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?

[Ben_Dover]

Guys and Gals... For those that are just coming in.... here's a summary!

It is just a common courtesy to keep your phone away at work... but what made this thing worse was:

First week of orientation: (correct me if I'm getting some of these wrong)

-OP was missing for 30 minutes,

-OP did not ask the Nurse conducting the orientation for appropriate permission

-OP admitted she had to take a personal call

-OP's demeanor about this class " c'mon it was only classroom work"

OK.... lots of presumptions and assumptions here:

Some people claim the employer may have found something about the OP's background - probable but very improbable.

-If they did find something negative about the OP's history. Coming from an HR perspective and company's own protection, they will clarify this with the OP, to prevent legal ramification. I have heard, OFF the RECORD, that there were lots of employers who will "bad mouth" or give negative reviews/recommendations of a previous employee. But, this normally are pardoned by the new hiring company, after clarifying with the person who is newly hired. Unless it's a fraud or she lied! Well, that's another long story!

But based on what the OP presented!

Answer this: If you are the manager or the one in charge of the orientation and you learned that this newly hired employee doing this to your class and time:

What Would You Do???

[Boomer MS, RN]

Guys and Gals... For those that are just coming in.... here's a summary!

It is just a common courtesy to keep your phone away at work... but what made this thing worse was:

First week of orientation: (correct me if I'm getting some of these wrong)

-OP was missing for 30 minutes,

-OP did not ask the Nurse conducting the orientation for appropriate permission

-OP admitted she had to take a personal call

-OP's demeanor about this class " c'mon it was only classroom work"

OK.... lots of presumptions and assumptions here:

Some people claim the employer may have found something about the OP's background - probable but very improbable.

-If they did find something negative about the OP's history. Coming from an HR perspective and company's own protection, they will clarify this with the OP, to prevent legal ramification. I have heard, OFF the RECORD, that there were lots of employers who will "bad mouth" or give negative reviews/recommendations of a previous employee. But, this normally are pardoned by the new hiring company, after clarifying with the person who is newly hired. Unless it's a fraud or she lied! Well, that's another long story!

But based on what the OP presented!

Answer this: If you are the manager or the one in charge of the orientation and you learned that this newly hired employee doing this to your class and time:

What Would You Do???

I would take her aside in private and counsel her. And then I might make another announcement to the cohort about cell phone etiquette and say, "Be forewarned." And, as I said before, if she was let go, I'd tell her in person in an "exit interview." It is professional and respectful to do so.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

I work in the education department at my hospital and we run the orientation. I can tell you that people do all sorts unprofessional behaviors there. Even though we say "no cell phone use", there are always people texting under the table, as if we don't know why they're looking down at there lap half the class. Other frowned upon behaviors are not following dress code (we're in south Florida they come to orientation in flip flops), coming late, falling asleep in the middle of a presentation (it happens). I tell new hires that this is an extension of their job interview.

I'm not in orientation, but I'm taking a class right now that has several new hires in it, also. There's one chick in the class (just finished third week of this class, one day per week) who has yet to show up in full compliance with dress code.

One week was jeans (not allowed) and flip-flops (not allowed). This week was scrubs (fine) but they were rolled up to capri length (not allowed) and she still had the flip-flops (still not allowed).

'm just shocked... they made SUCH a big deal in my own orientation last year about being in compliance with dress code any time you were on the clock, and here this chick is 0-for-3 and nobody has said boo about it. I wonder if anyone would notice if I showed up in my swimsuit?

[chacha82, ADN, BSN]

Just for some context:

I have never, ever disappeared for 30 minutes at a time (at all) but not for a break without getting permission from the charge to set foot off the floor. Even on some nights when it was dead as a doornail, I did not grab a snack or a coffee without asking the charge and then getting permission. And sometimes I had to wait a while before they would let me go. I'm not saying this is why OP was let go, but I can imagine that leaving for that long during orientation would be a problem. Or it could just be they decided to axe some per diem staff - very unfair but not unheard of.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

I don't think your phone call was a terminating event. If this facility fired you for this and the person in orientation flipped out....which I feel is extreme....and they fired you for it.....count your blessings. IMHO this would be an extremely difficult environment to work in...keep this experience in your mind but don't let it deter you from what you want.

Couldn't say it better.

[Sour Lemon]

I think it's weird how many people think that taking 30 minutes for a personal phone call on the clock (especially during orientation) is totally okay. What if she had just left 30 minutes early? Or taken a second lunch? Especially without telling anyone.

I worked with a girl once who would disappear from the floor for extended periods of time for things like going to the bank or getting her oil changed. This was in an acute care med/surg setting. Her patients would call and call and no one would have any idea where she was. When she eventually turned up, she'd just casually state, "I was at the grocery store." or some other nonsense. When she eventually got fired, she was surprised, too. Maybe there are little utopian workplaces where this sort of thing is allowed??? It's difficult to imagine.

[RNrhythm, BSN, RN]

Please do not give up on acute care if that is what you really want. You may never get a satisfactory explanation of what happened. In hiring in general, things can be very random and unfair from the applicant's perspective. You cannot take it personally. You could be awesome or you could be someone who comes across as difficult to manage. No one here will ever know. You yourself may see yourself differently than how managers perceive you.

But just in case...next time be on your best behavior until after orientation and any trial period. Be polite, be professional, arrive early, choose your words carefully, do not be argumentative and remember that no one needs to know anything about your personal life at all.

[SmilingBluEyes]

But just in case...next time be on your best behavior until after orientation and any trial period. Be polite, be professional, arrive early, choose your words carefully, do not be argumentative and remember that no one needs to know anything about your personal life at all.

You have had a lot of posts. This says it succinctly.

You are, indeed, extending the "test drive" trial period of your employment, for your employer during your orientation and probationary period. The managers DO talk to the educators, often on the daily. These educators have tremendous insight, observing closely, how people engage and participate--- versus not----and how professionally they behave during class. You chose unprofessional conduct, unfortunately. While you are simply probationary, your employer can choose to let you go, just like that. Which they did. Take this as a lesson and behave at all future orientations and during probationary periods as if your job depended on it. Because, as you see now, it DOES!

A lot of nurses still think there are plenty of jobs out there and don't worry about how difficult they can be to obtain and even keep. Truth is: It's an employer's market in most places, and jobs, particularly in many acute care positions, can be hard to find for many nurses. The employer can be choosy and many hospitals often get scads of applications for each position.........

This was costly to you but hopefully a good lesson---- you can move past it and do better next time. Good luck.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I have been a manager, a director of the Emergency department and critical care services, and I have been an educator. I again sit here shaking my head at some of the responses. Too many nurses truly take themselves too seriously. People have private lives. We have NO IDEA what her business is and the importance of that phone call to her life outside the hospital.

I agree that she could have handled it better but I truly....in my heart of hearts, DO NOT find it a reason for termination. Unfortunately, she is on orientation and that means they can fire her without cause. As a supervisor I will say that an overwhelming majority of nurses have their phones on their person and use it to look up things. Cell phone are a necessary evil but there is an edicate for their use.

So, she took an important phone call and the instructor was not happy. But to flip out about "not knowing where she was!!" tells me this person has some issues. How could the OP handle it better? Tell the instructor ahead of time she may have to answer her phone. Talk to th4e lawyer until the OP checked in with the instructor. But I stand by statement, this is NOT aan event to fire someone. I would consider it an omen about working there and move on.

Good Luck!

[Boomer MS, RN]

I have been a manager, a director of the Emergency department and critical care services, and I have been an educator. I again sit here shaking my head at some of the responses. Too many nurses truly take themselves too seriously. People have private lives. We have NO IDEA what her business is and the importance of that phone call to her life outside the hospital.

I agree that she could have handled it better but I truly....in my heart of hearts, DO NOT find it a reason for termination. Unfortunately, she is on orientation and that means they can fire her without cause. As a supervisor I will say that an overwhelming majority of nurses have their phones on their person and use it to look up things. Cell phone are a necessary evil but there is an edicate for their use.

So, she took an important phone call and the instructor was not happy. But to flip out about "not knowing where she was!!" tells me this person has some issues. How could the OP handle it better? Tell the instructor ahead of time she may have to answer her phone. Talk to th4e lawyer until the OP checked in with the instructor. But I stand by statement, this is NOT aan event to fire someone. I would consider it an omen about working there and move on.

Good Luck!

Oh my, well articulated and Amen.

[SmilingBluEyes]

She took an " important call " and referred to the class as less than important (paraphrased). Sorry--- but this is a job, not grade school, not even college. What option(s) did she have? Well-------

If the call were that critical, she should have explained to the instructor, privately, what happened and apologized for her absence. Or better, let the instructor know it was a critical call and explain why should would need to be absent, and ask how she could make it up afterward. OR---- She could have told the lawyer she was in the middle of a important class (for her job!)----and she would call in the 30 minutes after the class was over.

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Any manager knows that. I know the instructors where I work, well. In such a situation, they would have worked with her if she had explained to them, beforehand or right afterward. I also know the managers. They depend heavily on our instructors' impressions and opinions and watch for "trouble" employees from the get-go. They should. The managers do ask questions, and want to know about the orientees and their impressions. Why waste time further orienting people who THIS EARLY in the game, already show their personal life may be a problem in the future? I, as a manager, would certainly be given pause to think myself, if I wanted to keep someone on who has personal drama already getting in the way of performing the job before she even started working on my unit.

She displayed a very casual, careless attitude about the class. "it was only a class". Well obviously, her employer disagreed with that notion. If you can't be on your best behavior in the very first weeks of orientation, why as a charge nurse, or manager, would I want to keep you on, especially if I have lots of other candidates more willing to take the class and their job seriously and behave professionally?

We have all had those difficult orientees who were stuck to their cell phones, had personal drama interfering with job performance and just generally disruptive. I, personally, have no time for that. We are not "fat staffed" and need everyone on top of the game. YES personal things come up------but you work with your coworkers and managers to hash them out. Trouble this early in the game? Not a good omen for the employer, either. Better team members, make happier employees. That is a fact.

It was costly to the OP but a good lesson. Hopefully one not repeated and success will be in her future. I stand by my opinion.

[HAMSAMICH]

I work in a clinic, and a former coworker of mine was fired during her probation period for doing something similar. According to her, she had to step out and take a call from her grandmother that she had not spoken to in years. It seems that she abandoned her post without telling her coworkers and no one knew where she was for quite a while. My coworker was incredulous that they let her go given that she was so close to finishing her probation period.

I'm sorry you were let go from your job.