Need Advice Please !!!!

[Jenbred]

Last W/E I had a pt admitted the night before s/p CABG...the family had many c/o re:diet,swollen feet,facility etc and were beligerant/insulting/yelling...MD called and pt sent to ER as requested..on tue after my shift I was suspended while DON investigated...I emailed my statement as requested..next day called+fired...no exact reason given but I was told the physical therapist complained that i was inappropriate...I did ventilate about the family but in the office w/door closed which everybody incl she has done(i admit I was upset when the lady went off on me because i was chewing gum)...the week before i had gone to the ADON to c/o because the LPN that had been promoted to unit coordinator,who was a lazy floor nurse btw,refused to do the D/C paperwork that was always the UC's job,was not helping us,backstabbing etc(the other nurses felt the same way and even counted her breaks totalling 2-3hrs daily)I was there until 5 everyday trying to get it all done..I was told that we needed to learn to communicate and I should keep up the good work..I had tried to talk to this LPN before she even got the job because she started getting power crazy and the situation was only deteriorating..This SNF is very cliquey with a lot of related people working there...for example:the DON's whole family works there with cushy jobs..I have seen staff hurt people/neglect pts/falsify documents/and get many complaints and still have a job...I do not know if the two situations are related but i do know that I was never written up there so i thought i was doing a good job...I need advice on what to say on applications/job interviews...i am pretty sure they are going to trash me ... I feel absolutely terrible !!!! Thank you .... jen(rn)

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Hi Jen - Sorry for this situation. Sounds like you might be better off somewhere else.

[TazziRN, RN]

Be honest, that's all you can do. And accept responsibility for your part in it, don't lay the blame everywhere else.

They may very well trash you, try and list one person you worked with that you know would give you a good reference.

Last year I was terminated for an incident I was involved in, I made mistakes but I was the sacrificial lamb, I was not the only one involved. I interviewed for two positions. The one that didn't work out didn't even ask me why I was terminated. The other one did. I was honest, I fessed up to my mistakes without pointing the finger anywhere else, and my list of references was made up of coworkers who said the exact opposite of what I think HR said. I got the job.

I am not saying it will be as easy for you, but that this is not the end of the world. This happened for a reason, you needed to be out of there and this was God's/Fate's way of getting you out.

[tepbsmith]

i got fired for something lame.

you should accept your part in your termination, be brief in your explanation. "the facility felt i mismanaged an unhappy family" and then say what you learned from it. (as in, end on something positive so they are not left dwelling on the negative)

[Jenbred]

Thank you all for your advice ... I did not intend to come off sounding like I do not want to take responsibility for my part because I do ... of course I want to learn what my mistakes are so that I do not repeat them ... I was only trying to provide the details of the situation ... believe me when I say that this has taught me a lot ... and tepbsmith i am committing your words and advice to memory ... thanks