Terminated without warning

Specialties LTC Directors

Published

Specializes in Geriatrics,hospice.

Ive been terminated for the first time in my life and without warning or prior counseling.

Ill try to keep this as short as possible.

I am an RN with 10 years long-term care experience. I accepted my 1st DON position with a very rural community owned skilled facility with a census of 20 residents 3 months ago. A very challenging experience with very little guidance from the administrator or the ADON, i basically winged it . Everything was so disorganized, wasnt sure of my role, b/c the ADON would take over and just do them herself without taking the time to explain things, and since Im new didnt know the right questions to ask, so I basically read everthing I could get my hands on, eventually I developed my own routine whether or not is right everyone seemed pleased and the adm.would tell me I was doing such a great job census was picking up, risk assessments that were 1-2 years overdue were caught up, I developed a strong rapport with families, the medical director, the residents, and the staff knew they could come to me., when a problem would come up with CNAs ( which as often) I would promptly follow up.

The more I learned the more mistakes I was finding that the ADON was making e.g orders 2 weeks old that were not properly flagged and put back in the chart and critical lab values that were not called in but then i overheard her blame the charge nurse to the adm.

Scheduling was delegated to her (ADON) by the administrator when I started. She was doing the Dec. schedule right after thanksgiving. I scheduled myself off for X-mas., she calls me at home on x-mas eve and asked " are you going to work tomorrow?" I replied, No, I wasnt planning on it she proceeded to tell me there was no one to cover the floor, and said well Ill call you back. She never called me back.

Monday morning I arrive at work, make my rounds, get report, soon I hear " Can you come into my office?" there sits the ADON along with the Adm and I hear " We are qustioning your commitment to the facility, he proceeds to tell me that I need to work the floor when asked and that he was told that I refused to come in, I look over and the ADON is not saying a word, looking at the floor. Its my word against hers. then he stated I wasnt cut out to be a DON b/c I lose control to easy. he was referring to an incident that occured 2 weeks ago when a resident fell we all went running to the room except the ADM of course, we found her lying in a pool of blood, huge scalp lac. ,obvious fx arm . I instructed the charge nurse to call 911, while I held pressure along with other c0-workers, I felt so bad for her i made the mistake of allowing myself to show emotion by shedding a tear and telling this poor woman i was sorry, well this compassion i shown has turned into me losing control over the situation. I was told he would have to let me go. Im sorry this is so long winded but I am still in shock. Any thoughs on this would be greatly appreciated and thanks for reading.:angryfire

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Lonestarrn02 I am so sorry you were terminated. I was terminated from my job a month ago, and like you it was due to false reports. I never got the chance to state my side cause the damage was already done. That same week I left and started another job and have been there ever since. The staff loves me and I have contributed so much to the facility. Look at it as their loss cause it seems like you changed that facility around for the better, problem was that the ADON was stabbing you in the back! I bet you it won't be long before she's sitting on the other side of the desk and given her walking papers. A termination is like a blow to your heart no matter who says you're better off leaving. I pray that you find something else more rewarding than that place.

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Specializes in Geriatrics,hospice.

Thank you for the words of encouragement.

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Specializes in acute care and geriatric.

What a terrible thing to happen to you when you obviously were so dedicated, I am so sorry... :-( ,

that ADON sounds like people I have worked with... :-(( and you are better off apart from her (silver lining).

Dont worry, when G-d shuts a door he opens a beautiful window, good things are in store for you yet.

I would appeal anyway so your record should be purged, after all it IS your word against hers,( can you prove that you have worked other shifts on the floor and give your 100% to the facility? after all why didn't the ADON herself work the floor- being in charge of the scheduling means being able to take the worsts shifts that no one else wants as well. There should be a rotation for holidays in place so that it is fair for everyone)

Is there a lawyer or union rep you can go to? Is there anyone in the facility who will give you a good recommendation letter.

Please know that this unfortunately happens (more frequently than I like...) and you didn't deserve it, but take a lesson for the future, when it comes to snakes like your ex-ADON all meaningful communication be in writing with a copy reserved.

Good luck with all your future endeavors.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

So sorry that happened to you. You sound like a DON I would have loved to work for. You are not alone in this by any means. A couple of them post here regularly. They express what a huge blow it is to be terminated (or even warned!) for the first time in their career. Hope you can find a job that suits you so well that you'll laugh thinking you gave these people a second thought. :nurse:

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I have a friend who as a DON was fired 3 times...she still got another job. People get fired for all sorts of reasons..some with cause some without. Most hiring entities know how LTC works and some companies just are worth working for. Good luck with everything.

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Specializes in psychiatric, UR analyst, fraud, DME,MedB.

I know that termination is a bad word. but actually if one looks at it , it can be a disguised blessing . In the scenario you just described, it looks like a dysfunctionnal family or a dysfunctional administration. It appears that small LTC are being run by a mom and pop shop.... and not too professional in comparison to the big companies. The admin should have a way of finding out as to what is really going on , instead of relying on somebody else information. It looks like you were a threat to her , considering you were effficient in your work. do not worry , she will get what she deserved in the end. :smokin:

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Specializes in OR.

I am so sorry to hear that you are terminated.Your hard works are appreciable ,may god bless you in your future endeavours

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Specializes in Geriatrics,hospice.

Thanks to all who have replied to my post,its nice to know there is support out there.

I have a pretty good chance of getting another DON position nearby, but just concerned whether or not I can truly make a differance in any facility. I wouldnt do anything different from my previous experience, except of course to watch my back. I truly want to be a great DON, b/c the geriatric population deserve it but, Im finding out sometimes your best intentions are not good enough.:cry:

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

I warned my family when I took my ADON position that upper nursing management in LTC is always a risk. I have seen many a DON/ADON fired.. the powers that be just walk in one day unexpectedly and walk you out without any real justification or explanation. (Have also witnessed this happen to corporate suits too :)). It's just the way in works in management. Sad but true. Keep your spirits up and good luck.

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You should make certain that you keep a watchful eye on your ADON when you take a new job. If you sense anything is wrong, make plans early on to get rid of her/him before the same thing happens again. Look closely at your charge nurses and identify one that will make a good ADON so that you can get someone working with you that is not booby-trapping every door with swords and knives aimed at your back. It was common practice in one city that I worked in for DONs and Admins to bring their second in command and other key people with them each time they changed facilities. There is something to be said for the practicality of this.

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Specializes in MDS/Office.

Sounds like the ADON ran the facility & not the Administrator. Does your facility have a policy for absenteeisms, on-call, etc? If Management begins working the floor, then staff will expect it. This issue should be clearly addressed in Nurse Meetings.

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