Getting fired

[bwv244]

Dear All:

I am a recent graduate who was just fired from my first hospital job. They cited my poor time management/inefficiency as the main reason.

My question is this: what is the best way to address this termination when interviewing with future potential employers.

Also, does anyone know good time-management courses geared specifically for nurses and other healthcare professionals or be able to offer some general time-management tips for this rookie.

Thank you for reading this.

[peekabooicu]

Do the time mgmt/efficiency issues have anything to do with the area you were working? Not all nurses are created equal, thank goodness! Perhaps you would be better off in another area better suited for you? Your next employer might be needing the type nurse you will become. Med/ Surg is a good area for people that are good at time mgmt partly because of the multiple tasks for multiple patients. Some are better at Emergency- thinking fast, triage, codes and trauma stress. You may want to make your future employer aware that you have other skills, whatever they may be.

[Ricu]

Let me say that your letter surprises me. From what you write, it appears as though you were going along business as usual and then suddenly got fired. If that is what happened, do you believe the termination was fair? Were you given adequate orientation? Were you given regular performance appraisals which cited time management and organization as areas needing improvement? Assuming that this was so and an action plan was put in place, did you follow it? Seldom does a nurse just get terminated especially a new graduate. New hire orientation and mentor programs are designed to help the new nurse become efficient and seminars for time management and organization are all over the place. I wonder why it took the loss of your job for you to begin looking.

Cab you tell us any more?
R

[bwv244]

Thank you to both peekabooicu and Ricu for their responses. I forgot to mention that the position was a per diem one. I was abruptly fired right after the end of my 6-week orientation. I was speechless because I remember at my interview that there was a 6-MONTH probationary period, with the first performance evaluation to be had 3 months after the hire date. Needless to say, because I was fired after only 6 weeks I never had my formal performance evaluation. However, my supervisors frequently did mention my time management issues to me on an informal basis during the brief time I was at this hospital. I did my best, but I did not show steady improvement. Some days were good...others were bad.

Of course I don't think my termination was fair, but maybe hospitals don't have as strong a commitment with per diem hires than they do with their regular staff.

Thank you again for the responses. I would have answered sooner, but I have been so depressed over this horrible start to my career.

[peekabooicu]

'Sorry to say, but yeah, I kinda think that alot of facilities see Per Diem and PRN workers as expendable.
Most employers will probably be aware of this unspoken fact when hiring.
Even 3-6 months is sometimes not long enough to get a grip on time mgmt skills, and it ain't a secret that some "experienced" nurses are inefficient...hehe.
Try to be positive...perhaps you could write down a big long list of all the facilities that appeal to you, and call each one.
(Sitting in the sunshine during this activity helps.)

[hppygr8ful]

I know when you are first out of school you want to go right to work and it's tempting to take the first job that comes up. But you quickly find out that floor nursing is nothing like taking care of 2 or three patients for a couple of hours during school clinicals. don't lose hope what I would do is go on-line in your area and look at larger hospitals especially teaching hospital's that advertise/offer new nurse internships. These internships typically pay a bit less but you get a good foundation and lots of skills practice and time management advice. I did that out of nursing school and ended up working for 3 years on a L&Unit and as soon as I graduated after 6mos I was given a raise to regular RN rate of pay. Plus in these situations the management knows your new and wants to train you to be an asset to their hospital.

Don't stress out over being fired if you live in the US there are very strict laws about what a former employer can say about you. In most states they can only verify dates of employment. If you live in an AT Will state where either party can terminate employment for any reason at any time it works to your advantage. If asked you can simply state that It was your first job out of nursing school and it just wasn't the "right fit". If asked for details you could state simple facts about the job such as It was a noc shift and didn't agree with me or it was med/surg and I decided that I would like to try a specialty then insert - I've always loved babies, surgery facinates me etc.

I would also suggest a class in how to present yourself in an interview - as new nurse they know you don't have a lot of experience so they want to see a personality that shows grace under pressure and life experience.


Hope this helps

Good luck with your career

Hppy

[peekabooicu]

*Applause* for response by Hppy.
"right fit" works well.
You go girl...

peeky

[Ricu]

Thank you to both peekabooicu and Ricu for their responses. I forgot to mention that the position was a per diem one. I was abruptly fired right after the end of my 6-week orientation. I was speechless because I remember at my interview that there was a 6-MONTH probationary period, with the first performance evaluation to be had 3 months after the hire date. Needless to say, because I was fired after only 6 weeks I never had my formal performance evaluation. However, my supervisors frequently did mention my time management issues to me on an informal basis during the brief time I was at this hospital. I did my best, but I did not show steady improvement. Some days were good...others were bad.

Of course I don't think my termination was fair, but maybe hospitals don't have as strong a commitment with per diem hires than they do with their regular staff.

Thank you again for the responses. I would have answered sooner, but I have been so depressed over this horrible start to my career.

Hi again,

I agree with the other replies especially as regards keeping your morale up,
but I'm not sure I agree with the manner of your termination. It's true that hospitals don't generally apply their best efforts to their perdiem staff but you shouldn't have been short-changed in your orientation. Frequently hospitals offer permanent positions to new perdiem staff who show good qualities after the "trial" period but not likely this place. It might be best to view this as what a job should NOT look like but consider asking for an exit interview from the human resource office. You have a right to get your questions answered and to know whether or not you can expect a positive reference. On the other hand, it would be fine for you to shake the dust off your feet and move on without the reference.

Whatever you do, Good luck. As you said yourself, it's a rough start but you will be okay so long as you look at all of this as experience- knocks and all.

R

[bwv244]

hppyg8tful:

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and understanding response. The compassion in your post really lifted my spirits up.

Yes, an internship sounds like a wonderful idea. I was actually offered one by one of the clinical sites I had when I was a student. But this was at a children's hospital, and I turned it down because I wasn't sure that specializing in neonates/peds right away was a good idea - I was more interested in establishing a strong foundation in basic patient care first. But after reading of your internship experience, I will definitely investigate it further.

And thank you also for tips on handling my termination with future prospective employers. I am spending Thanksgiving visiting my best friend, but in December I have a bunch of professional development seminars and classes (which include time management) scheduled. Then I will look for another job in earnest at the start of January, focusing on hospitals offering internships.

peekabooicu:

Thank you for the words of encouragement. It is good to know that not just new grads have difficulty with time management. After my experience with my first job, I will certainly not even consider per diem/PRN job postings for the time being.

Ricu:

Thank you for your support in your latest post. I was deliberately sketchy in my original post because I knew that, being the fired party, I would automatically have a credibility issue and did not want to come across as the "former disgruntled employee." So I greatly appreciated your "you shouldn't have been short-changed in your orientation" comment to me. When I was dismissed, I did almost try to diplomatically bring up what I thought was the unfairness of the situation, but then refrained. The point was: they didn't want me. And as I mentioned earlier, I was quite speechless, so just meekly surrendered over my ID badge and keys and tried to leave the hospital with as much dignity as I could muster. At least I know I did my best and got "raves" (according to my supervisors) from the patients under my care. And I got along very well with my co-workers. For the time being, I will use my old professors and clinical instructors as references. I did very well at nursing school, and I know they will attest to my good character and strong work ethic.

Thank you again, all, for the helpful and supportive responses. I will not let this setback stop me in my career. What prompted me in becoming a nurse was my mother who was also a nurse. I have always considered it a very noble profession; and after my mother died from pancreatic cancer a couple of years ago, I knew right away I wanted to become one myself as a way to honor her memory. My goal within the next ten years is to be able to establish an endowed memorial scholarship in her name at her old nursing school. She was the only one in her family that got to go to college. And I know it mustn't have been easy for her as a single working mother (especially when she was a full-time working nursing student). I think this scholarship will be a beautiful way to remember her....

[Ricu]

hppyg8tful:

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and understanding response. The compassion in your post really lifted my spirits up.

Yes, an internship sounds like a wonderful idea. I was actually offered one by one of the clinical sites I had when I was a student. But this was at a children's hospital, and I turned it down because I wasn't sure that specializing in neonates/peds right away was a good idea - I was more interested in establishing a strong foundation in basic patient care first. But after reading of your internship experience, I will definitely investigate it further.

And thank you also for tips on handling my termination with future prospective employers. I am spending Thanksgiving visiting my best friend, but in December I have a bunch of professional development seminars and classes (which include time management) scheduled. Then I will look for another job in earnest at the start of January, focusing on hospitals offering internships.

peekabooicu:

Thank you for the words of encouragement. It is good to know that not just new grads have difficulty with time management. After my experience with my first job, I will certainly not even consider per diem/PRN job postings for the time being.

Ricu:

Thank you for your support in your latest post. I was deliberately sketchy in my original post because I knew that, being the fired party, I would automatically have a credibility issue and did not want to come across as the "former disgruntled employee." So I greatly appreciated your "you shouldn't have been short-changed in your orientation" comment to me. When I was dismissed, I did almost try to diplomatically bring up what I thought was the unfairness of the situation, but then refrained. The point was: they didn't want me. And as I mentioned earlier, I was quite speechless, so just meekly surrendered over my ID badge and keys and tried to leave the hospital with as much dignity as I could muster. At least I know I did my best and got "raves" (according to my supervisors) from the patients under my care. And I got along very well with my co-workers. For the time being, I will use my old professors and clinical instructors as references. I did very well at nursing school, and I know they will attest to my good character and strong work ethic.

Thank you again, all, for the helpful and supportive responses. I will not let this setback stop me in my career. What prompted me in becoming a nurse was my mother who was also a nurse. I have always considered it a very noble profession; and after my mother died from pancreatic cancer a couple of years ago, I knew right away I wanted to become one myself as a way to honor her memory. My goal within the next ten years is to be able to establish an endowed memorial scholarship in her name at her old nursing school. She was the only one in her family that got to go to college. And I know it mustn't have been easy for her as a single working mother (especially when she was a full-time working nursing student). I think this scholarship will be a beautiful way to remember her....

Dear "B",

It really seems that you inadvertantly fell into political "trappings" that pollute hospitals everywhere. Your humanitarian interest on behalf of your mother speaks volumes. I have no doubt that once established, you will do very well. Best of luck.

R