her from becoming an RN. She could have gone to school just like I did and got her RN. When our hospital did away with LPN's she ended up working as a HUC and then started messing with other new grads to the point of questioning Dr orders and telling the new grads to call the Dr up to ask for other orders, even withheld a tele event strip from a new grad back when we had tele techs. It was disturbing how far she would go to mess with the new RN's because she was pathologically jealous that she was only an LPN! Eventually she left because she felt being a HUC was beneath her!

Heck if I could get paid the same to be a secretary I woud have no problem with that. lol It would sure be a lot less stressful anyway. One can dream!

brillohead, ADN, RN · Jan 12, 2015

I'm sorry for your difficult experience, but I do not see this event, as described in your post, as needing a lawyer or communication with your liability insurance carrier. Someone simply decided that a particular employee was not a good fit for a position. It is an employer's right to do so.

Oh thank goodness, I thought I was the only one who thought this way!

I'm frankly appalled at the number of recommendations to "lawyer up"... don't we get mad when people want to sue us for malpractice for any little thing that didn't go perfectly during their encounter with us ("it took FIVE MINUTES to answer my call bell... let's call a lawyer!")? Are we any better if we do the same?

bethann27 · Jan 12, 2015

If you work in a nursing home you also sometimes have to deal with LPN's who resent that you are an RN and they will be offended that you are the supervisor when they have so much more on the job knowledge and experience ...

This is a common misconception among newly hired RN supervisors. LPNs do not typically resent your education. It is usually push back because we are expected train you how to do basic skills (for no extra pay) while being told by management that those same skills are out of our scope or not company protocol.

Most LPNs want fair pay for a great days work..nothing more nothing less. It's not about you personally or your level of education. It's about the system.