Floored by unemployment during shortage

[cannie]

A year ago I took a job at a nursing home. Three months after starting the facility was placed on stop placement by the state. Several employees were arrested for outright abuse. They progressively went down hill and a mass exodus ensued. I chose to stay out of concern for my patients. They all had preferences that I knew and I wanted to make sure that the new people coming in were aware of these preferences. With a poor quality of life to begin with these peoples little preferences made their lifes a little better. Towards the end of my employment as weekend charge (doubles Sat. and Sun.) the mass exodus had left us with 3-4 staff members for 60+ residents. When emploring my superiors for help I was often unable to reach them or got a reply of "that's not my problem". Yes! They said exactly that! I was also left with inadequate supplies and the key to central supply went home with the secretary. I was scared to death for my license and the residents. The last two weeks of my employment I refused to clock in until I had keys to central and a staff of at least 6. This upset management to the point to that after my resignation I was given the status of not rehireable. Even after sticking it out with the facility through bad times. Due to this bad reference I am now finding it difficult to find employment even after telling my side of the situation. Because I've been out of a hospital for three years no hospitals will hire me even with an excellent reference from the pediatric hospice I worked with for two years prior to the nursing home nightmare. I just can't belive that with the shortage I've been unemployed for two months. If there is help or ideas out there please let me know.

[Mijourney]

Originally posted by spitfire:

MIJOURNEY,I FIND YOUR POSTS TO BE RIGHT ON THE MARK, ASSERTIVE,ANd WELL THOUGHT OUT. THANKS FOR OFFERING YOUR POINT OF VIEW.MANY POINTS OF VIEW GIVE US A CHANCE TO DECEIDE WHAT IS RIGHT FOR US OR GIVES US ANOTHER PROSPECTIVE WE MIGHT NOT OF THOUGHT ABOUT.ISN'T THIS THE PLACE TO BE OFFERING OUR VIEWS, DO WE NEED TO HAVE THESE CRITIQUED? I DON'T THINK SO. spitfire

Thanks for getting my back spitfire. I agree, it would be great if we could all agree all the time. However, in a public forum like this, I think that it is expected that there will be a convergence and divergence of views. Many nurses come on here to simply let their hair down and may or may not have an additional agenda. They may or may not regularly express bitterness, concern, disappointment, frustration and the like. When a nurse(s)comes on this bb with a slightly different perspective or approach, this person is going to be subjected to, at best, "polite" criticism. One of my priorities on this bb is not to get totally caught up in expressing only a negative attitude regarding nursing and nursing practice which seems to be very attractive to a large number of posters but to be able to point out my version of positives along with the realities of it. I'm sure it did not help that I injected the fact that I entered nursing as a calling. Again, that is a perspective that differs with the mainstream. If I wrote that I chose nursing because it was a calling, I don't think it would have been any different. I will acknowledge that after years in nursing, I don't have the level of idealism I once had. I do still support the ideas upon which nursing was founded but realize that priorites have changed over the years. In most circumstances, it's what the nurse makes out of it.

Njdawn, I agree that cannie (sorry for the earlier mispelling) should consider leaving off the NH on the application especially if she/he did not work there for any length of time.

[This message has been edited by Mijourney (edited October 03, 2000).]

[Mijourney]

Originally posted by Mijourney:

Thanks for getting my back spitfire. I agree, it would be great if we could all agree all the time or we could accept that someone else has a different opinion. However, in a public forum like this, I think that it is expected that there will be a convergence and divergence of views. Many nurses come on here to simply let their hair down and may or may not have an additional agenda. They may or may not regularly express bitterness, concern, disappointment, frustration and the like. When a nurse(s)comes on this bb with a slightly different perspective or approach, this person is going to be subjected to, at best, "polite" criticism. One of my priorities on this bb is not to get totally caught up in expressing only a negative attitude regarding nursing and nursing practice which seems to be very attractive to a large number of posters but to be able to point out my version of positives along with the realities of it. I'm sure it did not help that I injected the fact that I entered nursing as a calling. Again, that is a perspective that differs with the mainstream. If I wrote that I choose nursing because it was a calling, I don't think it would have been any different. I will acknowledge that after years in nursing, I don't have the level of idealism I once had. I do still support the ideas upon which nursing was founded but realize that priorites have changed over the years. In most circumstances, it's what the nurse makes out of it.

Njdawn, I agree that cannie (sorry for the earlier mispelling) should consider leaving off the NH on the application especially if she/he did not work there for any length of time.

[bluesgirl]

I'm very sorry mijourney,

Didn't mean to be so blunt or brief.

I was having a bad day.

blue