we often see threads with the title "fired for no reason," or "new grad harassed and fired" or something to that effect. and i always feel at least a little sympathy for the individual involved, if only because i can clearly see by reading between the lines of their self-justifying post that there was a reason for their termination, even if they just don't get it. (there are always a few posts every year from a new grad who is convinced that the reason she's not getting along with her co-workers is that she's just so beautiful they're all jealous, that crowds of mean people are following her around, that she's so wonderful she's going to rock the er or icu or nicu or or and no one sees her wonderfulness clearly, or that some mean, tired, old nurse who ought to retire and get out of the way is targeting her for no good reason.)
i worked with a new grad who was recently terminated for, as she puts it, totally bogus reasons. evidently seeing mine as a sympathetic ear, she went on and on and on about how unfair it was that management expected her to get her act together and actually understand what was going on with her patients. "i've got the time management thing down pat," she said. "i don't know what else they want. they're just picking on me for no good reason." i liked sal, i really did. she was interesting and entertaining and really, really nice. she was also smart, hard-working (when she was at work) and well-educated. but she didn't study outside of work, and really didn't understand what was going on with her patients. i participated in several meetings with her in which it was pointed out that it's not enough to do the tasks, you have to understand why you're doing them. it's not enough to draw the labs. you have to understand what the results mean and then address them. for instance, if the inr is 9, it might explain the nosebleed, the cherry red urine and the fact that the hemoglobin is now 6. giving the coumadin at 6pm as scheduled is not a good thing, even if you gave it right on time and were able to explain to the patient that "it's a blood thinner." i could go on and on.
i got a call from sal today, complaining that she knows she's blackballed for no good reason because she just can't get another job. she wanted me to give her a reference. did she just not get it?
all you new grads out there who are convinced that you're being picked on for no reason, that your more experienced colleagues are just out to get you, and that you're being unfairly targeting, harassed, or picked on, hear this: it may be something you're doing (or not doing) and all those "mean people" are trying to explain it to you so you catch on, learn your job and succeed. we all tried over and over with sal, and she still doesn't get it. are you guilty of the same thing? if your preceptor says you lack critical thinking skills, do you take it to heart, think about it and learn from it? or are you convinced that the entire issue is that she's jealous of your extreme good looks? if your charge nurse charges you with a deficit in your time management skills do you spend time figuring out where you could speed things up a bit? or do you dismiss her as a tired old dog who can't learn a new trick and ought to retire anyway? are you taking to heart and benefitting from any negative feedback you're getting, however poorly given it is? or are you obsessing about how "mean" that nurse was to you and totally overlooking the message?
i wish sal would have "gotten it." she would have been delightful to work with if she had. but right now she's focused on badmouthing her preceptors and the charge nurse, and she still doesn't understand what she did wrong. don't make the same mistakes.
i was thinking after i posted that maybe it is BECAUSE of her 39 yrs of experience. corporate is always trying to find ways to weed out the veteran nurses with all the experience that make the most monies. i wonder if that couldnt be a factor as well?
Who knows?
The woman who chewed me up and spit me out actually had the gall to tell me (among other things):
"This way we won't have to worry about you not showing up for work again".
Excuse me? Did I not request and get those days off approved in advance?
She says this as the supervisor who approved my days off sits there like a piece of furniture.
The HH nurse who is caring for my BIL told my sister they are looking for help. I'm calling them tomorrow.
Middle finger extended as the door closes behind me.
what you wrote was very interesting about sal.i am currently attending a community college and fear that i have not learned as much as i should have as the other students in my class. its not my instructors fault , only mine. i did a bad thing in choosing a really easy teacher for A&P1 and i did not learn anything, and am averaging an A- in A&P2, but i feel that i should know a lot more than i do. i study hard and i have only microbiology to take before getting into the program of RN. my problem is being afraid of being in the same position as sal was. not having the knowledge i need to succeed. is there any tips you can give me so i dont follow the same path as sal??
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
what you wrote was very interesting about sal.i am currently attending a community college and fear that i have not learned as much as i should have as the other students in my class. its not my instructors fault , only mine. i did a bad thing in choosing a really easy teacher for a&p1 and i did not learn anything, and am averaging an a- in a&p2, but i feel that i should know a lot more than i do. i study hard and i have only microbiology to take before getting into the program of rn. my problem is being afraid of being in the same position as sal was. not having the knowledge i need to succeed. is there any tips you can give me so i dont follow the same path as sal??
thanks
the problem wasn't that sal lacked knowledge. we expect new grads to be ignorant in sooooo many ways. the problem was that sal didn't benefit from the learning opportunities afforded her and that she didn't realize she was ignorant. she flunked the critical care test more than once; ditto the rhythm test. that should have been a message to her, but she didn't get it. she made no bones about the fact that she didn't study. she was proud of her "time management skills" which merely meant that she missed a lot when she got her vital signs and i & o into the computer on time. it's hard to teach someone when they're convinced they already know everything.
if you're worried about not having the knowledge you need to succeed, you have all the tips you need! good luck with your studies, and maybe i'll be lucky enough to precept someone like you next year!
I would contact an Employment Attorney ASAP. There is NO reason for their conduct! JMHO and my NY $0.02.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington
Agreed. What they are doing is illegal. Call an attorney ASAP. You need legal help here.
I'll be praying for your sister and BIL to have complete and full recoveries. I'm sorry you were treated this way. You sound like a wonderful sister and SIL and any family would be lucky to have you. Hugs.
agreed. what is illegal they are doing. call an attorney asap. you need legal help here.
i'll be praying for your sister and bil to have complete and full recoveries. i'm sorry you were treated this way. you sound like a wonderful sister and sil and any family would be lucky to have you. hugs.
slimey? heartless? obviously. but what makes you think what this employer did was illegal?
i would never argue against seeking legal advice if a person feels that they have been wronged. and in this case an aggressive attorney might be able to get the employer to restore her full time status because they probably should have taken the opportunity to inform her of her rights under fmla even though it might not presently apply. that is, threatening to fire her for taking care of any family member might have wrongly lead her to conclude that if she needed to take leave to take care of her son due to a serious illness or injury that she would have no protection under the act. and since she couldn't risk losing having no job at all, she agreed to go per diem.
but even if they restored her previous employment status, what would be gained if she took off to take care of a brother-in-law and then was terminated?
Great advice Ruby! Great post! Thanks for your words of wisdom. You always have great advice. I hope I can be half the nurse you are when I get through school.
I have seen this happen on several occasion where a new nurse will make mistake and most of the experience nurses will just talk about her behind her back, bad mouth her and ridicule her but no one will correct her quote]
This was my experience. Although as a new grad most of my feedback was positive, I was quickly asked to transfer to night turn b/c mgmt was in a jam, and I agreed, to be nice. I both A-was rarely helped adequately even when I asked for it (once an older nurse went so far as to say, "Oh, you should have asked me" after I screwed something up, when I DID ask-I was mad but I didn't go to my boss, stupid me). I also overheard multiple conversations about one new grad in particular who no one seemed to like, but no one seemed to try to help. I remember the comment lumping all new grads together, "I've forgotten more than they know at all". Hey, I'm sitting right here, thanks! Talk about being supportive of new grads.
Bottom line is, people don't care anymore. And it's more fun to poke someone with a stick and watch them fail than it is to hold out a hand to help people up.
As to the original post, people like that usually need to fall off of the ivory tower before they acquire any good sense. Managment will do with her what they do with all others like her; they will let her get by with it or they will give her a desk job. As it is everywhere you go: those that can, do. And those that can't, manage.
Excuse me, but in my experience only the best rise into management. Unfortunately they often were great nurses and not necessarily good managers. The is is result of "The Peter Principle" which explains that "In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence." :paw:
CseMgr1, ASN, RN
1,287 Posts
Who knows?
The woman who chewed me up and spit me out actually had the gall to tell me (among other things):
"This way we won't have to worry about you not showing up for work again".
Excuse me? Did I not request and get those days off approved in advance?
She says this as the supervisor who approved my days off sits there like a piece of furniture.
The HH nurse who is caring for my BIL told my sister they are looking for help. I'm calling them tomorrow.
Middle finger extended as the door closes behind me.