Was fired today......

Published

Today I was fired after being employed at a nursing facility for one week!! The administrator and DON fired me because apparently my preceptor nurse told them that I did not mix my liquid medications with orange juice. I mixed potassium as I always know to do but others I knew not to mix in juice, but the preceptor said that all liquids are to be mixed. I thought it was strange when I would take my residents their medication and they would ask me where is the liguid medicine and I would tell them its in their juice. Most would turn away and say that they weren't going to take it like that or that the other nurses know not to give them their medicine to them in that form. 2 or 3 residents threatened to report me if I did it again. All in all I was mad a complete fool this moring and was given my walking papers. I was supposed to been training today but DON told me to report later today so she could speak with me. I am just really speechless because I have been so careful in my nursing career and have even had to pass a few meds with State at my previous facility. But this facility felt that I would get them into serious trouble administering medications there. Last time I was fired from a job I was 15 years old and it was because a co-worker said I stole money in which later I was proven innocent when the cameras showed it was the co-worker who reported me.

if carafate is being given for its gastro protective use.....it is to be given alone, and on a totally empty stomache....so much for their idea

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Specializes in Trauma/Burn ICU, Neuro ICU.

Hey..... a happy ending! I'm happy for you.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Oncology, Triage and Med/Surg.

Everything happens for a reason. Congrats!

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yay!!! for you & your new job!

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Specializes in ER/Trauma, Home Care, Corrections.

It is good that you found another job so quickly. From what you said in your original post, it sounded like they told you to mix all meds with juice, as if that was their actuaal policy. Not following policy and procedure is a great way to be fired, especially during your probationary period.

If you disagree with a procedure, it is better to get evidence to back up your view and then present that info in a professional manner, rather than just not do it. Of course, if they are asking you to mix a med that is noncompatible with juice, then you have to act on that, rather than harm a patient.

They probably saw you as a nonconformist who would be a P.I.A., but one cannot rule out that they just didn't like your face. There is a lot of that in Nursing. I experienced same in Nursing School and was told that I would never make it in Nursing, because I was too different. That was about 32 years ago and she likely meant I had the wrong set of gonads, but who knows? Good luck in your new position.

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They probably saw you as a nonconformist who would be a P.I.A., but one cannot rule out that they just didn't like your face. There is a lot of that in Nursing. I experienced same in Nursing School and was told that I would never make it in Nursing, because I was too different. That was about 32 years ago and she likely meant I had the wrong set of gonads, but who knows? Good luck in your new position.

dont you just love passive agressive idiots?

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Specializes in Mental Health Nursing.

This completely frightens me.. it's that easy to get fired in the nursing world??!!! I've read some posts about nurses going as far as to make med errors 2 or 3 times and only getting a warning. Seriously, this individual fell victim to a facility's policy at a time where she's just getting use to it. It was only orientation for god's sake. I would understand if she KNEW and was CERTAIN about the medication policy and kept administering it her own way regardless, but clearly that's not the case. Also, it has only been a week!! Nobody is perfect during orientation.. they must have some robots working there.

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Yes I was fired only once in my nursing career and I still cant see that I did anything wrong, and I am not one that can not admit my mistakes however, I feel the reason they got rid of me is that the girl that was there before me had just completed RN school and they wanted her back. and she was back about a week after I was gone but I ended up getting a much better job better pay and no call so it worked out for my Good. I enjoyed that job even though the call was killer sometimes and lots of traveling. They said they could not get me for 1 whole hour. but I was a church and turned off my pager and I had called them before church and told them if this clients Temp went back up to call the doc and send to ER, It was group homes for mentally ill. We had medication aides working in each home. That I had trained well and they sent him via ambulance so I dont know what I did other than they could not call me but they followed my instructions. Yes I believe they did me a favor also. Better job/no call/ better benefits etc.. 90% of the time doing the right thing never goes wrong and I feel even though we have been brutaly honest to the state and have taken a horrible fall our the current facility I am at it will all work out in the long hall. I am looking for another job also because I dont feel I am effective as long as we keep a few nurses that never check on residents, never call the doctors, and never give pain meds when asked for. They just keep letting them ride by, I really feel if we would have terminated the ones that caused our recent IJ- the state would not have been so hard on us because I have been with this home for many years and know how this survey teams thinks. We had a similar situation where a change of condition was not reported for 8 hours with a fx hip situation involved, and after we terminated this person they did not site us. I tried to explain that but I feel the whole problem was the current DON was afraid to have to work the shift this nurse worked. I even had that covered for her but. they keep her and aides complain the whole IJ was related to it. so, hence this problem is going to continue. but enforcement has not made up there mind if they are going to report to board or not. So we will see what happens. I dont think I can work as MDS coordinator, and knowing they will not be cared for and that frankly I can not take. I like this nurse as a person she is sweet but flat refuses to chart or send one out when needed. Not sure if it is the paperwork she does not want to do, or just does not have assessment skills. We just did a huge inservice on assessment skills, with videos and handouts. So I dont know. I am on the look out for something else. Maybe will move also my husband is not happy in this little town anyway. The only good thing about it is my parents help with my kids and there really is not any other place is this small town. I just take it a day at a time. They might need me more hours since our DON turned in her notice but I can not do that job I am still in RN school, yet when I was ADON we went without a DON for almost 6 months while I was pregnant and it nearly killed me. So we will see. Our owner wanted us to get rid of this nurse and the RNC also, I let her go once before. When I was ADON, but we have a good staff of new nurses willing to learn well I will stop going on and on and know it will all work out in the end

I am glad you found another job and I hope you will have much success and be happy doing it!!!

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Thanks everyone! Tonight is my second night of work and I love it. I kicked myself in the butt for not waiting patiently for this job like I was supposed to have done. On my other job I trained so many new nurses and did med passes with state and pharmacy. Not once did I have a problem. When I trained new nurses I noted some of their mistakes but looked at it as they were nervous because I was standing there while they prepared the meds. I would sometimes stay by them but at the same time talk with my residents so that they would feel more comfortable.

My bf told me I should send a Thank You card to the DON for helping me to realize that we both were not fit to work together lol.

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I didnt think someone could adulterate food with medications unless the MD orders stated to give the med in orange juice.

Where did it state to give all of these liquid meds in orange juice, was it in the MD orders, written in their policy, or in the PDR? Didnt the facility require you to work with someone side by side for a med pass during orientation then get signed off that you were competent? Normally if a med is going to be given crused, in applesauce, ensure, water, juice etc. the MD order states this.

FYI if a resident refuses to take their med. with juice then you need to make a nurses note and notify the MD to get the order changed so they can get med with no juice. If there was no order to to give the med like that in the first place and the resident didnt request to have the med given like that then you might have a situation where the facility made a false complaint against you.

Glad to here you have a new job.

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Toydemon10 no where on the MAR did it state to mix liquid meds. I read each MAR entry word for word and trained with different nurses during that week and not one time was I required to mix liquids. This one particular nurse told the DON that I didn't mix them correctly. I told the DON that I mixed those that I know are to be, but mixing carafate is wrong to do that. She made it sound as though it was policy and I didn't read that in their policy anywhere. If my medication administration skills were so bad then I feel they should have let me go the first day and not wait a week to watch me get progressively worse. Its all good because I really enjoy my new employment and continue to get more calls from other facilities for open positions. I just encountered one bad apple. Thanks for your comment!

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@TrickieTam, could you please explain what a charge nurse/baylor weekend does and when you actually start your weekends.Thanks

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