I was cancelled recently after 3.5 weeks on contract.

Let me set the scene for you.

I (33F) have been a nurse for 10 years and traveling on and off for 8 of those years. I consider myself to be a seasoned traveler and nurse altogether, and I have NEVER had this happen to me.

I was headed to work on my second day of a small stretch. I had to be there at 11, and at 1015 I get a phone call. It was the manager of the department I was working to tell me that she was canceling my contract. She said, ‘staff sees the soles of your feet more than they see your face. You don’t do timed labs. You abuse the techs. You’re always on your phone.’

I was flabbergasted. I rarely find myself without words, but I was in that moment. All I could mutter out was ‘ok.’

She hung up the phone and all I could think was did she call the right person??

Surely she didn’t. I called my company, who had nothing on their end about it.

For a little backstory, the day before I was slammed in a busy ER. At one point I asked a nurse if we had a tech assigned to our section because I hadn’t seen him in hours. I had asked him to do three things for me, one of which he said he would do and didn’t.

The morning of that busy shift, the manager of the department saw me for the first time when she came to huddle. I have green in my hair (a tasteful amount, I don’t look like shrek), nose piercings and a tattoo sleeve. I read specifically if those things are mentioned in contracts and my team knows about my style, so if a place says employees can’t have those things, they notify me and I either don’t move forward or I cover up. Up until now, every place I’ve worked has had no problem with it. My hair has been this color for years, same with the tattoos and nose ring.

Mind you, I had seen the assistant manager, the educator, and all staff prior to this, but I hadn’t met the manager.

That day at work was strange. People who had been nice and helpful previously, were suddenly assholes. They kept loading me up with patients, and then sitting at the nurses station, watching me struggle while they ate their fries and watched tik tok videos.

Two days after the manager took the liberty to call me personally, insult me and cancel me, my company got an official cancellation notice. It was even more ridiculous than the original complaints.

‘She sits with her feet on the desk and plays on her phone. She refuses to draw blood work. These things coupled with attendance issues is why we are canceling.’

Wut. I’ve never even been late. We don’t have desks, we have WOWs and a chair if you can find one and we sit in the hallway to chart. I have definitely never refused to do bloodwork.

I’ve never had lies told about my work ethic. Even people who have hated me wouldn’t be able to deny how hard I work for my patients. They are my heart and soul, and this is something I’m really struggling with because why are you attempting to make me seem like someone I’m not?

My company is without words about it as well. All of my references and my work history say the opposite of what these complaints are.

So, what do you think the reason is?

Has anyone had something like this happen to them?