Reasons nurses get fired

[Nursing On The Run]

What are some reasons you've known nurses to be fired? I worked for a small company and was fired. I'm not going into why, but I did not cause any harm or do anything illegal. To me, those are the reasons nurses get fired.

[osceteacher]

In the UK?

Convictions.

Theft at work.

Losing your pin.

I've seen very very few firings in my 10 years.

[Glycerine82, LPN]

Over the years i've seen nurses get fired for the following

- accidentally taking home 1/2 an ativan vial and instead of being honest, pretended to "find it" in a different area of the pixis the next day. To be fair, she wasn't diverting but was afraid to just admit she screwed up and just return the darn thing and admit her mistake.

-putting patient at risk by making serious med errors (48 units of fast acting insulin instead of long acting)

-diverting

-calling in sick stating father died, made up a fake obituary with the wrong year listed.

-coming to work and falling asleep in the middle of documenting by hand. Could see pen marks going up and down the mar. I believe she was actually intoxicated in some way, but never found out the whole story.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Just skimmed the rest of the thread, but didn't see this one ...

I've seen people fired for falsifying their time/attendance records - e.g. having a friend "clock in" or "clock out" for them.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

On 5/5/2019 at 6:47 PM, Nursing On The Run said:

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.

The one thing you need to know is are you considered rehirable by HR? That's a phone call.

Wishing you the best.

[Silver_Rik, ASN, BSN, RN]

11 hours ago, nursej22 said:

Yup, treating their own hang-overs.

Oh duh, intravenous fluids ... And for a moment I was thinking “that’s pretty rad helping your friend get pregnant like that, but I understand why their facility fired them...”

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

10 hours ago, Kooky Korky said:

any reason

no reason

It's Thursday.

New manager is a ^(&)*%* who takes a dislike to you after you've had 15 good years at the same job.

Any and all or none.

Amen to all of this!!!

[Silver_Rik, ASN, BSN, RN]

I know it’s a moot point for the OP, but if you’re let go at a job don’t assume you can’t get unemployment benefits. People get fired “for cause” and still collect. People walk out and still collect. Did they document everything, was there a progressive discipline policy and was it followed, were other employees who committed the same errors or violations subject to the same discipline? Did the employer create or allow an intolerable work environment exist to pressure you into quitting? I’m not a lawyer and not saying everyone or most would win, but people do win unemployment cases in situations like this.

[KonichiwaRN]

1 minute ago, Silver_Rik said:

I know it’s a moot point for the OP, but if you’re let go at a job don’t assume you can’t get unemployment benefits. People get fired “for cause” and still collect. People walk out and still collect. Did they document everything, was there a progressive discipline policy and was it followed, were other employees who committed the same errors or violations subject to the same discipline? Did the employer create or allow an intolerable work environment exist to pressure you into quitting? I’m not a lawyer and not saying everyone or most would win, but people do win unemployment cases in situations like this.

The main thing that gets us, nurses, from doing that is..

the place of employment giving the "dismissal" in the form of:

resign or get terminated. (play the tune. you guys all know the tune, when that guy's movie used to be good)

Doesn't look good on the resume if the termination is on file. Well, unless you are applying for a job in Nome, Alaska.

[KonichiwaRN]

On 5/6/2019 at 2:59 AM, Davey Do said:

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!

I'd be privileged to have someone like you as my director. It seems most supervisors just forget when "they" were bedside nurses.

[Emergent, RN]

10 hours ago, Izzycat said:

This is why there are job shootings.

There are job shootings because violent, amoral people seek vengeance. Probably, those unbalanced people exhibited negative behaviors on the job as well

[IEDave, ASN, CNA, LVN]

On 5/6/2019 at 12:14 AM, Davey Do said:

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?

As for me, I was terminated just under a month and a half ago (long story, but it boils down to a toxic relationship with a DON, and an accusation of not charting something that didn't happen) and reading this post really made my day. Really wished I could've gone back to the facility and gotten a video of the following:

(1) Put a fall mat outside the night entrance;

(2) Find an empty bed;

(3) Spread out a Hoyer sling on the bed;

(4) I lay down on the sling with my personal belongings;

(5) Get 4 of the staff to pick me up with the sling;

(6) Open the night entrance door;

(7) Have the staff run down the hall, carrying me in the sling, and throw me out the door onto the fall mat;

(8) Have them all shout in unison "AND STAY OUT!!!";

(9) Slam the night entrance door shut.

That would have been a proper termination! The terminated would've bought pizza for that one.

In any case, I opted to use all the lovely overtime money I made because the DON refused to hire replacement staff until after the state survey occurred to keep me financially solvent while I finished up a prereq class for admission into an LVN to RN bridge program. Got contacts to back me up (2 of the 3 RN supervisors) and looking at moving into hospice, which is my dream job. So...not hurtin', and was warned about nursing's rather vicious reputation. Lessons learned, and movin' on.

[Forest2]

12 hours ago, Izzycat said:

We knew they were lying. That's why so many nurse's don't report errors.

Exactly, you report what you did, you write up the incident full well knowing where you went wrong and swear to the heavens that it will never happen again. Then you get called into an office and they write you up.