Reasons nurses get fired

HomeBound · May 5, 2019

I'm really sorry you were terminated from your position. It's never a good feeling---and you always blame or question yourself, whether you "did harm" or "did something illegal" or not.

In "Right to Work" states, and pretty much any other employment situation outside of having a union---you can get fired for any reason, any time. Now--there's a possibility of Unemployment Insurance if the employer fired you without cause--but you are going down the "I'm not going into why" road--which implies that you did something that, to your employer, was a reason to fire you.

If you feel that you were terminated unfairly---there is Unemployment Insurance as well as Labor Attorneys that can help you.

If you were terminated for something like---insubordination or any other violation of the terms of your employment---you have no recourse and you need to move on. A nurse's employment is NO different than a dock worker, police officer, pet groomer or stock trader's employment. You don't have to kill/harm someone with negligence or malfeasance--and you don't have to divert drugs---in order to get fired.

My advice to you, since you aren't divulging any type of information as to the "why"---is evaluate your reason for termination and determine if this constitutes "for cause". If it doesn't meet any criteria, in other words---if you are claiming you walked into work one day and your RN Mgr said..."I don't like your hair. You're fired."---you have recourse.

Nurses aren't held to any different employment standard basically--but we are held to a higher standard in regards to ethical behavior. If you're caught charting something you didn't do? You're guilty of fraud as well as endangering a pt's well being.

Your question implies that you know why you were terminated, and you want to know if you have options. File for unemployment if you feel you were terminated unfairly. If not--then I would move on and chalk this up to experience gained as to "what not to do next time."

KonichiwaRN · May 5, 2019

Expecting and asking the CNA who is the DON's pet to do their jobs (taking vitals, checking patients) is one sure way of getting dismissed from the unit.

chare · May 5, 2019

14 hours ago, HomeBound said:
[...]
In "Right to Work" states, and pretty much any other employment situation outside of having a union---you can get fired for any reason, any time. ...
[...]

Actually, right to work means that you can't be required to join a union as a condition of employment. ETA: While I'm generally not a big fan of unions, I definitely disagree with this as you reap all of the benefits of the union contract, without supporting the union.

At will employment is when you can be terminated for any reason, aside from a handful of protected classes or employment or union contract, or no reason at all.

Trauma Columnist · May 5, 2019

1. Excessive absences

2. Insubordination

3. Lying or integrity issues

4. Patient abuse or lack of patient satisfaction

Nursing On The Run · May 5, 2019

OP here. I didn’t chart something fraudulently, I didn’t harm a patient or do any of the things listed. What I did do was self report I made a med error. It didn’t harm a patient, but that’s why I was fired. I also was given severance and signed something saying I would not divulge the fact that I DID sign something, or I would owe my severance back. It also says that I am free to sue but any money collected can’t go to me or to attorney’s fees.

I would sign again— at the time, I really needed to focus on being practical and I was not gonna sue my employer. I have found (contract) work. However, I deeply resent having to tell potential new employers that I was terminated. I need to mentally and emotionally move on. I’m not in the karma delivery business, but boy, i am having a tough time letting go.

nursej22, MSN, RN · May 6, 2019

1. Drug diversion, after rehab

2. HIPAA violation

3. Administering IVF to a coworker without an order (practicing medicine without a license.)

4. Theft of facility resources

Zippy83 · May 6, 2019

I’m sorry that happened to you. I don’t know the exact nature of the med error, but it’s a shame after self reporting they cannot do some education and reviewing of protocol to prevent it from happening again, instead of firing you. I personally believe medication errors happen a lot more than we know, and that many nurses don’t report for fear of being fired, so this type of action from your employer is only going to continue that.

TigraRN · May 6, 2019

1. Checking BG on someone who refused it.

2. HIPAA violation

Davey Do · May 6, 2019

6 hours ago, Nursing On The Run said:
I deeply resent having to tell potential new employers that I was terminated.

I too empathize with your situation, NOTR. I have been terminated from three out of ten workplaces in my career. It's odd that, on two occasions, my following positions were in administration.

I was working at a small community hospital working in med surge/ER and doing home health shifts here and there for an agency when I got fired. I contacted the home health agency and told them that I had time to pick up more shifts. A month later they offered me the position of nursing supervisor!

Then I got fired from a community mental health center and applied for a nursing supervisor position at another one. When they asked me why I left my last position, I said, "It was a mutual decision". Nothing more was asked.

Then when I got fired from that position and was at a job fair to fill out an application and get a $50 gift certificate, free food and beer. The director of the psych division asked me why I left my last position. I answered, "I got fired".

The next thing out of her mouth was, "When can you come talk to us about a position?"

I ended up working at that position for 16 years.

And counting.

Good luck to you, NOTR!

Davey Do · May 6, 2019

I guess I should list the reasons this nurse got fired from three different workplaces:

1. Arguing with a coworker. Employment security ruled in my favor.

2. Not meeting job responsibilities. Employment security again ruled in my favor.

3. Butting heads with the medical director. Employment security said, "You can't tell your supervisor 'Go ahead! Fire me!' and then contest it when he does!"

But two out of three ain't bad, eh?

caliotter3 · May 6, 2019

In extended care home health nurses get fired from individual cases all the time, often based on the whims of the client/family members. Their employing agency just finds them shifts on other cases. However if this happens often enough the agency will run out of open shifts to offer the nurse or they just lose his/her home number because they don't want to deal with the individual any longer. To actually get fired from the agency, something serious must be going on. Once worked for an agency where one of the nurses was committing fraud with her time sheets. The DPCS said they were going to terminate her but the nurse had fortuitously moved on anyway, to a better job, no less.