Published
Where do begin? I have been an LPN for 1 year in 2 months and unfortunately during this period I have had 5! nursing jobs. yes 5.
(1) I started off in a nursing home, just to find my niche I didn't like it but I needed a form of income and I needed some experience in the field. Two months in the DON called me and said, he thinks that its best that he let me go. He didn't give me a specific reason, but during my orientation the nurses that trained me had to evaluate how I was doing, so I assumed that did not do well during orientation. Like I said, I did not like the nursing home, I had 30-32 patients to care for and I just did not feel safe nor happy.
(2) My second job was in a pediatric home health, I was working for a family and one of the orders called for me to put cotton ball in the little boy's ears as he had surgery 2 days before. Well, I did put cotton ball in my patient ear but I had soaked and drained it with H.Peroxide. Well, the next day the family called the agency and said I put a wet cotton ball in the boys ears. The order stated for me to cleaned around the boy's ear with a cotton tip and H.peroxide and then placed a cotton ball in his ear. My mistake was I misunderstood what the outgoing nurse was telling me before she left about the patient new orders. My fault. It was a med error and the agency said I cannot work for them unless I complete a med error CEU. I never completed it, so never went back to work for them. Although, 6 months later they were still calling me to come work for them because they need nurses so bad. I didn't the patients they assign me usually live 45-50 minutes away and I just couldn't put myself through that again.
(3) My third job was a nursing home again. This lasted a month and a few weeks. I mentioned that I do not like the nursing home. I don't. But my mom work in this particular nursing home and she gave told the DON about me. Well, since my mom has been there for 5 years and a good worker they hired me. Well, I had so much patient work load that I did not do my treatments, although I charted that I did. This led to me having a meeting with the DON and 4 other people in administration. I was so nervous at that meeting that I told myself that I never want to be in such a position again. I felt humiliated, embarrassed, and just incompetent as a nurse. I was first suspended, but then let go. They informed me that they would report me to the BON. well it's been 8 months, have not gotten anything from the BON and I've checked my license online and it says I'm in good standing no complaints.
(4) My fourth job was at a pediatric clinic. i did not like it much as I felt I was losing many of my skills. I mostly gave immunizations to babies and worked on the doctor's schedule for the week. I worked there for 4 months but then i had to leave due to the fact that I started an RN program and the schedule would conflict with my work schedule. The manager loved me, got great reviews from them. I still felt bad though due to my recent firing. My self esteem just plummeted and Im still feeling like somethings wrong with me. Anyways, I did not get fired from this job, I left due to school.
(5) I am currently working for 2 agencies. one is a pediatric agency and the other is a pediatric and adult agency. Well, yesterday I got fired from the pediatric agency. The reason is I document that I left at my scheduled time when in reality I left 30 minutes early three time. Did I think they would find out? yeah. Did I think it was an issue. I did. I literally cannot figure out any reason as to why I charted that I left at 0700 when in reality I left at 0630. At the other agency I work for, one of the parents always let me leave early and she said I can still write down the time I left as the time I was scheduled. in my head, I started to think it was no longer a big deal so i did it with this agency. I know in nursing school they teach us not to do this, I hate that I'm not abiding by the things that I was taught in school and letting others influence my judgement. I knew it was a big deal and I did it anyway. I'm sure the other nurses that work with the pediatric/adult agency leave early but chart their scheduled time cause the guardian (mom) said its ok. Anyways, got called into the office today and I was let go. It is considered insurance fraud. in total I lied and said I worked 1 hour and 30 minutes. The DON were saying that the insurance company might not think its a big deal they might just say "oh, its only 1 hour and let it go. they do not think that I was trying to be malicious. but they have to report it to the BON. Two of the times I left, the patient had an appointment in the morning so he had to leave at 0530 but I charted that I left at 0600. the other time I left early is when I emailed the agency saying that I can now work 12 hours form 7pm-7am. well it wasn't suppose to start that particular week, but the following cause I have nursing clinical in the morning. Hence I left at 0630 but charted i left at 7. The DON was saying it all depends on how the BON choose to handle it.
I do not know what's wrong with me. I've never been fired before until I started nursing. I'm a few months from graduating an RN program and I still cannot get my act together. I want to treat this as a lesson learned. I'm feeling stupid cause I've been fired so many times. I'm still working for the pediatric/adult agency but I am going to chart the correct time that I leave, at the end of the day the I have to protect my license no one else. Does anyone know how long it will take for the BON to contact me? will they make a big deal over 1 hour and 30 minutes? My first year of nursing was rough. I take full responsibility. I am so embarrassed that I created another account to write this although my other account is not even lay real name. I need to remember all the handwork I put in into obtaining my license and not let it go so easily. What's wrong with me? I just do not think that I am learning from my mistakes as a normal human being would.
Well...since you asked. The two times I had an ethically challenged student (or, snowflake) get through.....one who gave a wrong med (semi-independent, was supposed to give the med with a R.N. preceptor but took it upon herself to give it alone) and then had the audacity to tell me when I put her on suspension "Well, nothing bad happened, did it?" (as if that made her decision/act okay). The review committee decided to give her a 2nd chance because she was a "good student"--ie--passed exams and straight A. The second time was a student who lied and connived her way through clinicals (unbeknownst to me but was "outed" by a couple of fellow students who finally got tired of her )but because her f-i-l was a well known surgeon was allowed to retake the course after I failed her.Unfortunately, faculty are not always the ones who get to decide who passes and who doesn't.....at least, that was my experience......
That makes me scared for the future of nursing. *shudder*
That makes me scared for the future of nursing. *shudder*
Me too! My colleagues who thought and acted like I did (ie---keep the safe students in, appropriately get the unsafe ones out) were often frustrated. Thankfully, what I mentioned in my post didn't happen too often, but when it did I wondered why in the world would the powers that be allow a student who demonstrated a lack of safety and the unwillingness to own it continue in the program and often on to graduation. The first I mentioned dropped out, the second went on to graduate. I have no idea where/or if she is practicing, but I hope she has changed her bad and deceptive habits!
I see absolutely zero evidence of bullying here. Nope. I would say the same thing to the OP in person as I did anonymously here and I hope the rest of us who responded would do the same. I would even add that nobody was unkind to him or her either. The truth is difficult and so is nursing.
To the OP and those who cried "bully!", please read the Nursing Code of Ethics again if you are not clear on our profession's ethical obligations (as well as your state's nurse practice acts).
Tl;dr nobody here is bullying.
Guys! Don't you think that people have the ability to change? Goodness! one would think that I am the WORST nurse in the history of nursing by some of these comments. Anyways, I would like to thank those who offered constructive criticism. I know "Nursing" is what I want to do and I can only get better from here on out.
You have been given many opportunities to change but have failed to seize the chance to do so.
kakamegamama
1,030 Posts
Well...since you asked. The two times I had an ethically challenged student (or, snowflake) get through.....one who gave a wrong med (semi-independent, was supposed to give the med with a R.N. preceptor but took it upon herself to give it alone) and then had the audacity to tell me when I put her on suspension "Well, nothing bad happened, did it?" (as if that made her decision/act okay). The review committee decided to give her a 2nd chance because she was a "good student"--ie--passed exams and straight A. The second time was a student who lied and connived her way through clinicals (unbeknownst to me but was "outed" by a couple of fellow students who finally got tired of her )but because her f-i-l was a well known surgeon was allowed to retake the course after I failed her.
Unfortunately, faculty are not always the ones who get to decide who passes and who doesn't.....at least, that was my experience......