I got fired while being on orientation at a hospital for just 1 week. Why did this happen?

[Strugaaa4eva]

So I am seeking some advice as to why this occurred and am still pondering on what could have I done wrong for this to have such a bad ending. After searching and searching years and years for a hospital job (I've always worked in subacute rehab settings) and have been craving a hospital job for nearly 5 years as it will be 5 years this coming May that I graduated from nursing school. Long story short, I was hired by a local hospital and all was going well with the first week of orientation. I mean, c'mon it was only classroom work and I passed all the required exams such as the IV and medication administration. I had to take a personal call during the last 1/2 hour of our last day of class and when I returned the nurse educator was saying how I shouldn't give her a heart attack next time about not telling her where I was. I explained what had occurred and I didn't realize that 5 days later I was going to be reprimanded for that. I received a call from the unit manager I was supposed to work at stating that I was technically supposed to come this weekend for my first day of clinical orientation (I was hired as a per diem nurse) she told me that I don't need to come. Refusing to provide further information, when I asked her if the position was terminated she said "yeah kinda, you'll get a letter in the mail explaining everything." I'm really baffled about this? I seriously didn't do anything and am unsure why did this lead up to here?

Please take note, only constructive comments will be accepted otherwise demeaning, ridiculing words will be flagged. I just need to get some advice as to why this happened and if it is something usual?

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Going back to the "it's only classroom work" comment:

You do realize that in the classroom is when you'll learn key company policies that will protect you legally during your career, and help you get the most out of your career, along with major resources that will improve your ability to care for nurses for years to come, right?

[Amethya]

I'm not a nurse, but a CMA. I quit/fired my first job and I had a second job that lasted only a week and I learned from experience that no matter what job you get, it's NEVER permanent. That's why you gotta be on your toes and make sure you do well always, because if you piss off the wrong person or do the wrong thing, it's bye-bye job. You gotta be perfect than perfect! That's what I learned from working at a clinic job.

I thankfully found a job at a school, and it's more laid back than at a clinic or hospital, because there they are always up your butt about something, so it's stressful. I felt bad the same way, but then after a while of looking for work and thinking, I saw it was mostly my fault for being too laid back in these types of jobs and I gotta be more professional at work. So that's what I did, but after 7 months here, I found that it's laid back, but I gotta still be on my toes. I guess I'm still traumatic on that.

[Extra Pickles]

Exit interview would be useless spending of time, because the OP would be given generic politically correct lie of being "not a good fit" or her mistake (yes, mistake it was) of taking that call would be blown into size of a crime against entire humankind. To know the truth, the manager and/or HR will have to be forced to tell it; I am afraid that a Court's order to testify under oath wouldn't be enough to do that.

I beg to differ, but an exit interview can be a very useful expense of time! She has no way of knowing at this moment if she'll get a generic wishy-washy response like "you weren't a good fit", but she also doesn't know if she'll get good feedback, constructive criticism which DOES happen and if she pays attention to that she'll hopefully be able to change something so that she doesn't get fired again if she gets lucky enough to get another acute care spot. Not all exit interviews are generic nonsense, sometimes they are great tools. I know because I sat in on one and told the new hire personally what was going wrong with her that made me recommend to not continue the orientation! Did she listen and learn I have no idea but I felt that I did her justice by telling her what the problems were and they were fixable, probably, but they weren't going to be fixed on our dime if you know what I mean.

[Extra Pickles]

If I am following this correctly, it wasn't until 5 days later you were told not to come in? What, out of curiosity, makes you think it was the phone call that 5 days later resulted in your discharge?

I'd think something came up on a CORI check or reference call or such that was more immediate to your being discharged....

Something isn't adding up right in the OP's posts because the first time through she said it was the last half hour of the LAST day that week, but then said she found out five days later, which implies it happened on the first day that week. It seems that if this happened on the last half hour of the last day of the classroom portion then there was probably more that wasn't going on well and that might have been the last straw. I'm only guessing because the only one who knows the truth (if the OP doesn't) is the administration at that hospital, which is why she needs to go to an exit interview if they are willing to hold one.

[saskrn]

You can continue to say that I did something wrong, but I will tell you this was the only flaw that went down.

This evidently isn't the case from the hospital's perspective, and the fact that you were fired confirms it. Obviously what you find inconsequential was important to them, and that's something to consider in the future.

Every experience, negative ones included, teaches a valuable lesson.

Good luck.

[llg, PhD, RN]

The reality is we all take personal phone calls at work because we are human,have lives and things happen.

I don't. I don't carry a cell phone while I am working.

[Amethya]

It honestly depends on the job. But when I first start at a job, I never ever have my phone out, it doesn't matter if the other nurses do, I don't. I'm new and they are watching me all the time, so you gotta be careful.

But in my current school nurse job, I need my phone with me because I have my alarms for the medications for the students, the admin sometimes text me about something or I may be in the other building and if they need me for something, they call me on my phone, the same with the PE coaches, they have their phones and they call me if something happened in the gym and I can run to them fast.

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

The phone call took place after we were sent up 2 at a time to get our fingerprints done to log in and out. It was my turn to go up and I had completed whatever they had asked. After I was finished with HR, I was heading back down but decided to use the bathroom before returning to class when I received a call from my attorney (personal issues not related to work) which lasted awhile

A 30-minute personal phone call on company time is the 100% equivalent of stealing from the employer. Voice mail was an option as well as asking the party calling to call back when you are not on company time. If you had permission to take the call, that would be another thing as well.

I'm sorry you are going through this experience. If it turns out you were let go because of the phone call and/or ~30-minutes of abusing (outright theft) company time, then take it as a lesson learned.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

A 30-minute personal phone call on company time is the 100% equivalent of stealing from the employer. Voice mail was an option as well as asking the party calling to call back when you are not on company time. If you had permission to take the call, that would be another thing as well.

I'm sorry you are going through this experience. If it turns out you were let go because of the phone call and/or ~30-minutes of abusing (outright theft) company time, then take it as a lesson learned.

In that particular case, those 5 min of my precious clinical time I've just spent explaining upteenth time that I cannot pick up any more shifts were stolen from me. I demand them to be fully compensated.

This is precisely what I wrote above. A little thing which was just miscommunicated and mishandled by ALL parties involved is now blown up to the size of criminal act.

C'mon, we're all humans. We do sometimes have things which have to be prioritized over The Holy New Job. If the OP only made the educator knowing that she is expecting a very important call, and let her lawyer know that she can be called only if there is a matter of life or death for anyone, she would probably be ok... save for her lack of knowledge of ECG. Which would be entirely another story.

[1056chris]

Cell phones are frowned upon during orientation, but I have worked in several different hospitals and have seen persons do much worse during orientation and still make it onto the unit. I think you deserve an explanation for the termination. It is true they can fire people for no reason during an orientation, but I've never seen it done.

I don't know how long the call lasted, but apparently too long, I probably would have said I am at work I will have to call you back. GoodLuck!

[Wolf at the Door, BSN]

how does vague post get 57 comments.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

The reality is we all take personal phone calls at work because we are human,have lives and things happen.You must ,however, be very discreet about it because many hospitals do not like it or allow it.It does seem extreme to fire you though!

Am I hearing you say.. if it's not allowed, then hide it? My family knew not to call me unless, somebody died or was bleeding. They could reach me through my work area, not on my personal cell phone. If the employer does not allow the use of PED, it is grounds for immediate dismissal. It does not matter if you are playing Angry Birds, or taking a call from a lawyer...WAAY to many people playing on their phones, when they should be working.