I Thought I Had My Dream Job, but My Past Took It Away...

[OrganizedChaos]

So a really stupid mistake I made 6 years ago came to bite me in the rear yesterday. I was working as an agency nurse staffing in correctional facilities when my NM told me I had to clock out & go home due to the fact my security clearance was revoked. My jaw hit the floor & I was stunned. I didn't completely understand why but on the inside I kinda knew why.

I hadn't told anyone I had worked for this company 6 years previous for about a month or two. Or what had happened when I did work for the company. Obviously I am not about to put my business out here on the interwebs, but if you PM I will tell you.

My NM didn't know why my security clearance was revoked but after I clocked out & got to my car I called my agency & they told me that I was unable to work for this company in *any* capacity. So, blacklisted. I figured if I was blacklisted my application wouldn't go through, I don't understand why it would let my application go through but then reject my security clearance.

When I get home I try to make phone calls to an HR but at 1500 on a Friday it's hard to get ahold of anyone. I finally do & she tells me she will get me an answer next week. I figure it's gonna be that I'm blacklisted & there's nothing I can do about it.

My heart is broken & shattered into a million pieces. I love working as a nurse in corrections, it's where my heart lies. Now that, that has been pretty much ended for me I don't know what else to do. I live in a small town so job opportunities are far & few between. The hospital in my town does hire LVNs occasionally, but I never get interviews. I honestly just can't handle LTC or PDN. The school district doesn't pay enough. Then that's it.

My mother keeps telling me to go back to become an RN but I don't even know if I want to any more. When I was working at the prison, I was so happy just working & being an LVN, I didn't even think about going back to school. I'm so lost right now.

I'm so stressed too because I was making so much money, I knew I could keep us out of the hole we were in, financially. We wouldn't have to live paycheck to paycheck any more. There's no way a family of 4 can live on my husband's small paycheck, we're always broke by the second or third week of the month. But it looks like we are gonna go back to that, especially after October when I lose Medicaid.

I don't know if I just needed to vent or need suggestions. I'm also really devastated right now. I get this awesome job, doing what I love to do, getting paid amazingly & then it gets ripped away. Of course we needed it desperately. I just don't know how we're gonna make ends meet after October.

I've already started looking for a new job because I know I'm not gonna get good news next week. But unfortunately, there's not many jobs available out there.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

Thank you. *hugs* I think I need a break for awhile & then need to start studying again. Obviously I can't work as an LVN in this area.

[Castiela]

I'm sorry this has happened. You say you can't handle ltc, but could you handle it off a short period just so things aren't so tight financially? Would you consider other hospital positions?

[Hygiene Queen]

Try LTC. I know you said you couldn't handle it, but you'd be surprised what you can handle when you have no choice. In the meanwhile, getting a job anywhere outside of nursing (such as retail) can help pay the bills until you find another nursing job. You do what ya gotta do. I know this all too well. Good luck to you.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I'm sorry this happened, OC. I know you say you can't handle LTC/SNF, but lots and lots of nurses handle it every day. I'm sure you're not any different from them. Sometimes you have to do things that you don't want to do, at least for a short time. I agree that now is a fabulous time to look into getting your RN.

[JKL33]

Hi, OC -

Just wanted to say I'm sorry...life is hard enough without things like this.

I wish you the best. Practice self care wherever you can, that is to say - be easy on yourself. It will help you to maintain hope and think more clearly about your next steps.

[Everline]

Oh wow, so sorry! I can only imagine what you are feeling right now! I wish there was something I could personally say or do to make it better. I truly hope when you look back on this, you will be able to make sense of it. I'm hoping there is something great in your future that you wouldn't have otherwise found. Best wishes to you!

[DTWriter]

Damn...Sorry you are going through this, OrganizedChaos.

Honestly, you should consider your mother's advice and go back to school for your RN. RN = more job opportunities. Plus,

-with nursing schools adding classes to their curriculum every year or so, while increasing the tuition...

-and the so called politicians in charge of student loans...

I say get that RN license whenever possible.

Worried about taking out student loans...? There are nursing loan repayment programs, and there are programs that can pay for you while you are in school. True that is no guarantee that you will get into these programs, but it does not hurt to apply them.

______

Now, as to which RN route to go for...(Disclaimer: My 2 cents. Take it with a grain of salt.)

RN-Associate degree program: This program tend to be the cheaper RN route. Their students tend to do better clinical-wise compared to BSN or higher students, but these programs tend to have abysmal pass rates.

RN-BSN program: This is what hospitals want nowadays - thanks in part to "Magnet Status." There are some hospitals that are willing to pay for their Associate RNs' BSN education, but there are some that rather hire a RN-BSN from the jump.

RN-MSN (graduate entry) program: I would not advise this route, unless you do not have the money to go for the RN-BSN. Through this route, one can get enough Fedloan to pay for the program.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

I don't know if I'm just defeated or what but I don't have the emotional energy to work in any other field of nursing or go back to school. I really love corrections. I don't have a passion for anything else. I think I have to sit down & look into other fields I could get a job.

[Castiela]

I can understand feeling frustrated and defeated but personally if given the choice of not working, or working in a job I'm not passionate about but provides for my family, I would choose the latter. However, I recognize everyone has different priorities

[jag nurse, RN]

I'm really sorry this has happened to you. {HUGS} and [bLESSINGES} to you. :0)

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I'm sorry this happened, OC. I know you say you can't handle LTC/SNF, but lots and lots of nurses handle it every day. I'm sure you're not any different from them. Sometimes you have to do things that you don't want to do, at least for a short time. I agree that now is a fabulous time to look into getting your RN.

You could be right. But people generally know what they can and can't handle. I don't want to see her jump from the frying pan into the fire.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I don't know if I'm just defeated or what but I don't have the emotional energy to work in any other field of nursing or go back to school. I really love corrections. I don't have a passion for anything else. I think I have to sit down & look into other fields I could get a job.

Maybe leave Nursing altogether for a while? Don't let your license lapse. Work part-time in Nursing and do something else until you figure it out. Good luck.