Help Me Please

[ICURNIAM]

Hi, I'm pretty new here. I just started posting since I had a problem at my last job. Here's the basic rundown:

I am a new grad: Graduated May 08: got a job immediately, completed my 12 weeks of orientation with no problems and had been off orientation 8 weeks (total of 5 months on the job) and on my last shift I made a med error: Error was wrong PRN med given to patient (right patient, her med, just not time to give med): My patient had orders to be kept within SBP range of 160 to 200. I gave hydralazine when her BP dropped to 143 thinking that H=High=hydralazine and L=Low=labatalol. Why I thought this, I'm unsure, somehow got it wrong in my head and I didn't look it up. Sooo, pt put on Neo, also a PRN med of hers, SBP within range in 45 minutes, off NEO within 1 1/2 hrs and finished shift with no problems. Charge nurse knew of error in 5 minutes of error, charted in both MAR and patients chart. I didn't try to hide anything. Got called into the bosses office after my shift and was basically told that he couldn't use a nurse who made medication errors, he would have understood it more if I had taken pt A's med and given it to pt B. That error he could understand...

So, I've applied for jobs since then: I was told that I was still hirable through this facility, just not this unit. I didn't keep my job search at just that facilility. He told me that when a prospective employer called him he would have to tell them of the incident (he was obligated). Well, he also said that if I quit that it would look better and that HR would just say to anyone calling that I was rehirable. So..., I've had interviews, 4 almost immediately (it's been almost a month) and then I waited til I heard back from them because "nursing shortage"...I was sure I would get one of the 4...well, no I wasn't hired for any of the 4, I was honest during the interviews and all but 1 was shocked that I was fired for 1 medication error with no write ups prior to this...So, I interviewed for 1 on Monday and then 4 yesterday and so far I've heard back from 1 of those 5 and it's a no...I was advised to seek legal attention (on this site) but didn't want to take it to that level because I did make a mistake but I don't want my career to be screwed up over this either and it seems I can't find a job.....I also don't have the money for a lawyer to fight this...

Help me!

[ICURNIAM]

Ok, I won't even touch the tread that said I don't want to be a nurse.

Ok, Maybe I will, LOL. I am in my second career, my first being teaching. I LOVE nursing. I would have done nursing from day one with my first career had it not been single mom, holidays off, etc. AND (this will answer more than one posters question) when asked "why did you leave your previous job", I have been truthful. I've said, it was a mutual decision for me to leave after I made a med error. Which then has caused them to ask what happened and I've explained from there. Then the majority of them have said, I don't see why he would have let you go after one med error and one even asked what else had happened to which I said, nothing...

I don't need an excuse to leave nursing, I'm here for the long haul. I expected to be an employee at this facility for a long time. I set up retirement, credit union etc...

As to personality, I never had any out and out disagreements with anyone. I'd questioned a few people as to why they do such and such just for my own knowledge but not in a condescending or angry way. I'd never been called to the carpet or into the office for anything. Any discussions of things I'd done wrong was done by my preceptor, out in the open because there was no big deal about what I did.

I live in a small rural town with limited close resources to where I can work. That is my 'preferred' sites. The rest of where I can apply is 100 miles away. Which is where I was working previously, 120 miles from my home. I was dedicated to working there indefinately because there isn't much around my home. My family was dedicated to not seeing me 3 to 4 days/nights a week because I stayed in a motel while gone...

I could go back to teaching, theres nothing wrong with my job references there. I've also owned a business in the past, a successful one, that I could do something like that again. BUT thats not what I want to do. I have worked in a hospital for the past 5 years, with 2 of them being in a clinical position, so I know what nursing is and actually having a license didn't change much, nursing was what I was doing prior to that in my unlicensed position (Not a CNA, I worked at a RHC so I mastered out of procedures and could do everything a LPN could do, IM, SQ, IV etc, drsg change, you name it)...I knew what I was 'getting myself into' when I passed the NCLEX and 'became' a nurse..

Thanks for the good advice that I've received. I will continue to apply and interview as called and I just will not be honest. You see, I have no qualms about leaving that info out, but If you'll search my posts, I've asked for advice about this, and overwhelmingly EVERYONE said to be honest or this might jump up and bite me someday....So, I will avoid the subject like the plague now and hopefully, I will find job soon because my families budget can't handle me not working until after the new year...

Thanks again

[medsurgrnco, BSN, RN]

I had a person call to try to get information, when they called my unit, the boss wasn't there and all they got was voice mail, so she called back and called HR who refused to give her any info other than the dates of my employment without the signed release from me. I'm assuming this is what we all sign when we sign at the bottom of the applications (sorry so say, I've never read the fine print on an application) and by signing that are they allowed to say anything??

When you sign applications, it does appear that you are giving prior employment permission to give out info about you. However, companies have policies regarding what info they divulge and do not want to say much due to liability concerns. I have repeatedly worked for companies who will only say dates of employment and position title and salary, not even whether they would rehire me or not. And most managers were not allowed to give any kind of reference for employees. They have always followed this policy when I've changed jobs.

I think it is quite rare that an applicant who is dishonest regarding the prior employment is caught in that lie later when companies have this policy. But I think it is quite common for applicants to not get jobs when they divulge info that makes them look like a questionable candidate when others do not.

You might examine how you conduct yourself in interviews aside from this issue as that could be resulting in lack of offers as well as being a new grad nurse. Come up with a plausible explanation for leaving your last job, one that won't raise red flags in the interview, and get on with your life as a nurse.

[ICURNIAM]

Update:

I got an offer yesterday from a SICU..I accepted of course, AND it was one of the interviews that I did where I was telling the truth. Thanks all for your advice/help!