I was fired today

[sparenurse]

I was fired from my dream job for not following protocol when doing an SOC and not actually looking at medication containers to verify medications resulting in an error. A few months before that a pt called the agency and told my supervisor that I was incompetent for not being able to get a faulty wound vac to work. God I am so devastated. I am the breadwinner in our family. During the meeting when I was fired I was so shocked that I could not say a thing. Please does anyone have any words to help me.

[LaRN]

been there, done that. employers arent very tolerant these days, ...we are a disposable society, nursing.

at least a third of the nurses i know who have been nurses for any real length of time have been fired from at least one job.

a profession dominated by women....go figure

[sparenurse]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and comments. Over the past month I have had a chance to step back and look what happened. I have never been ' written up' for errors or such in the past 14 years as a RN. This job I had been written up ( 3 times in the last 3 months) for customer complaints that were just not true or valid. I should of realized then the writing was on the wall so to speak. I really feel it was my manager -that is new and trying to make an impression-and just did not really listen to what I was saying. Did I make mistakes, of course I did, was anyone harmed...no. I was still in the probationary period and had always worked in a hospital-this was home health. Huge learning curve.

I have applied for a few positions and have been called back for a second interview with one company. Yesterday I was offered a position as manager of clinical practice at a home health agency. I had to supply an evaluation from a previous job. In reading the evaluation ( great eval) from the hospital that I had for 10 years, I realized that some managers value you and others could care less. So in summery it is about perception. I just was not valued at this job that I loved. Did that sting? very much so. I have learned from this. In my new position I will think about this everyday in my dealing with others. We all have something to bring to nursing and we all should be valued.

[LaRN]

This job I had been written up ( 3 times in the last 3 months) for customer complaints that were just not true or valid. I should of realized then the writing was on the wall so to speak. I really feel it was my manager -that is new and trying to make an impression-and just did not really listen to what I was saying.

i could have written this very same thing. i went through an ordeal like this a while back.....its like bad luck was on my side...i think i was trying too damn hard....in addition, those jerks gave me all of their WORST patients . the ones that their regular nurses had grown sick of....and somehow expected ME to satisfy them....well guess what, that didnt happen.......not that they were ever happy with the other nurses..b/c they complained about them too......but they didnt care about that....because the managers KNEW those nurses and trusted them.........they didnt know me, i was new......and 75 % of my patients were nutjobs......and with 3 or 4 of them calling and complaining, it looked bad to someone who was too ignorant to realize the predicament that they put me it contributed greatly to this problem.....and i didnt do a damned thing wrong.....i went by the book........not good enough though.

[Sterlink]

in my agency, meds reconciliation is constantly emphasized....you should never let your guard done on meds....never assume...often the MDs have a different list than what's going on in the home....HC nurses must VIEW meds and discuss each one, and how used with either the pt, or the caregiver responsible for administration....and don't let someone's title trump doing your own assessment...i had a dtr-in-law once who was an RN and the primary cg for my patient...she gave me the most trouble because she would frequently make her own decisions with the patient's meds...NO GOOD.

[sparenurse]

in my agency, meds reconciliation is constantly emphasized....you should never let your guard done on meds....never assume...often the MDs have a different list than what's going on in the home....HC nurses must VIEW meds and discuss each one, and how used with either the pt, or the caregiver responsible for administration....and don't let someone's title trump doing your own assessment...i had a dtr-in-law once who was an RN and the primary cg for my patient...she gave me the most trouble because she would frequently make her own decisions with the patient's meds...NO GOOD.

YES exactly, RN caregiver was calling different Docs and adjusting the medications herself. Lesson learned the hard way.

[toomuchbaloney]

For millions of health professionals in the USA, work is tenuous. We are expendable, one of many, and easily replaced with someone cheaper. As more and more unions are broken by conservative politicians we have less and less autonomy and power.