Got fire because manager said I need some critical thinking

[HNursing]

Hi everyone,

I came to work today and felt something was wrong already. Nurses were looking at me like they wonder why I was still there. My manager came in to work and then he told me we need to go to HR. I follow him and wonder what is going on. He did not told me that he is going to fired me. He told me that we are going to HR and talk to them about my orientation. He started telling the lady in HR that I did many mistake and they had been going over my mistake many times ever since last months. My mistake was miss pronouncing the name of the diagnosis and can not critically think. I defense myself that I tried to learn it and tried my best to pronounce those diagnosis especially the long words. I also told him that when I had a hard time. I spell for the nurses, but he said I can not do that. It just take too much of the time and people will complaint on you. Then he complaint about that I did not catch one of the doctor mistake for writing the same medication. In my mine in that time, I did not know should i argued with him or not because if someone wanted to fired you they do not need you to explain or if they willing to let you explain they won't fired now. I still go ahead and explain to him and HR lady about it because I was not the one who signed the order off and I was not one who saw that order. I saw it in the computer, but then we have many medication for people with HTN. How should I know that those two medications are the same medications where they have different names. I was upset by it because I was new and I am still learning. I learned from it and the second time I saw it. I told my preceptor and call the pharmacy. But my nurse preceptor did not tell my manager about it. She only told him what I done wrong. Then he told me that the doctor hang up the phone on me once and I had to asked doctor to spell medication order for me. I was felt so sad that my manager had done this to me because I asked doctor to spell the medication out for me because I am the one who going to write the order in behave of the doctor and I do not want to write the wrong order or wrong medication. I was just making sure I am given the right things to my patients. The doctor who hang up on me. It is not my fault that the doctor hang up on me because he was busy. I was so sad because he is against me with these things.

I am new in the floor with many nurses who have so many years of hospital experiences. They compared me with them. I felt so awful. Now I had to look for another job. He said fired me I can not look for job in their system anymore. I was so sad because I did not did a mistake that kill someone. I did not hurt anyone. I know I had limited experience because I did not have much of nursing experience. He told me to find a job in nursing home and get more experience before coming back to the hospital or take some classes about how to pronounce some of the terminology. I was so stock by it. I came home and told my family exactly what happen. They said they believe it because that how he can over his position.

I really do not feel it is fair for him to do that. I never have a patients who complaints on me. I did some mistake, but i learn from it. I had patients who buy me gift and things like that. Felt so unfair that my preceptor did not tell them things I done right and they have to wait for my preceptor not there to fired me. I had no one who can back me up or anything.

Now I got fire and can never apply for any job under that system as well as I don't know how to find another job with this economy and how to tell people that I got fired or I leave the job.

[Lovely_RN, MSN]

I feel really bad for you but I can kind of see things from your employers point of view. I can tell from reading your post that English is not your first language. Maybe you can take some classes to help you improve your English writing skills?

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I'm sorry.

[caliotter3]

I also think that you need to work on your English skills.

[elkpark]

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience and lost your job. Start thinking now (and practicing) about how you will talk about this in job interviews. It's important that you be honest and open about it -- don't try to hide from people that you were let go from this position -- and be able to talk about what you've done to improve your skills and avoid similar errors in the future, without sounding defensive or blaming your previous employers.

Lots of nurses get fired and continue on with their careers -- this is not the end of the world (although I'm sure it feels like it to you right now! :)) Best wishes for your job-hunting!

[DA314]

It is very important for a nurse to know their job. I understand that there are very difficult words, that is why nurses take medical terminology classes. I also understand that there are many different names for the same drug. That is why nurses take pharmacology classes. In the future, if you haven't heard of a drug, it might be helpful to look it up in a current year drug book. That way you'll be able to identify the drug and its various brand names and indications.

Also, I hope you didn't accept the gifts your patients bought you, as that would be extremely unprofessional.

I have to agree with your boss. Maybe a few extra classes would help you in your career. If English is not your first langauge, maybe additional classes on grammar and pronunciation would help. I know English can be one of the harder languages to learn.

Good luck to you. Hopefully you will use this as a learning experience and move forward with optimism.

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

I'm sorry for what you're going through. As a previous poster said, it is pretty obvious that English isn't your first language (and I don't say that to be mean, but it isn't difficult to ascertain).

All you can do is learn from this. Dwelling on it and feeling bad, although completely normal and understandable, won't get you any where. Take a little time to feel down, and then pick yourself back up again. Find out what you can do (take a class, as they suggested) to improve your experience at your next job. You may end up in a better place that you never thought was possible.

You seem genuine, so don't give up!

[rn/writer, RN]

I'm so sorry that you are going through such a difficult experience. I was let go from a job as a fire and police dispatcher--I was very good at many parts of the job, but I am a visual person who needs to see what is being talked about and dispatching is based mostly on what you hear. I felt bad, but looking back, I can see that I would not have been successful in the long run. What this closed door did for me is motivate me to look for something else that was a better fit. You will do this, too.

Is there any possibility of finding a job where the skill you have in your primary language would be a plus?

[BEDPAN76]

Go tomorrow to the unemployment office. Look in the phone book if you need to. They can hopefully point you in the right direction for another job. as well as helping you to get an unemployment check every week till you find another job. It's better than nothing! Also, you may want to consider the night shift in a nursing home where things are usually a little less hectic. You will have time to look up meds you aren't familiar with, and hopefully have a supervisor who will be supportive. Long term care can be very rewarding, and the pay, especially with night shift differential, is pretty decent. We would love to have a caring person such as yourself working in my facility! Sending you my very best wishes! Please keep posting, OK? :flwrhrts:

[BrownskinRN]

I'm Sorry that you lost your job but keep your head held high and work on improving your skills. Everything happens for a reason so just remember that each door that closes a new door opens. Good Luck..

[Rabid Response]

It appears to me that your difficulties are entirely due to your poor English skills. This is actually good news for you, since you can work on this problem. Also, it is nothing that you need to be ashamed of mentioning in future job interviews--you merely tell the interviewers that communication was an issue for you and then outline what steps you took to remedy the problem. ASAP sign up for some advanced ESL classes as well as a medical terminology course.

Mispronouncing medication names and diagnoses may seem trivial to you, but many many medication errors are made due to poor communication between healthcare workers. No, your errors did not result in death or injury to a patient; however, if your employer had let you carry on the way you were and something HAD happened, they would have been as much to blame as you for any poor outcome.

Learn from this experience. It doesn't have to be the end of the world or of your nursing career.

[SonicnurseRN]

I'm so sorry for you!

Cry, have a breakdown & then try 2 objectively take his/her advice. Take some classes ... refine your skills.

I can't imagine trying 2 do this job, with English being my second language. I have nothing but admiration & respect for all the nurses I know with that skill!

Kudos 2 you & don't give up!!