Bad job reference from my school...now what?

Nurses New Nurse

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I'll make this as short and sweet as possible. I had really bad anxiety in nursing school, was diagnosed with panic attacks etc etc. Over the years I have grown a lot. Started working as a PCA and I went from shy bird to not so shy.

In school I was quiet, yes, but I still had friends and talked to them. I just was not the student who raised their hand up in class or was loud in clinical. I am very reserved and professional in professional settings and always get my work done.

I graduated this March. Failed nclex twice with 265 I honestly believe it was my anxiety combined with not doing enough practice nclex type questions. I finally passed this October my third time.

I began applying for jobs and reached out to a unit I really wanted to work on....I am a float PCA. Immediately got two interviews within days...was told I was going to get hired for my dream job but one more reference was needed from my clinical instructors or instructor.

They told me I had 3 days for my professor to submit the recommendation form so in desperate need to attain my dream job I emailed EVERYONE of my teachers...everyone ignored me or told me they were busy

Low and behold next day I get an email saying they decided to go with another candidate for the job....I apply to about 30 more jobs at my hospital and I was rejected to all automatically....I finally spoke to HR and the lady told me they wont be considering me for a RN position at all for a year until I get experience elsewhere BECAUSE A BAD RECOMMENDATION WAS GIVEN ABOUT ME BY A TEACHER WHO SHE COULDNT SAY WHO IT WAS....

Apparently this person expressed how much they were concerned about me being a "safe and competent" nurse. They also apparently said I would not take the initiative to care for my patients and I wouldnt be a good fit to be a nurse at this time....

SO APPARENTLY 4 YEARS AND 60K+ in debt instructors say this about me?

I also want to know how apparently I have a 3.3 GPA and never once failed out of clinical. Never once got a bad evaluation from a clinical instructor. Yet someone wants to say something bad about me NOW as a new grad and ruin my career and reputation? WHY? I cant express how much I hate nursing now...something I dreamed of doing since I was 7 years old. I cant express how depressed I am. How dumb I feel. How sad I am. How ashamed I feel. How embarrassed I am. I literally am not having the best thoughts right now. I want to just move out of this state and get away FAR AWAY.

I feel like I shouldnt have emailed everyone. I also shouldnt have stated that I got a position in the NICU (mostly NAS and GI problem babies NICU...no vents). I shouldnt have emailed out the forms as well. I feel like this person took advantage of me because the form had to be sent directly to HR so they knew I wouldnt see what they said or who sent it. Im deeply depressed. An entire hospital I was a PCA at for 3 years wont hire me. They said they take comments like that SERIOUS. They spoke with my current manager, looked at my transcripts, looked at me work evaluations and everything was good EXCEPT me failing nclex twice. The HR women said me failing twice with the bad comment was why they came up with that decision.

I am not loving life. Maybe I am not meant to be a nurse. Maybe I am not smart enough. I need somewhere to vent because I literally am about to lose my mind. The NICU was why I went into nursing. I remember going there as a child and I knew thats what I wanted to do...finally my dream was coming true and SOMEONE RUINED IT FOR ME. Help ): Where do I go from here. What do I do.........I worked at one of the best Peds hospitals...I wanted to stay in peds and now I am forced to go work else where..I have no choice...what if no one ever hires me?

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Specializes in L&D.

I am so sorry :( Are you still working as a PCA? I would recommend trying for an outside hospital and using references from past jobs. I think it's ridiculous that your instructors would give you a poor review after you passing clinicals with no concerns from your instructors. IF they were concerned you wouldn't be competent, then something should have been said earlier on. Personally, I'd be having a conversation with the Dean.

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Yes they said I can continue working as a PCA for however long I need to at their hospital. I think whats upsetting me about this so much is why someone went out of their way to ruin my life and who did it. I want to say something to my school BUT I am afraid I will just throw more fuel in the fire. The professors at this school gossip A LOT. They know about students before they even teach them. I'm afraid I'll just make more enemies if I speak up ):

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I'm sorry you're going through this. I'm not sure why an instructor would pass a student that he/she feels would make an unsafe nurse.

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I am so sorry :( Are you still working as a PCA? I would recommend trying for an outside hospital and using references from past jobs. I think it's ridiculous that your instructors would give you a poor review after you passing clinicals with no concerns from your instructors. IF they were concerned you wouldn't be competent, then something should have been said earlier on. Personally, I'd be having a conversation with the Dean.

Yep I agree with above (!).....someone has some s'plainin to do big time. And I would go and have that conversation in person, possibly (ideally) with a lawyer. If you're 60k in debt what's $500 more to have a lawyer go with you.

There's no excuse for that kind of non recommendation when you have good grades, graduated with their school and passed nclex. Don't let this go. Even if you won't be working for the hospital you want....you need to get a written recommendation from the dean for future applications.

This will pass. Don't give up.

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I would be contacting the dean of the program and asking for a meeting. Explain the situation. I would also ask HR for a copy of the reference. In this day and age I think it is illegal for someone to give a negative review. They can merely say yes they would hire you or no they would not and leave it at that. So I would contact the dean of the program because at the very least someone has shown very poor professionalism and needs taken to task over it and at the worst they have violated the law.

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Agrees with the above. Lawyer time. Do you have access to an employee assistance program? A lot of time they will give you the first hour with the lawyer free.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Have your current boss speak with HR. You have changed. Anxiety is a real killer, but you have moved past it. Pick yourself up and look at other places also. Not doomed.

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Wow... What a horrible thing for an instructor to do.

I'd definitely go to the dean of your school...

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
I would be contacting the dean of the program and asking for a meeting. Explain the situation. I would also ask HR for a copy of the reference. In this day and age I think it is illegal for someone to give a negative review. They can merely say yes they would hire you or no they would not and leave it at that. So I would contact the dean of the program because at the very least someone has shown very poor professionalism and needs taken to task over it and at the worst they have violated the law.

100% untrue. This is an urban legend. Please don't spread any further.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
I would also ask HR for a copy of the reference. In this day and age I think it is illegal for someone to give a negative review. They can merely say yes they would hire you or no they would not and leave it at that.

I've worked for a few hospitals that do references that way. You provide their email address, and the reference is emailed to the person, along with a letter that you authorize that states nobody will be held legally liable for the reference, and that the reference is anonymous. No, it's absolutely NOT illegal to give a bad reference, as long everything is factual and true.

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Specializes in Pedi.
I would be contacting the dean of the program and asking for a meeting. Explain the situation. I would also ask HR for a copy of the reference. In this day and age I think it is illegal for someone to give a negative review. They can merely say yes they would hire you or no they would not and leave it at that. So I would contact the dean of the program because at the very least someone has shown very poor professionalism and needs taken to task over it and at the worst they have violated the law.

This is false. How would it be "illegal" for someone to give a negative reference? You honestly think the legislature sat down and passed a law saying that references can only provide positive information? A reference can provide whatever information they choose, so long as it is true. I don't know why someone would fill out a reference and express these concerns if they weren't real concerns.

OP, this is why you only ask for references from people who you are confident will speak positively about you.

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