and I am not sure how to move forward with looking for a job. Do I add it to my resume? Is anyone going to hire me after getting terminated? Ive never been fired before and I am so disheartened that I got fired in my nursing career - if you can call it a career after 2 months. Do I just start over fresh like I have had no experience?
It was mostly related to skills, and my DON who fired me suggested I look online and review my skills, etc. so when I do start looking (which I need to do soon) I can say what happened, and that I have been reviewing my skills to make myself better.
Sometimes I got the feeling that they expected more from me as a brand new nurse than I was able to give. I was always there on time, asked questions, jumped in and tried new things, was willing to help - but its almost like they forgot what it was like to be a new nurse and took forgranted that I was a brand new nurse just learning the ropes. Regardless, my license wont be affected - just my bruised ego. I am especially concerned that since LTC seems to be the only place hiring "inexperienced" (less than a year experience) nurses and that is the field I was in that I am not going to find anyone that is understanding in another branch of nursing to take me in and give me another chance.
II am open to suggestions. This is fairly recent so I am still dusting myself off - but I would love to know if any other brand new nurses went thru this and how they coped with it. Thanks so much for the support.
OP: sorry to hear you lost your job..your facility seems to lack support & understanding of the new nurse. i too am a new grad, but lets be honest, from the time we graduate school to landing our first job is often several months.. did we REALLY learn that much in clinicals to call ourselves experts??? Heck NO!!! thats why most nurses know and understand that the REAL learning begins once we actually practice daily.... i too am in LTC and just got a patient with trach/peg tube... i am online reviewing videos on suctioning/PEG tube feeding/admin..b/c its simply been too long that Ive "practiced" these skills... just yesterday i received my first 90 day review, and my DON stated I am meeting expectations, but she KNOWS im a new grad, and stated, "it really does take time to learn all you need to know." ... dont give up, leave the 2month stint off your resume and keep applying...talk to others to find out what facilities are new grad friendly etc ....ignore dumb comments...i find most folks here are on AN are super helpful and understanding... chin up :) !
Have you tried applying to residencies at hospitals? I think most hospitals only open up residency programs twice a year, but you can apply, apply, apply to all of them!! Call HR departments. Make yourself memorable. Correspond with them to inquire about when the next residencies will open so you can be one of the first to send in your resume. Don't give up, being fired does not make you a bad nurse, and its not the end of the world, even if it currently feels like it.
BTW, I was fired from my first job straight out of nursing school. I thought it was my dream job. I was crushed. But you know what they say, when God closes a door, he opens a window (or something like that lol). I then went into agency nursing, and make much more money and have more flexibility. I also learned so much doing that!
I completely agree with perioddrama's initial response, you should list it on your resume and be honest about what happened. There is hope for you, you can still find a job. I'm saying that from personal experience because I was fired for almost the same reason after just 3 months on the job as a new grad, I went through the same emotional turmoil that you're probably going through right now. It was so traumatic and horrible I'll never wish it on even an enemy but these things happen and you should dust yourself up and keep going. I found a job with one of the best hospital system in my area which I will be starting in about a week, so don't give up, you will find one too.
I often think about how green I was at my first job in a LTC facility and how nice the other nurses were to me.They must have been shaking their heads and wondering if I would ever be able to make it.Looking back from now,I am sure that I often seemed downright stupid.The fact that I was a young guy probably did not hurt me when it came to them being patient.
One particular nurse took me under her wing (Linda)to show me what she was doing whenever she could.I know it did not make her job any easier.......it is much easier to just do than to spend time showing someone else but she took the time anyway.
I caught on.I made mistakes but I caught on.............and moved on.
A couple of years later I ran into Linda again.She was at a low point in her life,had some bad experiences at work and was telling me that she was going to go to work in the local hardware store. I practically dragged her to the LTC that I was working at to apply.
I got to work with Linda again..........as peers this time.
It has been over 25 years since then.I relocated and lost track of Linda over the years but I still appreciate her every day that I am a nurse.I feel like I got to return her kindness when she was at her low point and I hope that she is still doing nursing today wherever she is.
My post might seem out of place here,but maybe at your next job ............you will meet your Linda.
Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
Sometimes I got the feeling that they expected more from me as a brand new nurse than I was able to give.
You're probably right about that. I'm so sorry!
I guess you could list it on your resume and just say, "I don't feel I got the orientation I should have had," which is probably true, and ask if you could receive a better orientation, or a preceptor, or something.
LTC is a very heavy workload.. .
For example... how could ANYONE pass meds to 30- 40 people in a timely manner ?
ABSOLUTELY. I think it is pretty much impossible for a SEASONED nurse to do everything that's expected.
My dad is a vp of hr and has always told me that if a job will give you a bad reference do not list it. He even said this about a job I had for a year that the DON was giving bad references before I left (i had no disciplinary actions at this job!). Its your choice if you put it on or not but I can tell you when I started saying that jobs could not use this job as a reference I got a lot of interview calls. There are also ways to sugarcoat the truth to make it sound better but still not lie about why it happened. You say it was your skills that got you fired....put down that you were let go because management did not allow enough time to orientate effectively. That should open the door for discussion instead of a floor manager seeing bad skills and moving on to the next applicant. In ltc it can be sink or swim. When I was a new grad lpn I ran into that. I literally had 3 days of orientation. We had a lot of nurses that were let go after 3 months for not being able to keep up. ask around or call the nursing staff to see how they like it. Look at staffs faces and how busy they are.
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
Not nice novo - sheesh.
I would leave it off and then just think - they will br impressed at your shills and be more likely to offer you a longer orientation...... All the best to you OP!
as a new grad, and so, obviously new to the field (but not the workforce), I would be very careful in the manner in which you point the finger at your previous employer for your training. Badmouthing a former workplace is never good, so I would try to be diplomatic, like "the facility was eager to get me up and running because they needed adequate staffing, and they weren't able to spend as much time with me on as we both would have liked. I've been working on my skills since then and am confident that this experience has prepared me for what is expected at my next job". Or something like that. Since you are a new grad, you could probably get away with not listing it, but I don't know if that's the best road to take. They will probably find out eventually anyway, and at my current employer, you CAN be terminated at ANY time, if they find out you've lied on the application. Will they? Probably not, but it leaves an open door for an employer who is grasping for a reason to terminate. Best of luck!!
netglow, ASN, RN
4,412 Posts
Novo is a student.
Didn't we all know. So easy to tell.