Fired!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

So I started on a L&D unit a few months ago. My dream job. I was never given a fair chance because all the nurses hated me. Instead of telling me things and teaching me things while on orientation, they would go to management anytime I did anything wrong. I wasnt given a preceptor who was trained. I was with a different person everytime. It was ridiculous. The union said if i really wanted to i could get my job back because they did so many things wrong, but i dont want it. I was miserable. It was so bad that even patients complained to management that the nurses were so mean to me. The educator of the unit disciplined me. They admitted the unit was toxic and not conducive to learning right in front of the vp of the union. I can't do anything about it because they prevented me from being in the union by extending my probation period. And the list goes on...Anyway I was let go. On ridiculous grounds. Things that weren't even true were put in my discipline paper that I refused to sign. They did so many things wrong. Anyway my question is should I use this job on my résumé. I really want to work in L&D or something around that field and this is my only experience in that specialty. How do I explain what happened? I have 2 years experience in another specialty and kept my job at the hospital per diem just in case and was able to pick up hours for now. But I have an interview coming up where I listed this job. I really want this job. I feel Im meant to be in this field. It truly is where my heart is in nursing, but the question is How do I explain it?

I'll be honest with you...DO NOT put this job on your resume.

You are not required to...that is a myth. If you put a "friend" as a reference I can assure you that your "friend" will never be called. They will call the main number of the hospital, ask for human resources, etc.

Good for you for standing your ground and not signing a write up full of lies..TOO MANY YOUNG NURSES on here cave and they think they "have" to.

You don't have to sign anything...especially if they are firing you.

Many new nurses post that they were not given a fair chance and if you look closely at their story, it's full of excuses..YOURS IS NOT ONE OF THEM...that is ridiculous that you were not given a consistent preceptor and when I was a nurse intern I was called to interview with the same hospital after graduation by the manager and I told her that I, under no circumstances, wanted to work in the L&D unit because of how I was treated. Nasty, nasty, nasty.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Don't ever badmouth a previous employer to a potential employer. Don't say "the environment was toxic." Instead, you might say something like "the environment was not conducive to learning and did not provide a comprehensive orientation program"

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Thank you so much everyone for your input. I really appreciate the advice. I will most definitely follow up with the union and see if I can resign. I will also use your pointers and tips for my interview and I really hope I get the job. I will keep you all posted.

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One of my nursing jobs was, well, toxic! We had a clique, and if you were in it OR didn't do anything to upset them/ask any questions, things were good. If they didn't like you, you asked too many questions, upset them or thought for yourself, or whatever - they not only talked about you, they complained to management about you and worked on getting rid of the people they didn't like. One of their "tricks" was to send new staff just off orientation to nights (where the nurse educator and nurse manager weren't around to evaluate the situation themsleves) and the nights group would either make stuff up or find ways they catch you not being 100% right...and it get exaggerated and reported (the exaggerated version of events).

My advice would be to not give up. There is something better out there. Nothing will be perfect, but there will be something that is a much better fit for you that will come along when you least expect it. I wasn't 100% looking to leave my second job as it was leaps and bounds better than my first, but I had the chance to move closer to family and I jumped on it. I LOVE my current job. Our educators are great, our managers and assistant managers are great. Our charge nurses are pretty great too. There are still "days" as every job has bad days, but the good outnumbers the bad by far. :)

When I was asked why I left my first job, in interviews for other jobs - I calmly explained why I felt it was unsafe for staff and patients. I didn't trash my former employer, just identified several flaws. There were positives too, I learned a lot about nursing, I learned so much from some of my patients/have amazing stories about how I positively affected them and more importantly, I learned who I don't want to become in my career. It's a hard lesson to learn, and it sounds like you (original poster) are well on your way to learning it yourself.

I would be honest about having worked at XYZ - depending on how they conduct background checks, they will almost certainly find it. Many hospitals state that omissions are considered lies and any lies/falsification on applications can be grounds for withdrawal of offers and/or dismissal if they later find out you lied. And there is so much (undoubtedly) that you learned, give yourself credit!

And, I agree with a previous poster, if my union rep had said they had grounds to fight the dismissal, I probably would have let them fight for me, if for no other reason than to clear my name. But you have to make the best choice for you, and that's not for me to decide.

I feel like you have been through exactly what I've been through. It is crazy how they allow such behavior. I believe I have a strong personality. I am in my 30s and I don't think they likes the fact that I didn't allow them to talk to me like a child and stood up for myself. I appreciate your insight.

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Apparently I need to get the toxic word out of my vocabulary. I really do appreciate all the heartfelt advice. I'm going to make notes and commit it to memory so I can move forward in a positive way.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

What can and can't be shared by your employer varies state to state. Here is a brief reference for all states. State Laws on References and Statements By Former Employers | Nolo.com

Tell them about your job for if they do credit/background checks it will show where you worked. tell them it was NOT a good fit so you decided to move on.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

I wasn't in EXACTLY your situation, but one quite similar.

The very first time I worked in an OR, I got extremely poor orientation. There wasn't even a Nurse Educator on the unit. The plan for orientation was sort of "whoever was available", and they became my preceptor for the day. The turnover was rapid. There was a nurse that had been on the unit FOREVAH, and she viewed herself as the nurse educator. She had ZERO teaching skills, and thought that instilling fear was the best way to teach.

I witnessed some really scary things there, and didn't feel comfortable working there. I resigned after 5 months. Yes, FIVE months.

I interviewed at another hospital, and the NM asked why I left after such a short period of time. I was tactful, but honest. Imagine my surprise when she took her glasses off, leaned across the desk, and said, "I know EXACTLY what you mean. It IS unsafe there. That hospital has been cited for many violations. You made the right choice to leave."

The point that I am trying to make is that you can be honest, but be brief and don't go into detail. NM's know a lot about what's going on in various hospitals, and sometimes are privy to the dysfunction of specific units.

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Specializes in Cardiothoracic.
One of my nursing jobs was, well, toxic! We had a clique, and if you were in it OR didn't do anything to upset them/ask any questions, things were good. If they didn't like you, you asked too many questions, upset them or thought for yourself, or whatever - they not only talked about you, they complained to management about you and worked on getting rid of the people they didn't like. One of their "tricks" was to send new staff just off orientation to nights (where the nurse educator and nurse manager weren't around to evaluate the situation themsleves) and the nights group would either make stuff up or find ways they catch you not being 100% right...and it get exaggerated and reported (the exaggerated version of events).

My advice would be to not give up. There is something better out there. Nothing will be perfect, but there will be something that is a much better fit for you that will come along when you least expect it. I wasn't 100% looking to leave my second job as it was leaps and bounds better than my first, but I had the chance to move closer to family and I jumped on it. I LOVE my current job. Our educators are great, our managers and assistant managers are great. Our charge nurses are pretty great too. There are still "days" as every job has bad days, but the good outnumbers the bad by far. :)

When I was asked why I left my first job, in interviews for other jobs - I calmly explained why I felt it was unsafe for staff and patients. I didn't trash my former employer, just identified several flaws. There were positives too, I learned a lot about nursing, I learned so much from some of my patients/have amazing stories about how I positively affected them and more importantly, I learned who I don't want to become in my career. It's a hard lesson to learn, and it sounds like you (original poster) are well on your way to learning it yourself.

I would be honest about having worked at XYZ - depending on how they conduct background checks, they will almost certainly find it. Many hospitals state that omissions are considered lies and any lies/falsification on applications can be grounds for withdrawal of offers and/or dismissal if they later find out you lied. And there is so much (undoubtedly) that you learned, give yourself credit!

And, I agree with a previous poster, if my union rep had said they had grounds to fight the dismissal, I probably would have let them fight for me, if for no other reason than to clear my name. But you have to make the best choice for you, and that's not for me to decide.

Desireern2011- just have to say you took the words right out of my mouth!

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In my state, most of the time they are scared to give a bad review because of slander. I know my former partner sued the hospital he worked for and received a nice sum because of what they've said about them.

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What can and can't be shared by your employer varies state to state. Here is a brief reference for all states. State Laws on References and Statements By Former Employers | Nolo.com

Tell them about your job for if they do credit/background checks it will show where you worked. tell them it was NOT a good fit so you decided to move on.

Thank you but the state I am in is not on this list.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

PPs have all offered excellent advice.

I just wanted to comment on something that seemed to be "shouting" from the OP's first post. I didn't see any 'ownership' of anything... in her story, she was 100% victim of vicious coworkers & tyrannical supervisors/educators. I encourage the OP to carefully reflect on this event & surrounding circumstances; examining what part she may have played and determining how to avoid similar mistakes or situations in the future. Unless one learns from one's mistakes - repetition is very likely.

It is not unusual to be involuntarily terminated (fired) at some point in a nurse's career - BTDT. It is up to you whether it is a learning experience. Future interviewers will be more accepting/understanding if you can say "and these are the changes I made as a result of that" instead of "they were so mean and horrible to me".... just sayin'

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

I just wanted to comment on something that seemed to be "shouting" from the OP's first post. I didn't see any 'ownership' of anything... in her story, she was 100% victim of vicious coworkers & tyrannical supervisors/educators. I encourage the OP to carefully reflect on this event & surrounding circumstances; examining what part she may have played and determining how to avoid similar mistakes or situations in the future. Unless one learns from one's mistakes - repetition is very likely.

I completely agree with this. We had a new OB nurse who worked on our unit for about six months, before she was finally let go, due to incompetence and inability to take constructive criticism. I could EASILY see her writing the OP. From her perspective, she was unfairly targeted. From everyone else's perspective, she was unsafe.

When one person says something about you that you don't agree with, you can chalk it up to that person being wrong. When 3 or more people are saying something about you that you don't agree with, perhaps a little self-reflection is in order. It's RARELY completely one-sided.

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