Fired or Resign?

Nurses General Nursing

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Basically my unit has given me 2 weeks to improve or they will fire me,what would you guys suggest i do?...Is it better to resign now than to get fired?

I think critical thinking comes with experience. I too am a new nurse I have been on the floor for 4 months now. I am getting better with my critical thinking but I still have to ask alot of questions on a nitely basis. As far as charting it depends on what the issue is. Do you run out of time to do charting or just missing things, every hospital is different as far as charting. Where I went to school everything was charted by exception and on forms. Where I work now it is all on computer and you just go down the list and fill it out. As far as time I have my own schedule of when and how I do things. You have to find your own way that fits for you. As far as report, that is still an issue for me too. I have a habit of spending time printing H&P's and recent tests. I still get the eye rolls and the sighs. I have talked to other nurses about this and they have told me it depends on who you give report to. And after about a year things get better. I hope this helped good luck.

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I agree with llg.

Specializes in Trauma ICU.

I am also in orientation in the ICU. I definately have my bad moments when I want to quit/think I'll get fired, too, but ICU is really where my heart is so I'm trying everything I can to do well there. Here are some things that might help you that have helped me make it through the day smoothly. First thing in the morning before I even assess my patient(s) I take a blank sheet of paper and write out every hour of the day and list what time meds need to be given, when to do a CVP, when to do vital signs, procedures, bed bath, etc. Then I write the overall goals for what I want to accomplish for my patient that day. That way at the end of the day if other nurses are being critical at least I can say specifically how I helped the patient that day. As for giving report at change of shift, every unit is a little bit different about how they do it. I take 15 minutes in the afternoon to write down what to include in report starting with a brief hx of the patient's hospital stay then going through each system-neuro, resp., CV, Labs, GI, GU, Skin, Family concerns, drips. I find that writing it down keeps me from getting flustered and disorganized in report. Your unit wouldn't have hired you if they expected you to fail so you just need to show them what you plan to do to catch up to speed. I say stick with it for 2 more weeks because everyone learns at their own pace and maybe in the next 2 weeks things will start coming together for you. And most of all, if you want to stay then make sure your manager knows you are committed-enthusiasm counts for a lot! And even if you do get fired, there are plenty of hospitals out there each with their own unique personalities and maybe a different "environment" would work better for you.

Specializes in MSP, Informatics.
The Areas they wanted me to improve were:

Critical Thinking

Charting

Shift Reports.

Could you please give me specific suggestions to improve in the above areas.Thanks.

wow, those arnt things that you can give a check list to someone and they can follow it and make it all better.

I agree with some of the other posters. I would go to admin asap and say that you don't feel this unit may be your best match, and could you possibly transfer. Say you really want to work for this organization and want to find the best possible fit for you. If they don't seem like they want to work with you, then turn in your resignation. Then at your next job interview, you can honestly say that at your last job, you had asked for a reasignment, and they didn't have a position for you, so you resigned.

You never want to get into the situation where you feel you have something to be ashamed about if brought up at a new job interview. Just the fact that you posted the question, makes me feel like you have already thought of that.

On an aside note.... My own father, who was a pharmacist at a local hospital, clashed with the CEO. They hated each other. Just a personality thing, since he had been there for 3 CEO's prior to the change in administration. Dad knew the ax was going to come, just wasn't sure when. So he went in and drew up a proposal saying he was going to quit if he didn't get a window in the Pharmacy. (The hospital pharmacy is located in the center of the building with no outside wall.) no possible way to get a window. The admin told him that.... he said he refused to work under sub-human conditions, and was going to quit. They had every intention of canning him. But his jumping the gun left them spinning. And did leave him with a better chance at landing another job.

Specializes in Psych.

You are in a difficult situation. I think I would advise that you remove emotion and try to maintain control.

--Good people are fired for bad or no reasons everday. There are bad employers. To protect yourself, assume you are good and they are bad.

--While getting fired happens and is not the end of the world, it creates a big set of issues both personaly and professionally. It is a big hurdle to overcome, but not impossible.

I would assume that this is their problem and resign to protect myself from more drama than necessary. There are no shortages of jobs for an experienced nurse. If you hear these things again from another hospital, then look inward, but now look-out for yourself.

The ICU is hard and to think critically in an environment that may be unsupportive is nearly impossible. Good nurses in a really busy and critical environment need to know what can wait just as much as they need to know what to do next. I am not sure which is the hardest. I always hated the looks I'd get from the nurses who came on shift with a magazine in hand to assume my patient who had crashed all day and had been coupled with another patient, but was now singled because he was "sick." " No he didn't get a bath and please change the tubing and whatever. I am sorry are you having a seizure? Why are your eyes rolling in your head like that?" whatever

Good luck to you.

Specializes in ICU./CCU/SICU.

I think the ICU is difficult for a new grad- you still have to learn how to address basic patient needs, plus not always having the luxury of being able to sit and collect your thoughts. Patients who are really sick need things done NOW, and need someone who has the critical thinking skills to be able to meet those needs NOW. I would resign, or try and transfer to a stepdown. Stepdown is a good choice because the acuity is slower, but you will still be able to hone your skills in EKG interpretation, basic gtts, maybe some invasive lines, etc. I'm a path of least resistance person, if they're already questioning your clinical skills, they'll just nitpick you out of there anyways.

Specializes in Not specified.

As many nursing job applications I've seen have questions like, "have you ever been asked to resign or fired from your job" and "have you ever had punitive actions taken regarding your performance", you may want to be able to answer those questions honestly. Resignation, in the world of nursing where there are jobs everywhere and collecting unemployement as an RN is kind of silly and lame (depending on your circumstances) looks better as you can save face and say, it just wasn't a good fit or that you are looking for a place that has a better orientation program or something to that effect.

Specializes in Not specified.

As an aside, you should consider the politics of the unit/hospital. Is there a new Nurse Manager? That usually means clean up time and employers tend to be very savy at firing people who they want to get rid of, once they have honed in on their target. My guess is that you are already a target and the mere fact that they have only given you 2 weeks instead of 90 days is a strong indicator of that.

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

Improve in what area? Do you feel that you will be able to make those improvements? If not, resign. Always resign if they give you the chance. You don't want a termination on your record if you can avoid it.

The Areas they wanted me to improve were:

Critical Thinking

Charting

Shift Reports.

Could you please give me specific suggestions to improve in the above areas.Thanks.

I have not worked in ICU however, I would think charting, shift reports can be improved however if you are not used to ICU vs MedSurg, it will take awhile. Critical Thinking is sort of a general catch-all term but it COULD mean they feel you need more experience in an ICU/acute care setting. I am very surprised they hired you if not willing to do a thorough orientation for someone not accustomed to ICU, or did you have orientation and possibly need more? Two options, ask for more orientation letting them know you really would like to stay, or ask for a transfer with the understanding that when you have a little more experience, you would like to try again. Even if you never apply there again it leaves a good impression with the area and lets them know you are willing to try. Agreeing with others, resignation would be better then being fired.

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

The OP has given us very little in the way of details. We've had to drag them out one by one. Maybe that tendency is part of the problem.

The OP has given us very little in the way of details. We've had to drag them out one by one. Maybe that tendency is part of the problem.

Agree. Could you imagine what it must be like to supervise someone who is not forthcoming?

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