Nurse in a Fix

Hi Carl,

I read your notes about getting fired. Recently it happened to me for the first time. I've been a nurse for over 30 years. Supervisor rode me for months, nit picking about everything, until one patient complained and she terminated me. The real kicker is, that she hired her best friend part time just a few months ago, and census dropped. Someone had to go, and of course it was me. Sound familiar, like what you wrote in your article.

I'm in a fix. Problem is, I'm alright with telling truth about being terminated, just do not want to say anything involving a patient. That can be a real red flag. How does "difference of opinion with supervisor" go over considering I was never able to talk to patient or supervisor's boss? Or "personality conflict with manager"?

Have any suggestions?

Help!! Nurse in a fix in Tennessee

Response from Carl: Thanks for your email and I'm sorry about what happened to you. When you're discussing the reason you left your last job, it's usually best to be factual but brief if you're asked. As an aside, I'm not sure if you have any legal options at your disposal ie. do you have a union representing you? Have you considered consulting a labor lawyer for wrongful dismissal? Just a few thoughts on the side for you to think about in case you haven't considered them.

In terms of how to handle the question in an interview if you're asked why you left your last job, from your comments it seems that your job was actually eliminated due to the census drop. If that's the official reason you were given, that's the reason I'd use in an interview.

Try your best to gather several people who you have worked with (ie. colleagues) and worked for (ie. a manager or two) and utilize them as references. Also, if possible (not sure if this is possible but I thought I'd suggest it) is there any chance you could have a former patient that you know of who would be willing to act as a reference for you? If I worked in sales, I'd think about getting one of my customers to act as a reference for me. In your line of business of course, the "customer" is a patient and perhaps this is not possible or feasible.

If you have a good, stable work history, have some references to back you up, and can excel in interviews, you should be able to get over the fact that there was a dispute with your boss and still find a new job. It certainly seems convenient that your boss would hire her friend and then you're out of a job shortly thereafter. Disputes do happen in the workforce and we won't get along with everyone we work with. Hopefully, you'll be able to illustrate to potential employers that you have a solid track record with your work history and references.

Finally, try your best to keep in touch with people you have worked with in the past who perhaps have moved on to other jobs, especially people in positions that hire staff. Since they've worked with you in the past, they might be less concerned with what happened at your last job since they've already worked with you and know you.

Carl