terminated- feeling like a failure

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I was recently terminated from a nursing job for a charting error. to make a long story short I went back into a chart the day after to fix something in my charting in a patients chart. I deleted a piece of charting because i said i did something without actually doing it and wanted to make my charting correct. unfortunately in retrospect my company brought it to my attention that this is a breach in HIPAA thus terminated my employment.

This has been particularly hard for me to face as i am one of those people who is a perfectionist and always plays by the book. I have about 2 years of nursing experience (1 year night shift on a step down unit -was a zombie and bullied by a nurse, now 1 year office nursing/ambulatory surgery) and am now so frustrated and so upset with myself. All i can do is sit here and cry because I am so mad at myself. I just feel like i have a bitter taste in my mouth about nursing now. I used to be this young intelligent nurse so excited for my career to begin and had such high prospects.

I feel that I have lost all my confidence and feeling like a failure. Who will hire me now?

Any suggestions from people in similar situations and how to move on? should i quit nursing or keep looking for a better fit?

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Specializes in General Surgery.
I was recently terminated from a nursing job for a charting error. to make a long story short I went back into a chart the day after to fix something in my charting in a patients chart. I deleted a piece of charting because i said i did something without actually doing it and wanted to make my charting correct. unfortunately in retrospect my company brought it to my attention that this is a breach in HIPAA thus terminated my employment.

This has been particularly hard for me to face as i am one of those people who is a perfectionist and always plays by the book. I have about 2 years of nursing experience (1 year night shift on a step down unit -was a zombie and bullied by a nurse, now 1 year office nursing/ambulatory surgery-also not a wonderful experience, management was not very supportive) and am now so frustrated and so upset with myself. All i can do is sit here and cry because I am so mad at myself. I just feel like i have a bitter taste in my mouth about nursing now. I used to be this young intelligent nurse so excited for my career to begin and had such high prospects.

I feel that I have lost all my confidence and feeling like a failure. Who will hire me now?

Any suggestions from people in similar situations and how to move on? should i quit nursing or keep looking for a better fit?

I haven't been in a situation as yours, while I don't feel the way you do - I can only begin to imagine and I'm sure you are feeling awful. I'm so sorry this has happened. :HUGS:

The question is not SHOULD you quit nursing, it ought to be: Do YOU want to quit nursing?

Answer this once you've cried and mourned over your job loss. Answer this once you are back on your feet.

Your next employer you will hire you, that's who! =)

Be positive, you will be hired again if you so wish.

There are nurses out there that have done some really really messed up stuff, and somehow they're still allowed to nurse.

Learn from this and move forward.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Falsifying documentation is a reportable to your BON. Be thankful that your employer has not decided to go that route. In fact, if you are unionized and/ or carry , it would be worth your time to discuss with them.

All you can do is learn from this and move forward. That doesn't necessarily mean that you should leave nursing. Take some time to reflect. Your future employers will want to know what you have learned from this.

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It absolutely does not mean you should leave nursing!! I spent the first 2 years of my nursing career as a eager youngster that got bullied tremendously. You learned from your mistake, which we all do!! Don't give up

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Correcting a charting error a day after a patient has been in your care doesn't sound like a typical reason someone would get fired. Is there more to the story?

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pangea reunited- there is a bit more of the story. to make a long story short i was being trained in the surgical center and i had made a potentially bad medication error that did not hurt a patient. I did not communicate this error with management until prompted (even thought i had with the preceptor) and mgt had put up red flags after this, despite my urging that i had learned from the situation.

I understand that this is my fault, my errors. and i am very thankful that they have not reported my charting error(that i know of).Just having a hard time picking myself up when i thought i was doing the correct thing by making my charting correct.

Im just so scared no one will want me now- little experience, being fired, mistakes made

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Specializes in geriatrics.

With documentation, the correct action is to make a late entry or an amendment to your charting, indicating such. Deleting an entry is the same as taking white out to a paper chart, which is not the accepted standard of care.

While this may have been innocent on the part of the employee, suspicions are raised. What were they trying to hide? If this were a first time offense, many employers would not terminate. However, if the employee has a pattern of behaviors, they might.

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ll i can do is sit here and cry because I am so mad at myself. I just feel like i have a bitter taste in my mouth about nursing now. I used to be this young intelligent nurse so excited for my career to begin and had such high prospects.

I feel that I have lost all my confidence and feeling like a failure. Who will hire me now?

Any suggestions from people in similar situations and how to move on? should i quit nursing or keep looking for a better fit?

I hate to hear people talk about themselves this way! You are still a young intelligent nurse, and you still have plenty of career in front of you to be excited about.

So you made a mistake. Maybe even a couple of mistakes. You're human, for heaven's sake. Learn from your mistakes. Think about what lessons you should take away from these experiences, and move on.

Your career isn't over. Losing a job because of a mistake is a wrenching experience, I know. It hurts. But you will get another job. You will have the chance to prove what a good nurse you are. (I'm all about the power of positive thinking!)

Good luck. Chin up, it'll be OK. :yeah:

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Reading your first post, I thought that the employer reached for a reason to terminate you. Correcting charting for someone that you provided care to is an an acceptable and required action on your part. The only way to preclude this outcome would have been for you to inform the supervisor that you needed to do so. With today's HIPAA environment, now the way to go. Reading the second post, paints an entirely different picture. Hiding med errors is serious. When referring to this in the future, I would not volunteer all the details, but emphasize that your learned from your mistake. Eventually you will find work again and come back from this.

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Specializes in Adult and Pediatric Vascular Access, Paramedic.

I am sorry you are going through this.. Learn from it and it does not totally negate your ability to find employment, as long as you are honest if asked by a new potential employer and explain what happened and what you learned from it.

Keep your chin up and I hope things get better for you.

Annie

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Specializes in NICU.

I don't think deleting an entry is the same as use white out to a paper chart. That info would still be recoverable if the chart was audited or subpeonaed. Knowing that, I would think deleting the entry is appropriate. There's usually a place to state why something is being deleted.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

You are in a bad way right now and I'm not sure if you feel so bad about what you did or that you got caught and don't know the full extent of the consequences. I assume there is a lot more to the story that is probably not appropriate for a public forum.

I'm sure you are minimizing what you did in order to cope but it looks like you are making excuses. " i thought i was doing the correct thing by making my charting correct" You know this is not true. You cannot possibly have been in nursing for 2 years and not know it is wrong, illegal, violation of Nurse Practice Act to "delete(d) a piece of charting" It's not Nursing's fault that you can't uphold the basic standards of the profession. So, don't blame Nursing then quit.

I would also say you don't deserve any more punishment than is required to correct your mistake. Fully acknowledge your mistake to yourself. As is usually the case, there are at least two errors here. The thing you did (med error) and trying to cover it up (deleting chart entry). If the BoN finds out they will decide what, if any, discipline you need. (Education, pay a fine or both)

So, what do you take away from this incident? I would explore what caused you to break your own rule of playing by the book. Is the book unrealistic or your expectation that you must be perfect?

Yes, I do understand a charting error and the story that is behind it. Lost a job (resigned before they actually fired me). Terror of being reported to BoN. Loss of confidence, self loathing, hatred of nursing and life itself. It takes awhile and it changes you, at least it did me.

I have adopted some OCD-esque behaviors (including charting) and do not feel the least bit guilty about it. Anyone squint their face at me, I say, "That's just the way I do it" For example I NEVER let anyone draw up medication for me. You draw it, you give it, you chart it. Just hand me the vial, thank you very much.

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