help/advice new rn recently fired for dumb mistake

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  1. Should he remove or keep work experience at place in which he was fired on resume?

    • 31
      Keep experience and be honest with employer
    • 21
      Remove experience and say/do nothing further b/c employer will not ask what you did between graduation time and time of employment beginning as nurse.
    • 16
      Remove experience and say/do nothing further.

68 members have participated

my friend recently graduated with ASN and was fired after working 7mo at longterm/rehab center.

(he worked 4 years there total as dietary aide and cna during RN school)

he was fired for admitting to handing a CNA medication to give to a resident.

(he is now very aware of his mistake)

he found another job at another nursing home but is desperately trying to get a job at an acute care center/hospital.

recently he was interviewed for a local hospital and gave his work history and told his potential employer he was terminated, understood why, and that he currently works PRN and is seeking a fulltime job at the hospital.

the interviewer allowed him to orient on floor but did not hire him

should he keep on his resume his work experience where he was fired at?

or should he take it off his resume and simply say he started working later as a nurse about 6 mo. after he graduated?

he is currently working on BSN.

no disciplinary action was taken against him thru nursing board/state/law.

thoughts?

should he or should he not remove his work experience at the place in which he was terminated?

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

In my humble opinion, your 'friend' needs to maintain a year of employment at his current workplace. This conveys to prospective employers that he is dependable and will not be a job hopper.

Once the one year anniversary approaches, he should start applying for jobs. However, he should not spill the beans on why his employment was terminated unless he is directly asked.

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To remove that part of his work history would leave a hole in work history that would be hard to explain.

Is he PRN at a hospital, or at the nursing home?

If he is PRN at the hospital, continue to prove that he is a competent and safe nurse. Continue to work on BSN. Continue to look at internal openings, and apply to those that he may like. I think it interesting that he oriented. And he may find his PRN may include that unit in the future.

I would also see about how to go about certifications that may be applicable to what he wants to do.

Best wishes

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Is he PRN at a hospital, or at the nursing home?
The OP indicates the friend is working PRN at another nursing home, but desperately wants an acute care hospital job.
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The OP indicates the friend is working PRN at another nursing home, but desperately wants an acute care hospital job.

Ah, thank you, misread that.

OP, would your friend try for perdiem positions at local hospitals?

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Specializes in Hospice.

Hard to know how to help without knowing why he didn't finish orientation at the local hospital.

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.
Hard to know how to help without knowing why he didn't finish orientation at the local hospital.

OP said they let him "orient" but then didn't hire him. That sounds more like shadowing than orientation.

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You mean "job shadowing" instead of orient

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To remove that part of his work history would leave a hole in work history that would be hard to explain.

Not only "hard to explain," OP, but, if he omits that job from applications when asked to list all previous employment, and the potential employer finds out, as they sometimes do, many employers consider that dishonesty sufficient to drop the individual from further consideration. Not a good idea. Better to list the employment (but not volunteer any details).

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Specializes in Neurosciences, stepdown, acute rehab, LTC.

I would lean towards honesty. I wouldnt want that coming out somehow later (which is always possible) and having my employer lose trust in me.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I think you should let your "friend" fight his own battles...

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I agree; this is "your friend's" problem, not yours.

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