Just got fired from job #4 of an 11 yr nursing career! I'm startin to think maybe I'm tryin' to fit a square peg into a round hole w/this nursing thing. I'm on meds, but I haven't been taking them cuz they're just too expensive! (I have to pay outta pocket cuz my crappy insurance won't cover amps!). Anyway, during my career, I've had long stints where I didn't get fired, or even written up, esp. while working at a large university based hospital. But I left that job to try homecare (big mistake), and couldn't get back into the hospital. I worked travel assignments for a while and never got fired from any of those, but I took a per diem job where my best friend works in June. So, Mon. night I went into work and got report on an admit who just came up from the ER. The nurse who gave report told me the pt was on tele. The tele at this place is monitored by techs on another floor, and we don't check the monitors during hand off. The guy had a box on, so I stupidly believed he was being monitored. This place is also really, really busy. I got another admission, we had a code on the floor, I had 5 patients and 4 of them were completes. We had one nursing assistant, so I had to do most of my own vitals. Anyway, I noticed at 6am, when I finally got the chance to sit down to chart, that the pt wasn't on the monitor. He hadn't been all night. I know this is my fault, but I'm so sad that I was inattentive. My manager was so ****** at me. She asked me (and I love this question) "what the hell were you thinking?" I said "I don't know". What I really wanted to say was "You don't even wanna know! If you could experience my brain for one second, you'd probably be wondering how I eat, walk, or even tie my shoes it's sooo fast and cluttered!" Maybe I'm not cut out for this, what do you guys think?
Sorry to hear about the job loss. I really don't have much to donate on that but wanted to address your statement:
"I haven't been taking them cuz they're just too expensive!"
I have an extremely rare rash and the only med found to keep it under control costs $650 per month. My insurance won't pay for it. I obviously need it or I'll be clawing and bleeding all day. After one month of treatment to be sure this medication did work, I started ordering it from Canada. So now I pay only $140 for THREE month supply! I'm happy! Took about 6 wks for the first 3-month supply to arrive, and then, after that, the company automatically notifies me it's time to reorder so I won't miss any days.
It is so important to manage your illness. Whether that be by meds, therapy or both. We can not give medical advice per AN TOS, however, I would so suggest you see your PCP and get a referral for an evaluation.
One of the scariest parts of conditions is some denial. That is a symptom. And I can not stress enough--this is NOT an embarrasment. This is NOT a character defect. It is a medical condition that requires a plan, and treatment.
It is a little nutty that tele patients are monitored on a completely different floor. Regardless, I am very surprised that the person doing the monitoring wouldn't pick up the phone with a "hey, Jaye, your patient in room 334 with monitor #888 is not showing up on my monitor. Could you check the box please?" How the heck do they let you know if there's a cardiac irregularity if there's little communication? This seems like a system issue.
However, what is done is done, and going forward you need to take care of you, take care of your son, and if you need to collect unemployment and get state funded insurance, do it.
Then revisit the job search. "The culture, standards, and atmosphere of the unit I was working did not work well for me or my practice". Period. "Going forward, I have developed skills that I believe would be an asset to your facility". "I am willing to get certified in this discipline". Then see if you can contact the agency for a reference in the D and A place. In your cover letter, you could also state that you were agency with them, found the work to be where your strengths lie, and you would like a position with them. It is easy enough for them to check into.
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
OP:
Check out this site: http://www.needymeds.org. They have a prescription card you can use to get discounts on your prescriptions, plus links to manufacturers that have special programs for patients who can't afford their meds. You can also get discounts on OTC meds, too. I gave this link to some of my cancer pts. who couldn't afford their pain meds.
Discrimination with disabilities are rampant (ADHD, ADD, bipolar, depression) especially when one takes prescribed medications that come up on a urinalysis which often turns out one must supply abundant paperwork to just scrutinize and rescind the job offer.
More awareness, advocacy, and normalcy must be established within the community especially in the medical field which one would think are more accepting.
Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing/Case Management.
Hey Jaye,
I have been a behavioral health nurse for 13 years, I was reading your post and I thought Axis: Borderline personality. I am a very blunt person and I am only giving you feedback because you seem like you need to work. 2 things your in trouble about 1. Taking on to much 2. D/C meds. I can Telly you from a case manager standpoint you can get medications if you wanted them. Especially psych meds. I will pray for Jaye to find her niche. Try telephonic case management. You can work from home in your PJ or heck I had on panties....lol but the people on the phone didn't know. Now since I don't know you from Adam I give a word of advice you can't take of anyone if your dead.
Thanks for your reply, I guess I just get a lot of feedback from my friends and family that 1.ADD doesn't really exist, like my best friend, who has a tendency to be a little judgemental at times, really because she's so overwhelmed, who told me that my life started to unravel because of my meds, and that I don't need them because I'm not really "crazy" as she put it. Or 2. That amps are weird and evil and nobody should be on them because they make you act like Jesse on Breaking Bad after he snorted a boat load of crystal. Not that I ever behaved in that way (and it's not me just thinking I didn't, most people outside of my close circle don't even know I take them-like my co workers, and that's when I'm usually on them, when I'm at work). But there's a lot of stigma I've been battling. I think my condition requires the stability of a routine. The places I've worked at the longest were the places I didn't get fired from, and that was even before I was diagnosed with ADD. It's when I changed my routine that everything really started going crazy. I worked at one institution for over 10 years, so I was well aware of their policies and procedures, and we managed our own tele monitors. We also were required to check the monitors as part of our shift report.
For me, my "amps" are NOT optional. I can't function without them, and I don't intend on trying to. My brain doesn't work the same way a neurotypical persons brain works, and although I'd love to not have to take meds, it's something I have to do.
You MUST learn to manage your condition if you are going to have the kinds of responsibilities you have when you are a nurse.
Amps are only part of the picture, to complete it, you've also got to work on you--and that is to stabilize. It might not be a bad idea to take this time out to get focused by working w/a coach, possibly formal counseling, and getting a job that is easier to manage. Another nursing job could be jumping from the frying pan to the fire. Costco has them much cheaper than other pharmacies, if you are near one (and due to the Schedule II factor, I don't think you can order them from Canada, but not sure on that).
Just got fired from job #4 of an 11 yr nursing career! I'm startin to think maybe I'm tryin' to fit a square peg into a round hole w/this nursing thing. I'm on meds, but I haven't been taking them cuz they're just too expensive! (I have to pay outta pocket cuz my crappy insurance won't cover amps!). Anyway, during my career, I've had long stints where I didn't get fired, or even written up, esp. while working at a large university based hospital. But I left that job to try homecare (big mistake), and couldn't get back into the hospital. I worked travel assignments for a while and never got fired from any of those, but I took a per diem job where my best friend works in June. So, Mon. night I went into work and got report on an admit who just came up from the ER. The nurse who gave report told me the pt was on tele. The tele at this place is monitored by techs on another floor, and we don't check the monitors during hand off. The guy had a box on, so I stupidly believed he was being monitored. This place is also really, really busy. I got another admission, we had a code on the floor, I had 5 patients and 4 of them were completes. We had one nursing assistant, so I had to do most of my own vitals. Anyway, I noticed at 6am, when I finally got the chance to sit down to chart, that the pt wasn't on the monitor. He hadn't been all night. I know this is my fault, but I'm so sad that I was inattentive. My manager was so ****** at me. She asked me (and I love this question) "what the hell were you thinking?" I said "I don't know". What I really wanted to say was "You don't even wanna know! If you could experience my brain for one second, you'd probably be wondering how I eat, walk, or even tie my shoes it's sooo fast and cluttered!" Maybe I'm not cut out for this, what do you guys think?
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
How do you fill out apps in the wake of a termination? Look at the things that caused you to loose your job and take steps to address those, because otherwise you run the risk of further terminations which will fully impact on your sense of self and mental well being.
Hey, Viva,
How did you come back from being fired? All the jobs I've applied for have asked me for info on my last place of employment. I'm so afraid they're gonna call my boss whose last words to me were "I have to put the safety of the patients first." (Now that's a downer if I ever heard one!)......
When I registered I had to declare my illness (major depression). Nursing council made it very clear 'we wont hold this against you however we expect you do what it takes to keep yourself healthy and ensure that your illness does not have a negative impact on your patients'
If you need to take meds to be healthy able to work safely, then thats what you need to to. If cost is a problem, as others have said, do some leg work and chase up some of the leads you have been given.
Your patients need someone who is fully with it, and able to deliver nursing care in a safe and efficent manner. They are your problems and to be blunt you have no business making them your patients problems if you are not in a good head space.
FLAlleycat
382 Posts
Hi, Jayebug,
Sorry to hear about the job loss. I really don't have much to donate on that but wanted to address your statement:
"I haven't been taking them cuz they're just too expensive!"
I have an extremely rare rash and the only med found to keep it under control costs $650 per month. My insurance won't pay for it. I obviously need it or I'll be clawing and bleeding all day. After one month of treatment to be sure this medication did work, I started ordering it from Canada. So now I pay only $140 for THREE month supply! I'm happy! Took about 6 wks for the first 3-month supply to arrive, and then, after that, the company automatically notifies me it's time to reorder so I won't miss any days.