I worked at a LTC place for two months. I'm fairly new to nursing. I've only been out of school since December last year and got my nclex in early April.
Recently on day shift I had very little sleep and I was overwhelmed. Working at a negative place for five days in a row, being charge nurse, having insults thrown at my face, and my night nurses not doing their duties correctly already had my anxiety through the roof.
As every hour passed more frustration grew...having new residents with IV pumps I've not been trained with...treatments and more medications to give.
A resident after a few hours, complained that they did not get their lunch tray and pouted/cried the whole way they went down the hall in their wheelchair. This is a difficult reside, A/Ox3 but uses every excuse to get people to jump for him and is very manipulative. He got his tray but then got even more upset when it had a food he couldn't eat on it.
I tried my hardest to keep my cool but ended up yelling at them as I walked down the hall to get my tray. I was then contacted by upper management and asked to be given a statement for verbal abuse investigation. Quickly after that I was terminated.
How screwed am I? I've gone now for the last three days with very little sleep and cried every single hour I feel. I'm just so depressed. My licence could be at stake here and I could never be able to find a job...I'm going to seek counseling at a psychologist's office Wednesday but how do i even get my feet back into nursing? How do I explain this to future employees?
Should I just stop nursing and get a retail job/education in something else? Or is there hope for me?
First of all calm down. It sounds like you were put in a position you were not prepared for. You were a Charge Nurse with less than a year of experience? That is insane. Most companies have a policy regarding how much experience their nurses need to be in charge and I would hope it would be longer than a freaking year! Your circumstances suck but you are better off without that job. Will you work as a nurse again? Absolutely! When you interview for a new position all you should say is you were not trained for the position you were put in and you have learned a valuable lesson. Essentially you made a poor decision by accepting the role and you now know to speak up if you are not comfortable. There was a problem and what steps will you take to avoid this in the future. Patient safety is paramount.
I agree with the other nurses that you should talk to a nurse atty. They can help you should this go further. You might have to complete some educational or Nursing Jurisprudence course but your license should not be in jeopardy. Raising your voice to a patient or family member is never a good idea unless there is a threat to someone's safety.
Now go find a new job and make sure you get adequate training. If there is a Board investigation you can still work.
I would say watch how you say things. You called the patient a 'psych' guy. When you refer to patients in this manner, it doesn't reflect well on you because you are already calling him names. You don't seem very sorry by using that wording. From what I've read, you can get a reprimand or warning, but you have to explain yourself. Maybe a nurse can be more informative.
I like what the pp said about explaining this termination by stating that you were placed in a position you were not prepared for. Once you get the interview, you can be honest about raising your voice, as long as you make it clear that you were not directly talking to the resident. You might mention as an aside that you received some counseling after the incident if asked what you have done to rectify the problem. In short, I would make the online application look as good as possible to get the interview, then explain myself further at the time of the future interview. If you allow this incident to cripple you, it will lead you to a self fulfilling prophecy of unemployment that is unnecessary. I would also say as a Christian that this is something I would pray to God about and trust Him to handle it for me. Then I would take the advice I was offered (getting a lawyer, etc). Then I would do my best to trust God with this matter and put it out of my mind.
I think that you may be somewhat overreacting. It is possible that the BON could investigate this incident further and that there might be more serious repercussions than losing your job. However, if you have described the situation accurately to us then I think that it seems unlikely. I think that the most important thing for you to do in this situation is to own your mistake and figure out how to do better and be better in the future. Also, if you don't receive any official reprimand from the BON over this incident then I wouldn't bring it up in future interviews any more than necessary. Surely you can be honest without trying to talk yourself out of a job.
I think that you may be somewhat overreacting. It is possible that the BON could investigate this incident further and that there might be more serious repercussions than losing your job. However, if you have described the situation accurately to us then I think that it seems unlikely. I think that the most important thing for you to do in this situation is to own your mistake and figure out how to do better and be better in the future. Also, if you don't receive any official reprimand from the BON over this incident then I wouldn't bring it up in future interviews any more than necessary. Surely you can be honest without trying to talk yourself out of a job.
I might be but for the last few days I really was in a state of panic. After talking things out with family members, I'm a bit more calm now and ready to take things head on.
Do you know how I can bring up termination from my applications to the interview? What do I say regarding the situation at hand?
Honestly, I wouldn't "bring it up" at all. Answer the interviewer's questions truthfully but there probably won't be any need to narrate a whole story about why you were fired from your last job. I would try to focus on the future rather than the past. Emphasize your positive attitude about the future and enthusiasm for new opportunities.
Ha, if I had a nickel for every time I yelled at a patient. Yelled at other staff too, not so much though. The frustration gets to old nurses as well as young, and yes they do put people in the charge position before they're ready, and with no training. I have been spoken to when I've blown it, but that's where it ends because I've admitted that I've blown it and we all do at times. Some people just are better at handling it. In any case people are human, we freak out sometimes in high stress jobs, and I really cannot believe your ex employer would be so petty as to report you to the BRN, they have bigger fish to fry than a new nurse who got angry. As far as your next employer, you do not have to make it a confessional, and they do not have any right to call your last employer and ask what happened. They can only verify employment. All you yourself have to say is, it just didn't work out, or, I discovered quite quickly that that employer wasn't right for me, or, they wanted me to be charge nurse and I felt I wasn't ready. Spin your story so you come out on top, you don't have to lie, but you don't have to use the F word-fired. But above all stop fretting, nursing is about stress, and you're going to be working for the rest of your life so don't let it get to you. It's just another challenge.
Get out of LTC facilities. It's draining and downright depressing at times. It is overwhelming with what can feel like an impossible workload. There are so many more manageable nursing jobs that won't burn you out in 2 months. The nurses that do this well are amazing and have this stuff down to a science but this is clearly not your path. There are so many avenues to nursing that won't have you frayed to the end of your rope on a daily. basis. Nursing is tough, but LTC is it's own entity when it comes to workload. Hope it works out. You do need to keep your cool though because snapping at a patient is not ok and comes with consequences. I have felt the temptation though.
Oh by the way, Google nursing insurance (I don't think I can say a company) and carry a policy. I think I pay 75 bucks a year, they handle malpractice and any other problems that come up. don't think your employer will not throw you under the bus. So carry it as long as you're a nurse, but do not tell anyone you have it. You don't want patients to get that hunger and start coming after you for a cheap payday.
Oh by the way, Google nursing insurance (I don't think I can say a company) and carry a policy. I think I pay 75 bucks a year, they handle malpractice and any other problems that come up. don't think your employer will not throw you under the bus. So carry it as long as you're a nurse, but do not tell anyone you have it. You don't want patients to get that hunger and start coming after you for a cheap payday.
peachfuzz
19 Posts
First of all calm down. It sounds like you were put in a position you were not prepared for. You were a Charge Nurse with less than a year of experience? That is insane. Most companies have a policy regarding how much experience their nurses need to be in charge and I would hope it would be longer than a freaking year! Your circumstances suck but you are better off without that job. Will you work as a nurse again? Absolutely! When you interview for a new position all you should say is you were not trained for the position you were put in and you have learned a valuable lesson. Essentially you made a poor decision by accepting the role and you now know to speak up if you are not comfortable. There was a problem and what steps will you take to avoid this in the future. Patient safety is paramount.
I agree with the other nurses that you should talk to a nurse atty. They can help you should this go further. You might have to complete some educational or Nursing Jurisprudence course but your license should not be in jeopardy. Raising your voice to a patient or family member is never a good idea unless there is a threat to someone's safety.
Now go find a new job and make sure you get adequate training. If there is a Board investigation you can still work.
Good luck! !!