How to word this?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi everyone. 6 years ago I worked at a residential facility for adults with DD as a caregiver. In addition to ADL assistance, part of our job was to drive clients to various appointments. We didn't necessarily do this often, but it happenned. On my own personal time (not while I was working) I got two speeding tickets and a ticket for having my high beam on instead of the regular headlights. This resulted in me having too many points on my drivers license to stay on the company's driving insurance policy. I was, as a result terminated.

It had nothing to do with my patient care abilities/personal characteristics/anything else. I was young and dumb and have since been a more cognizant driver and gone to nursing school. I have for the past three years worked as an aide at a hospital. I was able to explain this situation in an interview for my aide position, but I filled out a paper application.

For online applications, how do you suggest I word this? I am due to graduate in a week and have been trying to figure out how to word this on job applications because after I check the box "yes" to the question "have you ever been terminated or asked to resign" there is usually an area to explain. Please help me do so succinctly...

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

Your first paragraph explains it perfectly.

They will find all of this out on the background check, so it is best to be straight forward about it.

They are not going to eliminate you based on few 6 year old moving violations.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

"I was terminated for being unable to fulfill the driving duties required, but not for anything related to actual job performance"

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My job performance was at and/or exceeded expectation, however, was unable to fulfill the requirements for driving duties.

Be 100% sure that the tickets that you received were just tickets. You do not want to find out that they were "arrests" that required court appearances, and resulted in anything on your CORI. And if they were, you need to be sure that they were "dismissed" after you paid the fines. I would pass this by an attorney, who can look at your CORI form.

Best wishes!

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Also, you were not fired from a nursing job. That must be stressed, as well as the reason, which was young careless type of stuff which a lot of people have gone through.

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Check your driving records as well because if it has been 6 years since this all happened the points might be off your record as well and you might be seen as having a clean record.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

OP - was your employment terminated? As I read the responses offered so far, I think it was unclear in your post whether or not you were terminated because of the inability to fulfill transportation responsibilities.

If this is the case, you need to realize that you were terminated for a performance reason - the inability to fulfill one of the duties of the job. The best way to offset this in interviews would be to be able to offer evidence of a clean driving record since that time.

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"Six years ago, I worked as a caregiver at a residential facility called XXXXXXXXXXX for people with developmental disorders. My patient care was exemplary, and I enjoyed my time working there. In addition to ADL assistance, part of the job duties included driving clients to various locations in the community. On my personal time, I accrued two speeding tickets and a ticket for having my high beam on instead of the appropriate headlights. As a result, I was not able to be on the company's driving insurance policy and was let go. I have since become a more cognizant driver, and even drove clients around when I was a caregiver at XXXXXXXXXXXXX (different company I worked for). I am confident that I would be an asset to your XXXXXXXX Hospital."

Does that sound okay? Or is it too wordy? I want to emphasize a couple of things:

- patient care was not the problem

- it was an issue with driving

- I have since worked for a different company where we drove clients around and it wasn't a problem

- the driving issue was NOT a DUI/related issue...truly was basic moving violations

Does the above sound okay?human resource lady at the company what they would say when people called to verify, and she stated that they would give out dates of employment but if they asked if I was eligible for rehire, the answer would be no because I couldn't be on the drivers policy.

Does my explanation sound ok? Or too long? I am just nervous of computers automatically cutting my application off or someone not even reading it :(

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

I think the original explanation sounded more genuine but either explanation is fine. Everyone has a past. What is important is that you are honest about it.

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thanks everyone. I wish I didn't have something like this on my record. I am an excellent employee- well liked, hard working, and have great references.

I don't know how many computers are going to cut me off from employment opportunities :(

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Specializes in None yet..
thanks everyone. I wish I didn't have something like this on my record. I am an excellent employee- well liked, hard working, and have great references.

I don't know how many computers are going to cut me off from employment opportunities :(

Maybe you can find a way to disclose without triggering the closed-ended question reject response.

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