I really need some support

lot of nurses have been terminated and gone on to happy successful careers

you just have to go out and hunt for a job, fill out your resume and hold your head up..sometimes one foot in front of the other is the only way to go

good luck

i'm sorry you are going through this. i know its hard but try to put this event behind you and try to move on with your life. i made a really big mistake at work once and i was so scared that i was going to lose my license. i thought i was never ever going to forgive myself but fortunately i didnt lose my license and in time i forgave myself. there are many many nursing jobs out there and maybe you can use this opportunity to find a better job for you. maybe you can be frank with interviewer and tell her that you were terminated for administering atropine to a patient who was having an allergic reaction to antibiotic??? i'm sure they are going to understand that explanation. have you ever thought about working in ltc? the work is pretty repetitous you do the same thing everyday with same patients for long time but i think its less stressful than med/surg. good luck...remember, you are :nmbrn::nmbrn::nmbrn::nmbrn::nmbrn::rckn::rckn:

Thank you so much, and yes I am seriously considering LTC. I love the elderly!

I didn't see your original post, but please remember that you are human.

Sometimes the expectations are based on a perfect world which medsurg hospital nursing is not. It is almost like they set you up for failure.

Get over it! Brush yourself off. Do not let it way you down and hamper you in the future. You can do many more things in nursing.

Just be honest in interviews and discuss the mistake and preemptively discuss what you learned and how you would handle it differently now. That will stop any difficult questions or concerns and show a level of maturity that will be attractive.

Hugs,

Kim

Most hospitals will not give out information regarding your termination, only start & end dates and salary. You can check with HR to find out the deal at your last job. And interviewers don't always ask why you left your last job. So it's up to you to decide what you want to disclose, as long as there's no complaint against your license. As far as dealing emotionally with being terminated, I suggest you make a list of issues on that unit and factors involved in your termination to help you figure out what you could have done better or would do differently in the future. Good luck to you. I think you'd be surprised how many nurses believe they have been unfairly terminated. And in the future, I suggest you be prepared to resign instead of being terminated.

Sometimes opportunity is wrapped in difficulty. Something good is ahead!:heartbeat

Sometimes opportunity is wrapped in difficulty. Something good is ahead!:heartbeat

Thank you, I am a believer that God doesn't close a door without opening a window.

Sorry to hear about what you are going through.

Take it from me, it hurts. It is very degrading. You can start job hopping which seems to be the name of the game with nursing.

I did find an ad for summer camp nurse which someone suggested. The guy that I talked to could totally relate to the nightmare of hospital nursing. Seems the administrators do not care about open positions, the shortage or how nurses feel. They offer no support for you if you make a mistake or get stressed. As you can read in this forum, that is the life of a nurse.

Firing you was low. Even though it hurts and hurt your ego, please try to remember that this is a problem for nurses in general and you are not alone. It doesn't make you bad it just makes you feel bad.

I'm sure it is a revolving door where you just left. That is their problem. I wonder if nursing home would be more appreciative of you? At some point, try homecare. I liked it in the past except for the miles and wear and tear on my car. I am hoping to get back into homecare. Management in nursing seems to be the biggest problem no matter where you go.

I certainly can't offer a job suggestion because of where I am right now. I can tell you that I know it probably came out unfair for you. I would like to see more nurses sue to enforce more control on these administrators that use their hormones to get even. It is not an appropriate way to manage this field. I also know that legal support is next to hopeless. I have decided to negotiate my "termination" file with my last job and contact lawyers to see what I can do. I know it fell under whistleblowing and discrimination. I have been kinda defeated for weeks now and haven't done anything constructive. I finally sent out resumes today, left message with HR about the termination and I am looking into contacting lawyers. I'm not counting on any legal support, but I am going to try.

If you have co-workers that respected you, get them for references.

I'm sure you won't have a problem finding another job, but the chances of experiencing this again might be at least 50/50. This seems to be the way they want to run their business. An RN might be greatly appreciated in a nursing home. I know I am done with hospitals. I won't apply to another. I will work there for agency but I am done with the game. I am going to keep looking anywhere but there and I will be another nurse that refuses to work in a hospital.

Welcome to nursing. It's not you! Too bad we didn't get guarantees with our student loans! I'd be turning mine in!

I can honestly say that it was not worth the money and I wish I would have focused on another career.

Take time out for yourself - have a little pity party for yourself. We will all bring our own tears and hugs to it for you. You will be understood here but you need to take the time out to get over the blow.

It has been a month for me and I'm still knocked down. But I have been in this field for 15 years and I'm tired and burned out as well.

for you

:icon_hug: for you

Most hospitals will not give out information regarding your termination, only start & end dates and salary. You can check with HR to find out the deal at your last job. And interviewers don't always ask why you left your last job. So it's up to you to decide what you want to disclose, as long as there's no complaint against your license. As far as dealing emotionally with being terminated, I suggest you make a list of issues on that unit and factors involved in your termination to help you figure out what you could have done better or would do differently in the future. Good luck to you. I think you'd be surprised how many nurses believe they have been unfairly terminated. And in the future, I suggest you be prepared to resign instead of being terminated.

I found that more and more the interviewers are asking why you left and wanting you to provide that manager as a reference. My guess is because they know that is what is going on and they want to know if you are going to kiss butt knowing how they treat staff.

Honestly, it just takes time. I am just bouncing back from my incident back in November.

I will think of you and wish you well. I also believe another door opens. It has for me.

Many managers are not allowed to give a reference. Check with HR on the policy at your former hospital.

I was forced to resign (threatened to get fired if I didn't) for absolutely nothing from my very first job (never quite figured this out, I was a new grad and think the head nurse just didn't like me, I didn't fit in, or something like that. I never made a major mistake.) You probably know how I felt at the time - betrayed, humiliated, utterly devastated.

I never saw it coming so I couldn't quit in time! And because of that, I was in a quandary for a while. Some applications contained the question "Where you ever terminated or asked to resign?" I felt that I needed to be honest and state "yes". As explanation I offered that the position was not a good fit (or something like that, it was a decade ago and I'm a bit foggy). Did it "cost" me a job? Maybe, when I reapplied with the very same hospital I didn't make it past HR. The other hospital in town, fortunately, did not ask this question in the application process and I certainly didn't volunteer the info! And yes, I was hired. I had no problem with another employer who asked this question, a dialysis clinic, after I explained what had happened.

BTW, I now work for the original hospital again, of course in another unit (the old head nurse was fired long ago). This time, the question re. termination was NOT on their application and I didn't mention it (they surely checked my old personnel file, but I was hired anyway). So I think this question is no longer considered very relevant (let's face it, many nurses in my position would have never mentioned this horrible first job; others lie. Any many of us were wrongfully terminated, I guess employers have figured this out by now). Also, the nursing shortage may have something to do with it. Anyway, I don't think you'll have any problem finding another job.

As for the emotional healing, this can take a while (OK, years in my case). In some ways, I guess, it haunts me still (but rarely). But you will get over this.

So sorry this happened to you.

All the best,

DeLana :icon_hug: