New Grad Fired From First RN Job After 90 Days

[ChinupNewRN21]

I’m devastated. Next week was going to be my last day of orientation and I was so excited. But I was surprised  when my manager called me into her office only to announce that I was going to be terminated for not making any progress. I was fired on the spot without being given reason. No option to resign.

You should have seen the smile on her face. I wonder how humans can be so cruel.

I was working on a step down cardiac unit in my hospital and truly loved the job. 2 weeks ago she told me that my training was going to be extended and also placed me on a PIP for performance issues. I worked my butt off to improve as I thought she truly loved me and just wanted to be a great nurse. Oh boy was I wrong!

Now I’m back to job searching again. I’ve decided to list this job on my resume, even though I worked only 3 months. Went to 2 interviews already and none of the interviewers even asked me about it. This AM, I saw a text from the recruiter for one of the job (PCU) stating that they were considering extending me an offer and that I should call back when I have a minute. I saw it 1hr later and immediately called back. But this recruiter hasn’t answered the phone or even returned my calls. I left a message, to let him know I am excited and looks forward to his call l, but nothing since then. The day is now over- 6pm, and  nothing new. I’m so worried. Are they reconsidering their decision because of my job history?

[K. Everly, BSN, RN]

11 minutes ago, Hopeful RN said:

Wow! I'm sorry to hear that. Are you financially responsible for the training program? I just got offer letter for a residency and the promissory note states that I'm responsible from the training program cost as soon as I sign and submit the note. I did think to myself "What if they let me go after the training, I'll be in debt regardless if I stay or not." ?

 

I have never heard of such a thing and would be HIGHLY interested to hear if this is becoming a common industry practice. It would definitely make me uncomfortable, not because I'm not a hard worker but because there are so many uncontrollable variables in the situation like preceptor-preceptee compatibility, organization fit, et cetera ad infinitum. 

How does it work if you stay? Do they deduct from your paycheck for your training or do you only owe them in you leave before the new grad contract ends? 

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

On 7/29/2021 at 7:12 PM, ChinupNewRN21 said:

I worked my butt off to improve as I thought she truly loved me 

I hate to have to say this, but your bosses do not and will not ever “love” you, much less “truly.” She wasn’t being “cruel,” she was doing you a favor by not getting you in too deep.  You didn’t meet the requirements of the job even c extra time and a PIP, so that’s that.

Coworkers are very rarely your personal friends (bosses / managers, never). I have colleagues with whom I have had excellent relationships for many years but we have never met each other’s SO, been to each other’s home, or partied. We value each other but that’s different from being personal friends.

You can leave this off your resume and since you were still in a probationary period you could have left them, too, so I wouldn’t put it on an application either. You won’t be listing your employers c any licensure renewal for any BON I’ve ever heard of. Put it behind you and learn what you can from it. Growth is hard. 

[JKL33]

1 hour ago, Hopeful RN said:

I just got offer letter for a residency and the promissory note states that I'm responsible from the training program cost as soon as I sign and submit the note.

Now this is a good example of something for the new grad to be worried about. There are posts about new grad contracts with some frequency here on AN; usually the posts involve a difficult workplace and a desire to leave before the contract is satisfied.

There are several main problems with these contracts in terms of fairness to the new grad:

• The exact training that the new grad is to receive is often not detailed (in other words, a hiring manager or the company's residency website may state that you'll be "working with a preceptor." Great. What if it's actually 12 different preceptors? What if the preceptor hates precepting? The manager/company may state the program lasts [X] weeks. Great. What happens when they say that staffing is bad and you're doing great so you can be off orientation today? Etc., Etc.)
• The positive-sounding things the new grad/potential employee are told are worthless unless they are in writing--and they won't be
• The amounts ($$) allegedly spent to train new grads are whatever the corporation says it is
• The contracts are for "residencies" which new grads are led to believe are special. In reality the are almost exactly like regular orientations many of us received years ago--and not infrequently they are just flat-out worse
• If the workplace is truly untenable or the conditions are not what the new grad was led to believe, there is almost zero realistic recourse
• The companies that utilize contracts have been known to make significant attempts to come after the money if the new grad leaves, and there have been multiple reports of them blacklisting former employees (making them ineligible to ever be rehired by the corporation, including different facilities, etc.)

For these reasons, new grads are strongly advised to be prepared to honor the contract if they decide to sign it. That is, be prepared to stay or be prepared to pay.

It is unfortunate but this does seem to be a main tactic for hiring new grads in some areas of the country.

[Hopeful RN]

1 hour ago, K. Everly said:

I have never heard of such a thing and would be HIGHLY interested to hear if this is becoming a common industry practice. It would definitely make me uncomfortable, not because I'm not a hard worker but because there are so many uncontrollable variables in the situation like preceptor-preceptee compatibility, organization fit, et cetera ad infinitum. 

How does it work if you stay? Do they deduct from your paycheck for your training or do you only owe them in you leave before the new grad contract ends? 

My thoughts exactly, it makes me VERY uncomfortable to commit because of the many variables! I'm not very comfortable with the terms either. In my case, I will have to pay for the training regardless and it accrues interest. If I stay for 2 years, I can make payments; I believe it gets deducted from my paycheck. If I leave before my contract ends, I have to pay the balance upfront. So either way, I have to pay. I had never heard of this, but I assumed this was the norm. It's a hospital in TX will multiple locations. Not to mention that the first offer letter I got was 1 month ago and stated I'd pay only if I leave before contract ends. But the second offer letter I got came with a promissory note with different terms and it was given to me just days before orientation. The more I talk about it, the more this residency sounds like a bad deal. ?

Did you do a residency program? If so, what was your agreement like? Only pay if you leave before contract ends?

[K. Everly, BSN, RN]

25 minutes ago, Hopeful RN said:

My thoughts exactly, it makes me VERY uncomfortable to commit because of the many variables! I'm not very comfortable with the terms either. In my case, I will have to pay for the training regardless and it accrues interest. If I stay for 2 years, I can make payments; I believe it gets deducted from my paycheck. If I leave before my contract ends, I have to pay the balance upfront. So either way, I have to pay. I had never heard of this, but I assumed this was the norm. It's a hospital in TX will multiple locations. Not to mention that the first offer letter I got was 1 month ago and stated I'd pay only if I leave before contract ends. But the second offer letter I got came with a promissory note with different terms and it was given to me just days before orientation. The more I talk about it, the more this residency sounds like a bad deal. ?

Did you do a residency program? If so, what was your agreement like? Only pay if you leave before contract ends?

I'll be totally honest with you, if that was presented to me, I would not sign it. No way on earth. Here's why in no particular order: 

1) If they feel the need to charge the new RN resident for their training, what does that say about their new RN turn-over? Sounds like too many new nurses left the organizations so they started charging to recoup lost money. If that many new nurses (or nurses in general) are leaving, they should REALLY be taking a look at their own contribution to the loss of employees rather than passing the buck. 

2) You bring value! You absolutely bring value ($$$) to them as a new RN and any organization that would charge YOU to contribute to their hospital is bonkers. 

3) Any hospital system that would so brazenly under-values their new grads by charging to train them, regardless of whether they stay at that hospital long-term, tells you a lot about how they value (or don't!) nurses in general. This is pointing to a larger problem which is that they don't respect the expertise, education, and contribution that nurses make. 

4) You mentioned that you let them know you would like to alter the terms of your employment contract to only pay if you leave, and they either a) didn't remember, which shows a lack of attention to detail, or b) remembered and hoped you'd change your mind and just sign it. 

I am not employed as an RN yet but am applying for positions right now. I currently work in non-profit which I love and it will be difficult to leave since the work-life balance is stellar and I work from home. What I do know is that life is too short to be undervalued or mistreated. No job is perfect, and mindset is everything, but don't suspend your logic to accept less than you deserve. 

[Gumercinda]

The hospitals put a secret list with fired employees and share between them. Maybe he called your previous work and they gave bad references about you. The first job as RN pays 34k or 35k and they explote you as much they can. Maybe you can find another career. Thing get worse with masters degree. I am FNP but returning to work as RN, because the RN experience does not count for FNP exp. Besides need for nurses, they are reluctant to hire new RN grads. They want with exp. And pay you as little as possible. 

[ChinupNewRN21, ASN, RN]

Hi guys, I appreciate you all for taking the time to reply to my OP. Your responses certainly helped calm my anxiety and I’m slowly getting over it. Just taking it one day at a time and listening to a lot of podcasts to keep my mind in shape and stay motivated. Thank you K. Everly for suggesting FreshRN and the free course empowered nurse.com as well. I will check them out.

So, like I mentioned in my OP, I listed the job on my resume, because I thought they would end up finding out anyway,  during the background check process. I was so confused at first, because I thought the same way as you Kat12340. But then, I also remembered that I got paid and received a check for it. So it was a job! But anyway, that question never came up during the interview and I didn’t even think about bringing it up.

 

But I ended up getting an offer for the job, it's a Med Surg unit. The recruiter finally got back to me the next day, stating that her reason for suddenly ignoring my calls was that, she had gotten very busy.

 

She told me the offer is contingent upon successfully passing the background check. And if everything works, I will star in a month from now. I accepted the offer. Honestly, I am both excited and nervous at the same time, even though I know deep inside that I shouldn’t fear at all. I didn’t do anything wrong at my last job. Im just a new grad trying to grow and find where I fit in this huge space called nursing. On my separation day the HR rep told me that I was eligible for rehire after 6 months. Will the background check AT THIS TIME say “eligible for rehire” or “not eligible”? cant answer this for sure.

So that’s it for the update guys. Any thoughts?

[JKL33]

35 minutes ago, ChinupNewRN21 said:

Will the background check AT THIS TIME say “eligible for rehire”

Although there's a (very) small possibility they could be talking about checking your references and verifying past employment, they likely would've done that much before making a conditional job offer. They are now most likely talking about a standard criminal background check, which doesn't have to do with your eligibility for reemployment with a past employer.

Congrats on the offer! ??

[K. Everly, BSN, RN]

@ChinupNewRN21, that is excellent news! Thanks for updating us ?

Not to come across as giving platitudes, but I truly believe some things fall apart so other things can fall together. That has surely been the theme for my life.

Whatever the reason for terminating you at the other job, you felt blindsided and I believe that with good preceptor communication that should rarely be the case. Unless the new RN was just completely out of touch with accepting feedback, there is very little reason for someone to be blindsided, ya know? Progressively discussions should take place about goals routinely not being met, so one would see the writing on the wall. 

The right place for you is out there and I sincerely hope this is a wonderful new chapter of learning and growth!

 

[Hopeful RN]

17 hours ago, K. Everly said:

I am not employed as an RN yet but am applying for positions right now. I currently work in non-profit which I love and it will be difficult to leave since the work-life balance is stellar and I work from home. What I do know is that life is too short to be undervalued or mistreated. No job is perfect, and mindset is everything, but don't suspend your logic to accept less than you deserve. 

K. Everly, 

Thank you so much for the feedback! It just confirms some of the things that I had been questioning about this whole thing. They must have a high turnover! You have no idea how much appreciate you especially since I'm new at this. ☺️ Good luck to you with your Job Search! And thanks again!!! 

[K. Everly, BSN, RN]

10 hours ago, Hopeful RN said:

K. Everly, 

Thank you so much for the feedback! It just confirms some of the things that I had been questioning about this whole thing. They must have a high turnover! You have no idea how much appreciate you especially since I'm new at this. ☺️ Good luck to you with your Job Search! And thanks again! 

Aww, thanks for letting me know what I said was helpful to you! You deserve to be treated fairly and with respect by an employer and I’m sure you’ll find the right one if you remember your worth and commit to assessing the culture of the organize. 
 

And thank you also for the well wishes in finding my own slice of happiness in the profession we are so passionate about and yet don’t want to get burned by! 
 

Update us when you find “the one” right position for you! 

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

On 7/29/2021 at 7:12 PM, ChinupNewRN21 said:

I thought she truly loved me and just wanted to be a great nurse.

Well ding dong you were wrong!Nursing  is a business like any other based on your education,skills,experience the other are extras like loyalty,love, but are not your family kind of love,it is love when you perform correctly and the patient is happy,hence those patient surveys,Hcaps or what ever. You are not there to love anyone,or be loved,adored etc. Watch how quickly the "love' turns to reprimand,writeup,suspension ,dismissal when you have a bad day or string of bad days.

Study,work hard,keep your mouth shut, and go home everyday and sleep soundly.