To fight or not to fight for a job after termination??

[BProvence]

I have worked in a Rehab facility for four years. Gave them hours upon hours of my time and loyalty. Rarely called in, came in sick, and worked overtime when requested. A new DON was hired and immediately upon meeting me, she seemed to dislike me. She was very short with me and at times would yell, roll her eyes when I was speaking to her. Even certain staff questioned why she spoke to me the way she did. I considered the possibility that I was being slightly paranoid. I was given three write ups within a two month span for different reasons and then terminated.

During this two month span, my first write up was due to a FSBS taken and given in the dining room which is against policy and procedure. I had repeatedly at different times requested the resident to please allow me to take him to his room. He began to get agitated with the requests. I have always been told the resident's have rights and can refuse any or all care. With this thought in mind, I proceeded to obtain FSBS and gave the sliding scale insulin as ordered. A corporate personnel walked by and witnessed what I had done. I explained the reasoning behind what I had done. She smiled and told me to careplan it. I agreed. The DON came out, told me from now on to come get her when he wouldn't allow me to take him to his room. The next day, the DON wrote me up.

The second write up was due to an incident report on a resident that I had written on two separate occasions, two days in a row. She was an almost daily fall. I pride myself on my documentation. The DON came out two days in a row telling me it needed to be changed and wasn't complete. I continued to look at it not knowing what to fix and for some reason she wouldn't tell me what she felt like I needed to change. I then asked my SDC what to fix, she told me what she felt like it was, and I then proceeded to change it. Three days later, I was wrote up for not completing the incident reports in a timely manner and told I would be terminated if there was another write up.

The third write up was due to leaving early. I had been training a nurse for a week, not including the week prior that she had trained with another nurse making two weeks total. Wednesday, they allowed me to leave early for a dentist appointment, leaving her in charge. Thursday when she called in due to being sick, I questioned the SDC. She reported that she didn't understand why she continued to come in, her training was complete and she had more training than any other nurse. When the nurse came in on Friday and no one made her leave, I let her take the floor. She counted out the medication cart, took the keys, report, and took the floor. I obtained v/s and completed my skilled assessments. She completed all the other work. At 1330, I asked my ADON if I could leave for the day leaving ninety minutes left in the shift, that this other nurse had the hall and all work was completed. That following Monday, I worked the entire day, was then brought into the HR office with DON present, wrote up, and terminated. I was told I didn't ask for permission to leave but I told the ADON I was leaving. Me and the DON had worked together for almost 2 years during which I was the MDS coordinator.

I am not looking for people to agree with me. I am looking for answers. If I was wrong, I was wrong.

[middleagednurse]

Unfortunate situation. For some reason the DON wanted you gone. It's not fair, but it happens. You could possibly talk to her boss, but it probably won't help.This is why good nurses get burned out. Not really anything you can do.

[caliotter3]

Right, wrong, or indifferent, she got rid of you. You called it correctly when you indicated that she took a dislike to you from day one. Fighting this, giving it any more of your attention, is not going to do you any good. Concentrate your efforts at getting your new job. Come up with a one or two liner to explain leaving this place, starting with the arrival of the new boss. Just the facts, "we got a new DON, she apparently did not see eye to eye with me". If pressed for details, say that you are perplexed and leave it at that.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

If I were you, I don't know if I'd fight to get this job back, especially since you say the new DON disliked you immediately. Why would you want to return to such hostility? And should you win that fight and be reinstated, you'll have a large bulls-eye constantly on your back.

I think you'd do better to find yourself a better workplace. And Caliotter's got a good point: stick to the facts when interviewing. In fact, use exactly what Caliotter said (or some variation of it) when asked. As unfair as things were, you don't want to badmouth this DON to potential employers because you never know who knows who and where what you say will go.

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

I would not fight it. If the new DON doesn't want you there, you shouldn't want to be there...if you do somehow manage to get your job back, she will continue to look for reasons to terminate you, if that is indeed what is occurring. Concentrate on updating your resume, coming up with an appropriate response as to why you no longer work there, and finding a new job.

[nursel56]

I know your post is several weeks old, BProvence, but I want to say that I agree there is nothing you can do at this point.

The thing for you to focus on is that none of this means your competence, performance and overall worth as an employee is diminished. You can go over and over every detail of your work experience, most likely the only answer is that when a company is sold or a new management team moves in, the effect is as if you had started a new job altogether.

If you're fortunate, the "culture" is at least as positive as it had been, but often it's not. If you haven't experienced how ruthless and unethical the new management can be, you may blame yourself. After a while you'll realize you would probably decline to work there if asked to.

Hope you're able to find a new job and work for people who recognize your value.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

The most you would get is your old job back, which this DON would then double down on documentation and merely get rid of you again.

I am sorry this happened and I hope you can move on.