Fired on my Birthday

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Yesterday was my birthday - I'm 43 now. In my mail box I received a slip for a certified letter from my employer.

I picked up the letter this afternoon as soon as the rapid filling of my colostomy bag subsided from consuming the bowel prep for my colostomy reversal tomrrow.

I've been out of work since late April because I had a ruptured diverticular pouch with a severe abdominal infection. After being in patient for 3 weeks I went to convales at my fathers house.

I am fired because I failed to return from a "personal" leave for the surgery and to regain my health for the reversal tomrrow.

What an insensitive thing to do to a person on thier birthday and while they are sick! What a way to shave pennies!

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Unfortunately for Norbert, he was a new employee not yet off orientation when his medical crisis occured so not covered by FMLA.

Since he had recent surger, this facility viewed him as a liability.

Now of situation in my area where RN had abdominal surgery 6 wks prior to hire and was cleared for hiring. Two months later, abd wd dehised while lifting a patient. She is still out on work comp 18mo and 3 abd surgeries to repair adhesions annd recurrent dehisence.

So sorry for this bad timing. Try to look at your growth form understinading what it was like to be a patient, increased knowedge base re ostomy mgmt and how you have an accreased appreciation for your colleagues. MAybe you'll find a postion in GI lab or desire to return to school for CWETN!

Hope your reversal went well and you'll soon be posting again! EVERY voice counts here as we build our nursing BB tapestry.

Specializes in Critical Care.

Norbert,

I am sorry for the assholes of the world. I hope your reversal was successful and you heal quickly. I don't think you have to worry about finding another job with the shortage but It is a shame the way you were treated. Good luck

Specializes in Cardiolgy.

What a crappy birthday present, I can not believe something like that could happen in a 1st world country.

I hope you heal quickly, and find a much better job, there are plenty of jobs out there at the minute, and I am sure once you are recovered you wil have no problems walking straight into one.

One that provides better medical insurance, I still can not get my head around that system.

Perhaps that is the darker side of the American dream? Long live Public Health

I hope your reversal went well and that you heal quickly, Norbert. Legally legit or not, you don't want to work for an organization where they don't even have the decency to tell a person face to face that their job is ended. I know you will find a better opportunity when this is over. ((((HUGS))))

I have worked as staff or agency in most of the adult hospitals in my area and I hear the same stories at ALL of them...so I think this is fairly widespead....at least in my little corner of the world

I worked with a young nurse...very sweet, new hire....while she was in her 3 mo probationary period she had a seizure at work and the staff brought her to ER...new onset ...

it's not like she KNEW she was going to have seizures....

The hospital promptly terminated her. And she had no health coverage, so the hospital turfed her to the county hospital.

I felt so bad for that girl...I lost touch with her but a coworker said she will not return to nursing she felt so lost and afraid with such a catastrophic thing happening to her as a new grad...coupled with the poor treatment she received from her employer. :(

We are just potential liability for hospitals today...and the older we get or the more health problems we accumulate the worse it seems to get.:(

So sorry Norbert!

Y2KRN

+ Add a Comment