On May 21st, the assistant DON called me and told me that on Monday 25th I am going to do everything by myself, she told that they wanted to speed me up a little bit.  My story I am a new nurse, I've found a job on April the 16th, working M-F 7-3 shift.  On May 5th I took one week off my job for court duty, I came back to work on Monday 11th.  Okay, after the ADON, talked to me on 21st of May, she called me to her office at the end of the shift on Friday May 22nd, she told me that the DON and her want to talk to me after I am done with whatever I was doing.  I went to them and ADON told "I am afraid, you are not going to make it, because you work to slow and you are asking a lot of questions about the meds" the questions about the meds was reported to them by my preceptor me for one day, another nurse used to be my preceptor.  I was in shock, I am a single mother and after passing my board, it took me almost 4 months to find a job.  I got fired because after about one month from my job, I finished after about 15 to 30 minutes after my time.  The weird part is that day I've finished at 2:30 pm.  I have to mention that I was doing treatment for about 59 patients that they asked me to do without getting any training.  I did because where I am living it's very hard to find a job.  I took my time to read everything very good to avoid mistakes, because I didn't want to lose my license.  Now I am back where I was, I have to start looking for a new job.  It is wrong to ask question about a med that I am not familiar with before I give it to the patient?  I was asking that nurse the instruction, how to give it to the patient because I wasn't familiar with that med.  I know my story is too long, please I need some advice, what impact that being fired will have on my next job search?

Thank you any advice will be appreciated.

Floicka99,

It probably doesn't seem like it now, but the best thing that could have happened to you is for you to have lost that job.  It appears that the DON and ADON are concerned about the wrong things.  OF COURSE,  you're supposed to ask about things you don't understand, especially meds!!  I think the place you were working sounds like the kind of place that would definitely hang you out to dry if you did make a mistake.  A long term care facility where I used to work in Washington State put the kibosh on overtime, so the regular nurses would clock out at the right time, then go back and finish up their work, sometimes 2 hours later (mostly due to massive amounts of paperwork as this was a medicare facility).  these were seasoned nurses!  Keep looking, you will find something better.  AND ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS, IT'S HOW YOU GROW!!!!!!

Wow ,it's sad you had to find out about corporate BS so fast into your career. I'm a Surgical Nurse with 30 yrs experience. I moved to a new town in central calif,San luis Obispo. Keeping this short, it's a small county with just 2 hosp , Tenet corp(sierra vista) and Catholic healthcare west(french hosp), I Was warned by travel nurses at my old hosp prior the move about this elitist mentality of the locals (nurses), they are very unappreciative of experienced nurses ,they somehow feel threaten and the welcome sign was definitely not on their doors.

So I tried a career change to Home health after 30 yrs in the O.R.,after working 6 mos I had ankle surgery, when I came back after # mos in cast (ligament,tendon repair), they unlawfully hired new nurses edging me out of my clientele patients and route. Soon after i was given the BS "Ya know we don't think this is going to work out your not qualified to work for us, this from a non-nurse who held the DON title,beat that. This was after i was told in the 6 mos , "wow Marty your doing great and the patients love you and feel safe and encouraged ",this from the real nurse DON who hired me and they fired while i was out on disability. Long story short,after 30 yrs you know the score and read the writing on the wall. They canned me and i have been out of work for 1 yr now on unemployment.

I have been sending out to the hospitals my resume to get back into the O.R. and I was told by french Hosp HR there is a hiring freeze on. Also i feel from the lack of responses theI are reluctant to hire experienced nurses as they would have to give them the higher rate of pay in the union contract.these are difficult economic times . the worst in years .My old hosp actually fired nurses to make their profitability line. In 30 yrs of full time work I and others have never experineced this in 30 yrs.

Point being , if your hired it will be because your new and you will be at the lower rate of pay. So in a way keep looking ,and keep a stiff upper lip as in your career. you will always run into managers that will quickly knock you down rather than build you up. My professor told me prior graduation, "Marty you need to know nurses eat their own", and after 30 yrs i can sadly agree. So its those places if you leave your better off, as the stress alone in nursing is enough and you won't need the additional BS.

God Bless and be the smarter one now,and cover your Butt, keep a low profile and know who the gossip nurses are ,don't ask them anything to much.Find out who to trust by your gut feelings.

Don't feel bad,I've been a nurse for 31 years,speacialty geriatric's.The facility I worked for admitted a patient who was a diabectic,I administered her insulin,with the cheap insulin syringes they were using,the sheath malfunctioned,resulting in a needlestick,short story she was hepatitis b positive,I spent a year going for blood work,worrying,long story short 2 years down the road the facility never paid the

er bill,I never recieved a bill,when I tried to resolve the issue the person who handles these incidents with the insurance co.told me it must

be a mistake.In 12/08 a co-worker threatened my life,I wrote out an incident report and inquired what the administration was going to do"responce "she works 7 days a week for  the facility and care's for 58 patients by herself,the facility needs her,they transferred me to another wing 10 days later,a visitor picks up a phone and throws it causing it to break,the face plate flew up hitting me in the face" an incident report was made out,and I pursued the issue I wanted something done," I was wrote up for not being customer friendly,I pressed

charges .1/09 the new administrator who came in10/08 to straighten the facility out because they can't pass state inspection alleged

that the social worker reported to her that myself and another nurse made a comment about the working conditions,we were taken into a

dirty shower room,the social worker was not present,and the conduct of the administrator unprofessional,verbally abusive,threating us with

loss job.I told her not to speak to me in this manner,she told me to punch out,I did.long story short your in shark infested waters,I don't

understand as an older nurse the attitudes towards the younger nurses,the lack of support from them and administration.these facilities

rack in thousand each month from the goverment and patients,they underpay staff and understaff the floors,they write you up,if you don't

punch out on time,and expect you to work for free to complete your work.Nursing is not what it used to be,and they wonder why there's a

shortage.one more note to you older nurse's,I've seen older nurses being pushed out the door for no valid reason,so if your over 55,be on

guard.

th

Smart nurses ask questions; that is how we acquire so much knowledge.  She probably didnt know much about the medication thats why she wasn't helpful.  You surely don't need to learn from individuals like that especially since your just starting. Research/consider a teaching hospital with an intership that has classwork and a clinical part as well.  Teaching hospitals are a challenge but you learn a tremendous amount of information.  Good Luck!!

Thank you.   My teacher told us the smartest nurses are the ones who ask question when they don't know something, she said "Never do something that you are not sure of because it will cost you, your license.  I will never stop asking questions when I am not sure of something.  I went through a lot before I got my license, I am not gonna jeopardize it, I prefer to get fired.

God Bless you all for your support.

Floicka99 says ...

I thank you very much everybody.  I will keep looking for a better place to work.  It's very hard on me now, I have a son and I am a single mother.

Hopefully I will find another job pretty soon, otherwise I don't know what I am going to do.

 

Thank you!

Where do you live?  Are you willing to move to find another job?

Moving can be scary, especially to a place where you don't know anyone.  But there are still parts of the country screaming for nurses.

I was forced to resign from a corrections job because I reported a nurse who was having a sexual relationship with an inmate (embarassing my supervisor and the warden), and blackballed in the immediate area.  I was able to move out of state and start over.

Getting screwed is part of life, unfortunately.  To pick up the pieces and move on sometimes requires drastic action.

Good luck!

Wow! I can't believe this was done to you. I was an ADON at a LTC facility, and I actually fussed at my nurses for not asking questions. Their failure to not ask resulted in one of my residents getting 3 meds of the same type(chol lowering drugs). I informed the nurses(mostly new grads) never to assume that an order is right just because a doctor wrote it.

I would have admired and commended a nurse like you. Obviously, these people you worked for were misguided.Unfortunately, not everyone is in nursing for the caring aspect. Hang in there, you will find a place that values you for caring enough to ask questions.

I've been in nursing 25 years, and I still ask questions.I don't care what anyone thinks, I'd rather ask than harm a pt.The day you think you know everything, is when you become a dangerous nurse.

Smart move. Good luck. Experience and learning new skills will definately be on your side.

 Hey Dearie,

Try L&D or Dialysis.  These are specialties.  But, once you get the hang of it, you will know your job...  Best of Luck to you.

PS... taking those classes is the best thing.  The more skills you have the more marketable you are.  Learn how to scrub {for L&D or the main OR} as well.

I will be looking forward to the future comments to be posted in regards to nurses getting let go from positions for doing what is right and caring about the profession that they carry out with compassion.

Look Nurses we all know that politics is the name of the Game Played everywhere. I beielve we live in a very sad world and Nursing was one of the last frontiers to feel like you could make a difference and really care.  Well, come on folks where are we in all of this today????

I am deeply grieved myself that our profession feels like it has become a mockery at times.

And really who is going to speak up for what is  right?

Thank you so much everybody for your support.  I will never give up.  I am not in NY, while I am here, I am gonna try to find a job and if I do find one I will stay until I have enough experience and move back to Florida.  And after six months I will start my LPN to RN bridge.  

I am so glad that I've signed up with nursinglink.  You guys, you are very great nurses. 

Thank you again.

I am sorry for what you went through but this is a blessing in disguise. I was able to look up meds I wasn't familiar with on the computer and sometimes in the nsg drug handbook. I too asked another nurse when doing med calcs just to be sure I was giving the right amt.I have had non-nursing people as DON's which makes absolutely no sense and is not safe. She even told me not to alarm non medical staff about cellulitis and MRSA. God forbid I was attempting to prevent the spread of infection..which she knew nothing about.

Hang in there and you will end up with a position that is rewarding and allows you the respect and ability to use your skills. You will never be wrong putting pt. safety as your #1 priority.

Nursern123

Cheriseren says ...

Smart nurses ask questions; that is how we acquire so much knowledge.  She probably didnt know much about the medication thats why she wasn't helpful.  You surely don't need to learn from individuals like that especially since your just starting. Research/consider a teaching hospital with an intership that has classwork and a clinical part as well.  Teaching hospitals are a challenge but you learn a tremendous amount of information.  Good Luck!!

 Amen to this, I worked at a teaching hospital as a Unit Secretary/ Hospital Technician. All the staff was helpful. Sometimes you get a A~~~hole, but not all the time. Ex. I remember I was working on a unit, and the doctor wrote a medication order for a particular patient. I really try not to bother the nurses, but if I am not familar with a medication, I don't transcribe it or sign off that I know what it is, before I alert the nurse or charge nurse. So I even looked it up in the nurses handbook, and MAR, no go!!. So last, and the safe, route, I called the transcriber, which was the transcribing doctor, which turn out to be a  Intern. I asked him, what type of medication is this, I can't seem to find it in the nurses handbook, and the doctor said, it is~~~~~, I said what, never heard this type of medication, so I alerted the charge nurse, and she even looked the medication up, she couldn't find it, so she called the doctor, and she ask what are the other types of medication's we can use instead of this particular  medication, or what  other brand or generic names? Come to find out, this medication was used in his medical school training, it was not in the list of medication, that our hospital had in our hospital medication protocal. The nurses say, that newly trained Interns do this  all the time to all the nurses, they want to show how smart they are. So girl you did the right thing,  you asked+,  you CYA!!!.= Kept your License safe.