Terminations

My manager puts it perfectly. "I don't fire people they fire themselves". Everyone is responsible for their own behavior not matter who they try to blame.

OP: In order to terminate (unless you live in a "right-to-work" State, where employees have no right to exist let alone to be employed) you must have a good reason to do so and have given the employee an opportunity to have made corrective action prior to termination, unless the error is too egregious for corrective action. With that said, an employee will try very very hard to blame everyone under the sun for his/her problems and the reason for termination and will fight you because termination threatens his/her way of making a living now and possibly in the future....

This wasn't behavioral related, more of an unsuccessful extended orientation.

You know how people blame their orientation in the general forum? It's always the preceptor, manager or employers' fault.

We all have jobs to do. If this was an unsuccessful orientation then I am assuming you did not feel it was safe for her to practice in your area. At the end of the day its our patients that matter. Its never easy to terminate someone. I terminated a long term employee because this person was no longer able to perform their duties safely. This person had been a nurse for around as long as I had been alive...that is painful.

This wasn't behavioral related, more of an unsuccessful extended orientation.

You know how people blame their orientation in the general forum? It's always the preceptor, manager or employers' fault.

Ahhh... Well, it cannot hurt to re-look at your program. Interview the other nurses who recently completed the program in the past 6 mo-1 year along with the preceptors. If there are changes you can make, then make them. However, if you find some faults with your program I still would not reconsider rehiring this other person. After termination, it is not a good idea to bring people back.... Too much emotional and psychological baggage. It is time for this person to move on.... Besides, even if you find some fault with your program, nurses are suppose to be independent thinkers and learners. This means a large part of this person's orientation was his/her responsibility and not yours or that of your preceptors.