Terminated/Resigned after 1 week orientation in the ED

Nurses Career Support

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Hi everyone, this is my very first topic here and not a positive one. Today was the worst day of my life, I recently got my dream job to work in a well known hospital here in Hawaii. It took me a year to get in because it's pretty competitive in here especially I just moved from the Main land. After about a week of orientation, the managers and the director pulled me in from the floor and told me they needed to talk to me, I had no idea what it was about since I did not made any errors or kill any patients while working. Then they told me that I did not meet the minimum requirements they needed. That I do not have enough experience (Emergency department) experience that they thought I had. I explained that I do have little experience but they said their decision is final. So same day today I was terminated, they actually gave me the option to resign so that It wont look bad on my part and re apply for a different department.. I am so devastated and I just could not believe it.. How do I move on from this and any advice would help.. I love it here Hawaii but it is not easy to get a job at the Hospitals..

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I moved this to the career advice forum.

Why would the manager think you had ED experience? What requirements did they say you didn't meet? I think I would apply to the other dept and hold my head up high, learn all you can and then go from there.

I loved the 10 years I spent in the ED and while I loved it - it was extremely fast paced and I would have been lost without 4 years of solid ICU (both adult and peds) experience.

What experience would they consider? ICU?

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They said I can apply to Med Surg department. I do have Med Surg experience but only 6 months. 2 years experience Behavioral obs unit and floated in ED a few times. Thanks for the help, I am really frustrated now that I am back to looking for a job again.

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I moved this to the career advice forum.

Why would the manager think you had ED experience? What requirements did they say you didn't meet? I think I would apply to the other dept and hold my head up high, learn all you can and then go from there.

I loved the 10 years I spent in the ED and while I loved it - it was extremely fast paced and I would have been lost without 4 years of solid ICU (both adult and peds) experience.

What experience would they consider? ICU?

They said I can apply to Med Surg department. I do have Med Surg experience but only 6 months. 2 years experience Behavioral obs unit and floated in ED a few times. Thanks for the help, I am really frustrated now that I am back to looking for a job again.

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When I first became a nurse one had to have at least two years of med/surg nursing before being considered for speciality units....I still think that this is the way it should be as experience is as valuable in being a nurse as the nursing education processs....

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Specializes in Practice educator.

This is why I love the NHS and employees rights, how on earth can you just fire someone you hired because you didn't check their background properly? A really bizarre scenario. How do you even get experience if you're not given the chance.

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Keep your head up and apply for the medsurg position! Hopefully after that you'll get a job in a much more supportive environment! I'm so sorry this was your experience.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

I will presume you were honest about stating your ED experience in your job application and resume. If you weren't honest, then you got what you deserved.

If you were honest, the hospital screwed up big time. Why in the world did the hospital hire you knowing you had little experience in the ED, and yet one week later fire you for not having enough experience in the ED? Why hire you in the first place then? That makes zero sense. It appears as though someone in the hospital dropped the ball in verifying your experience against the position. Or they were expecting the impossible from you. And in doing that, they ended up setting you up for failure.

Anyhow, let yourself mourn for a little bit, then work on your next steps. If the ED is eventually where you want to be, then you may need to work your way there over time. Do as they suggested and apply for a med-surg position. Get a year or two of med-surg experience, and then try applying to the ED again. Or maybe instead of going into the ED after that time, transfer into a higher acuity specialty (PCU, ICU, etc.) and get some experience there as well, before you hit the ED.

And of course, keep an eye out for any ED training programs. Some hospitals offer them as a way to train experienced nurses who are interested in changing specialties. But key word: experienced. You'll need to have at least a solid year or two of experience in acute care or another specialty before you're eligible to apply.

Best of luck.

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Specializes in Family Practice.

Is this hospital union? I had this issue with my first job. I was a new RN but I had done my last semester internship in ICU and I had been a nurse intern the previous summer in a trauma ER. My preceptor didn't like me (thought I was too young and sweet) so she went to the manager and told them to get rid of me. Once you get off the probationary period it's extremely difficult to get rid of a union employee. Probably a preceptor issue imo, union or not. I'm sorry, best of luck on a new position.

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This is why I love the NHS and employees rights, how on earth can you just fire someone you hired because you didn't check their background properly? A really bizarre scenario. How do you even get experience if you're not given the chance.

Yeah that's what i thought too :/

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Thank you! I hope so too :)

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Keep your head up and apply for the medsurg position! Hopefully after that you'll get a job in a much more supportive environment! I'm so sorry this was your experience.

Thank you! I hope so too :)

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