Terminated years ago, go back as travel nurse?

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After graduating college I worked in subacute setting and became bored close to a year. I obtained a position at my "goal" hospital to work at. I was desperate that I let the HR recruiter convince me to take a position on their Bariatrics unit. It was a big change from my previous job and was not necessarily my favorite unit to be working on. My preceptor was quite the micro manager and her anxiety about having to do everything herself made my nursing orientation not a very good. At the end of the three month orientation the nurse Manager decided to let me go. I ended up receiving a job in the ER from a different hospital and it ended up being a blessing in disguise. Now I have 3.5 years of ER experience under my belt. I am now wanting to leave this ER and wanted to take up travel nursing...the ER positions through the travel agencies that I like are with the former hospital I was "terminated" from. My overall goal was to work in their ER and would love to be able to travel there. I assume they won't hire me...but was hopeful because I'm going through a travel agency that maybe it will somehow be overlooked. I obviously doubt that, but I am very hopeful like I said. Opinions?

Wow that sounds like a bunch of B.S. on that manager's part, the reason unions exist. At least you didn't need them in the end. Good luck!

I don't know if there's more to the story than I'm aware of, but a nurses we are pretty good with read situations, but who knows.

Thank you !

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The only thing I could say on their behalf and in my "termination" meeting that was mentioned was a mention of a know it all type of attitude...but I absolutely did not intend a know it all type of attitude. The only thing that I was made aware of was when my preceptor would explain something to me after repeat times..I would say I know instead of saying okay. In my head at the time I thought she would want to know that I knew what she was talking about, meaning I remembered from the previous times she had told me. I guess I thought I should let her what I did know and what I didn't at the time. I now can understand that could be completely annoying, but I wish I was just spoken with. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is and all I can do is learn from it and assess how people may perceive what I'm saying.

Hey, I just have to share this with you... There was a time in my life when I was told never to say "I know" because it would sound arrogant. So I took that to heart, and I was patient and encouraging whenever someone explained something to me -- even if I already knew what they were talking about. BUT then people thought I was a slow learner. :laugh: They figured that I wasn't catching on fast enough, and needed a longer orientation. I learned to show more confidence, and find a different way to say "I know." Funny, huh? There are two different ends of the spectrum. There's a happy medium in there, and it sounds like we've both found it since then.

Plus, I believe ER nurses like yourself need to show a lot of confidence. No worries!

Hope you have a lot of great experiences as a travel nurse!

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I was let go from a nursing home once. Actually no, I quit... but

I believe they were about to fire me if I didn't quit.

When a staffing agency tried about a year later to send me to that

same nursing home for a shift, my agency informed me that that

nursing home had labeled me a "DNR"... Do Not Return. As in, do

not return thy self to this facilty.

I was fine with it.

But... yeah if you were let go from a facility, there's a good chance

that you won't be able to go back, even if you are with an agency.

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Hey, I just have to share this with you... There was a time in my life when I was told never to say "I know" because it would sound arrogant. So I took that to heart, and I was patient and encouraging whenever someone explained something to me -- even if I already knew what they were talking about. BUT then people thought I was a slow learner. :laugh: They figured that I wasn't catching on fast enough, and needed a longer orientation. I learned to show more confidence, and find a different way to say "I know." Funny, huh? There are two different ends of the spectrum. There's a happy medium in there, and it sounds like we've both found it since then.

Plus, I believe ER nurses like yourself need to show a lot of confidence. No worries!

Hope you have a lot of great experiences as a travel nurse!

You can say that again lol!

It's easier to understand what's arrogant or not when you're an experienced nurse who has precepted, but when you are a newer nurse...you're so lost (or at least I was lol). They teach you about dealing with patients and body language when you are in nursing school but never really take time to teach you how to deal with fellow nurses, because let's be real here...we are a different breed to work with. More education should be focused on dealing with co-workers as nurses because we really have a huge effect on each other in a million different ways.

It's funny you mention the confidence part and being an ER nurse. When I started my next job in the ER...the nurse educator pretty much gave me a long lecture about how I have to speak up or I'll get eaten alive in the ER, because when she told me to do something during the first orientation week..I obviously did it without question when I really had not needed to do, but after my former preceptor....I was so nervous to not speak up or not just say ok and coming off as arrogant, that I just did it lol. Finding the middle ground is the goal I suppose lol.

Thank you for sharing and for your kind wishes :)

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I'm sorry to hear that, but as long as you were okay with the outcome.

I guess I'll just take my chances and see what happens.

Thanks for sharing!

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Specializes in CVICU, ER, Education.

I was terminated from a position a year before I applied there as a travel nurse. My past facility required a one year time span before being rehired so I was lucky. All you can do is apply and see what happens.

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I would like to know how this ended. Did you get to go back as a travel nurse?

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