5 Reasons Nurses Get Fired (And How To Avoid Them)

Demand for nurses is high, but that does not make anyone fireproof. New grad or seasoned veteran, here are five of the most common reasons nurses lose their jobs, and how to stay out of each.

1. Lack of professionalism

You deal with difficult patients every shift. Some press the call light five minutes after you have already met their needs. Others yell at you for being late when you were tied up with a more urgent case.

Plenty of nurses get fired for firing back. However stressful the situation or difficult the patient, you are expected to hold your composure. If you feel your temper going, excuse yourself politely, ask a coworker to cover, and step away long enough to reset. A short bathroom break usually does it.

2. Misuse of social media

Confidentiality is one of the first things you learn in nursing school, and one of the easiest to forget once you are logged in. Nurses have been fired for posting patient photos and for venting about the job or public events in ways their employer judged inflammatory.

Never photograph your patients. It is unethical and it can cost you both your job and your license. Be cautious about inflammatory posts too. You are entitled to your opinions, but where and how you express them matters when your employer and your patients can see it.

3. Too many absences

Short-staffed units lean hard on the nurses who show up. Call in sick at the last minute and management may not find a replacement, which means the nurses on the floor absorb your load, raising the risk of errors and burnout. Do it often enough and the hospital gives you a permanent break.

If you are running on empty, ask for a few days off instead. Addressing work stress before it buries you protects your energy and your job.

4. Diverting drugs

The work causes real pain, and some nurses turn to regulated pain medication for relief, then grow dependent on it. Others divert drugs to friends or relatives. Either one can revoke your license and land you in jail.

There are many ways to manage pain without strong medication. If non-pharmacological options fail, see a physician before taking anything. You know the risks of self-medication better than most.

5. Letting your license lapse

Every state requires proper licensing and renewal to confirm you are competent to provide care. Let your license lapse and you are looking at immediate termination, and no hospital will hire you until it is current.

Renewal falls on a fixed date. Set a reminder a few months out. Pairing up with a coworker whose license expires the same year gives you both a built in checkin.