How to explain why I was fired.

[dinkymouse]

I worked as a nursing supervisor for a home health agency for 2 years. My daughter was running away a lot, I was in a bad relationship, my father dx with prostate cancer and I was starting to have flashbacks of abuse in my childhood. My job was my salvation. I had not gotten a review until after the DON who hired me left. Until then I had heard only good things about my work. I increased the number of clients we had, increased employee retention and brought in 24 hour skilled nursing cases. I also did inservices, offered them 2 times a day, so the attendance increased, and also did the home IV therapy. The new DON had a personal issue with me I think. She did my review less than a month after she got there and gave me a marginal review and put me on probation for 2 months. I was in shock! I got sick 2 weeks later, ordered on bed rest by doctor(with note) and came back to an unacceptable performance notice. I saw the writing on the wall and put my month notice in. Things got worse in all ways and I was having problems going into my clients homes, so I signed one of their names to the care plan, I know that it was wrong but at the time I couldn't cope. She had been checking up on me and discovered it. She fired me, which was what needed to be done. She asked why I did it and then couldn't understand why I couldn't tell her the problems I was having. I got an unacceptable for a physical illness what would she have done if I had told her. They took no legal action with my license. I ended up in the hospital 2 days later and have been on mental disability for 11 years. I am back on top and am sending out resumes, what do I tell them when they ask about my last job, she is still the DON there? Sorry this is so long.

[sgent]

I think you just tell them that you were going through some personal problems which had overwhelmed you, and made a poor decision. The personal and health issues is what led to you being disabled, and having resolved that, your trying to get back into the workforce.

That being said, some employers aren't going to accept that, but many will.

[live4today, RN]

The new Don was waiting for you to do something she could fire you for...plain and simple. By forging a patient's signature on the patient's care plan where the patient should have signed -- and not yourself, legally speaking the DON then had all the legal reasons she needed to let you go.

Your family came first. You tried to hang on to your job and deal with family matters without having either one effected, but that NEVER works! I've been in that predicament before, and know that one or the other is going down.

I chose my family with no regrets, and I was divorced raising teenaged girls that were a handfull after the divorce.

I learned through many trial and errors to take as many sabbaticals as I need to recoup and gain a more relaxed perspective on things instead of burning the candle at both ends -- as you were obviously doing. It's a damned if you do/damned if you don't dilemma...no picnic -- that's for sure.

When interviewing for your next job, tell the truth about what happened, how many years ago that was, and that those issues are now resolved. If you are asked what you will do when another family crisis that requires your attention hits, you answer honestly that which you would do. You work for your benefit and your family's benefit...not for your employer's benefit. They can always find a new employee, but your family is your family. Just be yourself, be straightforward about what happened, and leave the rest up to God to see you through. :icon_hug: