Reasons nurses get fired

Megarline, CNA · Jan 1, 2020

On 5/7/2019 at 3:30 PM, Oldmahubbard said:
People got fired for:
having oral sex with another employee in their car, in the large parking lot. After hours, not on company time.
an RN on a psych ward was found to be reading a novel in the nurse's station on the weekend. All the work was caught up.
another RN on a psych unit was writing up PRN orders herself, and getting providers to sign them after the fact.
a single narcotic pill was unaccounted for. A long term RN had the keys, and he was not under the influence.
People did not get fired for:
An NP having oral sex with a security staff member during the work day. Both married.
An RN coming to work high for several years. She is now dead.
An employee was breaking into people's cars in the parking lot to steal electronics and anything else of value. He was clearly visible on camera. He was out for awhile, but not fired.
A morbidly obese RN who would come to work for years with 2 extra large subs, a huge bag of chips, and a 12 pack of ho-ho's, in case he got hungry during a shift. Then he would essentially nap in the office and refuse to do basic nursing duties. Finally, he falsified FMLA paperwork and he did get canned.
A security staff person has shamelessly done 93% of his career from the comfort of his couch, all with the blessings of Workman's Comp. Every time he is forced to come back, the next thing you know, his thumb is sprained again, and he is out another year. Not an exaggeration.

I'm a working student (CNA) in a step down unit. Your post makes me cry and laugh. Guys I work with demonstrate genuineness and respectfulness to me and others. I don't know yet but there are more men on some shifts.

I come in and do my job. I check my clients A&O and vitals which include pain. I note my data and copy them and circle critical numbers in red and report to a nurse. If he or she is not available, I leave it where he or she easily finds the note.

There are a few males competing for my attention. I do my best not to get greedy. ?

ghyt · Oct 9, 2020

can u be fired if a home health patient tells your manager "I don't want to see that RN again", even if they did everything according to the book? This patient said they will call back when they are ready and never called back, but said they were dissatisfied bc the RN didn't call back (even though they were told by the pt to wait for a cb if needed). The manager was upset but admitted the RN did everything by the book.

LibraNurse27, BSN, RN · Oct 9, 2020

One of my coworkers was fired for patient neglect (frequently in med room taking selfies for instagram while her ICU pts were left unattended) and time sheet fraud. She sent a letter saying she is going to come back and shoot us all...

speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Oct 9, 2020

30 minutes ago, LibraNurse27 said:

One of my coworkers was fired for patient neglect (frequently in med room taking selfies for instagram while her ICU pts were left unattended) and time sheet fraud. She sent a letter saying she is going to come back and shoot us all...

That’s frightening.

speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Oct 9, 2020

On 5/8/2019 at 10:52 AM, Nickc58 said:

If you weren’t such a reputable poster I would call BS on half of those reasons in the didn't column. That’s just so unreal ?

I have always been shocked for what nurses get fired for and don’t get fired for. However more often then not I see nurses get fired for speaking up for the right reasons or being the whistleblower on a safety issue. For doing what is right and now what is immoral or easy. I have seen healthcare change so much and it is not necessarily for the good. Yet the nurses that truly should be fired are not and I can never figure that out

Hoosier_RN, MSN · Oct 10, 2020

1 hour ago, speedynurse said:

I have seen healthcare change so much and it is not necessarily for the good.

Yet the nurses that truly should be fired are not and I can never figure that out

I have seen so much in 27 years...nursing is not what it was when I started.

They are either "buddies/relatives", snitches, or the needed warm body

Gayla Elliott · May 26, 2022

I worked 9 bed ICU with one lpn and a float RN (once a 6 month RN that had only worked l&d). I lasted 8 months and quit mostly from stress fear of being sued and inadequate care. After I left the remaining ICU nurses tried to get a union started. They were all fired. All their ICU nurses. Yes you can get fired for any reason.

Silver_Rik, ASN, BSN, RN · May 26, 2022

2 hours ago, Gayla Elliott said:

I worked 9 bed ICU with one lpn and a float RN (once a 6 month RN that had only worked l&d). I lasted 8 months and quit mostly from stress fear of being sued and inadequate care. After I left the remaining ICU nurses tried to get a union started. They were all fired. All their ICU nurses. Yes you can get fired for any reason.

Yes places will fire you for this but if you can prove it was due to this it’s actually one of the few reasons that isn’t legal for them to do as long as you weren’t organizing on company time. The NLRB will go in and force them to rehire you with back pay. That’s only if you can prove that’s why you were fired.

V H · Aug 27, 2022

See something wrong. Say something right. It is a lie. A trick. They are weeding out the strong from the weak. I spoke up and suffered the consequences. Tuesday, I will be fired. The provider brings in $. RN is cost. and a problem if RN exposes. Leaving nursing as a profession altogether. My body and mind are broken because of nursing. I can't use my right hand due to nursing. 19 years as an RN and more as a NA. I went into this profession to help people. I did not go into this profession to help a CEO get a new yacht. Keep speaking us, nursing students and nurses. Our voices will not be heard now. They will in 50 years. Never give up

Ioreth, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2022

Things I've seen firings for:

Not rounding on patients.

CNA falsifying vital signs.

Altered mental status while working then leaving hospital campus midshift without notifying anyone.

Sitter CNA yelling at patient when patient was sleeping soundly on a night shift. Sitter was apparently upset that patient was boring and causing her to nod off.

Managers canned for receiving poor satisfaction surveys when staff are upset about pandemic work conditions and changes from higher-up management.

Things I've seen people not fired for:

Failure to take vitals for several hours on a patient with altered mental status in post-op period, then the patient is found to be barely hanging on to life.

Calling in "sick" for 2 months straight. No advance leave taken, no FMLA.

CNA playing phone games in empty room instead of answering call lights, repeatedly.

Attempted to hide med error with patient harm. Heparin drip was set at the 100 mL/h continuous IV fluid rate.

Found passed out drunk in break room while clocked in.

Gross negligence in insisting on carrying out a clearly contraindicated order (order actually had parameters which were ignored) resulting in patient harm.

Bullying.

Drinking PCA narcotics from the tubing after PCA DCed.

NefforamaRN, BSN · Apr 3, 2023

I was fired almost a year after being placed on disciplinary action for too many absences for my FTE. The disciplinary action came after being sick with covid like symptoms, but a negative test. The parameters were any 2 further absences in any 6 mos over the next year were grounds for termination. I missed a day in July, had a family emergency in December. That was a Friday. They allowed me to work the remainder of the weekend, and 2 extra shifts, and then BOOM. Fired at the end of the 2nd extra shift. I had been a well performing, daisy nominated employee of that hospital for 15 years. Covid wreaked havoc on the world, but nurses were expected to keep on going...overperforming.... And bucking up with our big girl panties on.

Recently, I found out that the nurse manager that fired me, lied on an application for a license in OK (before compact we had to obtain multiple licenses for surrounding states). She had been convicted of a misdemeanor in her resident state, lied and checked the box "no" when asked if she had……. Yet…… she's still at same hospital and I guess was hired anyway (at the time). I'm considering reporting her to our state BON but not sure. Feel like I'm in an ethical/vulnerable pickle. And for sure am disillusioned at the expectations placed on nurses without any extra support or compassion.

RNGuyUS, ASN, BSN · Apr 4, 2023

I recently encountered a situation where a traveler was fired on the spot and anyone with anything to do with it zipped their lips. Best I could gather, something happened to a patient in the traveler's care. Before the "incidnet," the patient was flourishing. Overnight in the traveler's care, not so much. The facility closed ranks on the family except for one tech mentioning to the patient's family member that they were sorry and that the nurse caring for them had been "immediately terminated." Executives told the family that the traveler was dismissed because they didn't chart as well as the facility would like and wouldn't discuss anything further citing "personnel privacy." Additionally, they made out like the patient's sudden deterioration was inevitable and unavoidable. The family tried to get copies of care records, but from what I understand, they've been blocked repeatedly.

Have any of you ever encountered charting policies so stringent that the staff has a one-and-done typo policy? The administration won't even explain the issue. I mean, its serious enough it merited firing a nurse, no warning, no correction, nothing. So it must be serious. If so, why so secretive? If this traveler's mistake is so life and death, then wouldn't it make sense to use this as a teaching moment?

I'm all about minding my own business and providing superior patient care, but this whole situation is unsettling to me. My gut tells me something isn't right. And I don't like being swept up with bad guys.

Has anyone else encountered charting issues that merited immediate dismissal?