New Nurse... Fired from my first job.

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi. I am a new Rn and I was just hired for my job at the end of November and I today was just fired for a med error (only 2 months!!) I feel like I am never going to get another job or maybe I just don't have what it takes to be a nurse. I was working at a long term care facility with about 18-20 patients. Which was alot for me right out of school (and never have worked in hospital before). I went to give a patient meds and she didn't take them and I left it in the room (STUPID MISTAKE!!!) and one CNA found the meds in the room and reported it. The part that got me fired was the fact that i didn't go back to give the patient her meds or inform the MD that she didn't take her meds/refused and they felt that they couldn't trust me to give meds to the patients correctly. I just feel like a total failure and I'm thinking I will never find a job as a nurse again. Has this happened to anyone?? Or do you know someone who was fired and found another job. I just really need a pick me up right now. I feel like a total loser.

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Awww, I am so sorry this happened to you!

Was this a LTC facility? That patient/nurse ratio is extremely high! Especially for someone who is a brand new RN.

I don't think they go over medication administration very throughly in nursing school. They just talk about the "five rights" and that's it. Atleast that's what my school did.

Whenever you give a pt a med at the bedside, make SURE you stay to see them take it (if it's PO meds). If they refuse, you chart it (pt refused) and you notify the doctor. This way you are covered. Remember, pts have a right to refuse any medical intervention as long as they are A&OX3.

Also, NEVER leave open meds at the bedside. It is considered a med error if the pt does not take the med and it was never charted that the pt refused. At my place of employment, it's considered a med error if the med is given 30 minutes late past the scheduled time.

You have learned a valuable lesson here and I know you won't repeat this mistake again. This should not stop you from getting hired at another facility. Hopefully, this was not reported to the BON by your former employer.

Pick yourself up and dust your resume off. You are a good nurse, it's the system that failed you.

Good luck to you!

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Some people get whacked with a baseball bat like you did, others can commit the same mistake and don't even get it mentioned to them. That is, unfortunately, the way it goes. Don't let this get you down. Just be determined to get another job. Best wishes.

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Not too long ago I was terminated from my first nursing job in LTC after six months. I was devastated, felt like a failure, and was afraid that my new career was completely derailed. However, I resumed my Job Search and got another job 3 months later, and even had some interviews earlier than that. So it *can* be done. My new job is in a different area than LTC which is a better fit for me, so it actually turned out well. I agree with the previous poster that although leaving meds at the bedside is not the right thing to do, I saw it done by others at my LTC facility. I don't believe that another facility would hold it against you if you explained what happened, that you learned from it, and would not do it again. So, think positive! I also suggest a lot of prayer, as that is what helped me the most (both to persevere, and to get the new job). Blessings to you!

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All you can do is learn from your mistakes.I am sure you wont make that one again! Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and find yourself a new job. You are new and you made a mistake. It happens! Just be honest and hardworking and keep on trying. Everything happens for a reason, that job wasnt meant to be! Head up!!

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I don't think they go over medication administration very throughly in nursing school. They just talk about the "five rights" and that's it. Atleast that's what my school did.

My school was VERY big on safe medication administration. Before being cleared to give meds we had lab time where we watched a documentary about Josie King, discussed in depth our responsibility as the last line of defense in catching med errors and potential interactions, and had an initial check out on administering medications properly with another checkout at the end of that quarter. Over the course of the program we also had 3 ethics seminar classes and med errors were a topic discussed at least once in all 3 classes. So....speak for yourself!

To the OP: I think if you address the reason you were fired in a way that shows what you learned from it and how you are incorporating that lesson in to being an even better nurse, it will reflect positively on you.

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My school was VERY big on safe medication administration. Before being cleared to give meds we had lab time where we watched a documentary about Josie King, discussed in depth our responsibility as the last line of defense in catching med errors and potential interactions, and had an initial check out on administering medications properly with another checkout at the end of that quarter. Over the course of the program we also had 3 ethics seminar classes and med errors were a topic discussed at least once in all 3 classes. So....speak for yourself!

To the OP: I think if you address the reason you were fired in a way that shows what you learned from it and how you are incorporating that lesson in to being an even better nurse, it will reflect positively on you.

Uhhhh, don't know if you READ where I said atleast that's what MY school did.......

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Uhhhh, don't know if you READ where I said atleast that's what MY school did.......

Yes, but you also said you don't think they go over meds well, so you didn't really seem too certain that it was just your school. Now you can be certain that your experience is not universal.

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Yes, but you also said you don't think they go over meds well, so you didn't really seem too certain that it was just your school. Now you can be certain that your experience is not universal.

Ok, it's MY experience, feel better now?

I'm not gonna go back and forth and hijack the OP's thread when she clearly is need of support right now. She made an honest mistake, and I personally don't think she was prepared for the reality of nursing if she did not know not to leave open meds at the bedside.

I'm not gonna argue my experience vs your experience. So with that being said, I respectfully bow out.

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Ok, it's MY experience, feel better now?

I'm not gonna go back and forth and hijack the OP's thread when she clearly is need of support right now. She made an honest mistake, and I personally don't think she was prepared for the reality of nursing if she did not know not to leave open meds at the bedside.

I'm not gonna argue my experience vs your experience. So with that being said, I respectfully bow out.

I apologize for thinking you wanted a clarification from me. I must have misinterpreted your second post.

To bring it back to the OP, the penalty does seem harsh for the offense- as demoralizing as being fired is, maybe it's for the best to not be working in an environment that is so quick to throw a new grad with a high patient load to the wolves. NO ONE graduates prepared to work independently and most things I've read say it takes about 8 months to start to feel comfortable. OP, I hope you find a place that really supports you as a new grad.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

op: i agree with caliotter3. sorry for your loss of employment. when i was a tech and as a rn i have found meds in rooms left open or closed and i know of no nurses who were fired for the infraction. btw, i have only worked in hospital settings! thus, i do not think you will be put in a situation that you will never ever work as a nurse again. i think you can explain this situation on your job applications or during interviews and you will be given a second chance if you explain that you learned and have grown from this error.

it is unfortunate that your facility was so harsh. you should have been written up, and then your don or adon should have pulled you aside and educated you about the mistake. if you had a pattern of making such mistakes or showing poor judgment as a nurse, then you should be fired.... all new and experienced nurses make mistakes once in a while. one mistake does not make for a bad nurse. :twocents:

just an aside, this is one of the reasons i am not interested in working in a ltc. i do not like the good-bad mentality of ma-pa businesses. there seems to be no shades of gray or second chances when it comes to nursing and providing care to patients in many ltc facilities. do not get me wrong, the hospital i work for now has insane policies, but i have yet to hear of a nurse being fired.

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That sucks. Didn't your employer have a protocol to follow before you were fired, such as verbal warning then written warning? Seems odd for them to just fire you that way and for no other reasons. Do they have a high turnover? Seems like they would be going through staff like nothin.

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