Discrimination & Whistle blowing - Would you hire this nurse again?

[SunshineSmile]

I was discriminated against when I applied for a job. In other words, a job offer at a hospital was rescinded due to their discrimination against me. I sued them and won. Now my name is all over Google if you search it. A few years later, similar thing happened. I got a job at a well known hospital, worked at the place, and the manager discriminated me. Since she couldn't make it obvious that the discrimination as the reason for terminating me, she micromanaged me and came up with a bunch of things that a new orientee might get wrong or make mistakes on to get me fired. Now, my lawyers are about to sue that hospital also.

I have been looking for a new job for the last 6 months since the fancy hospital manager let me go. My question is, is my career doomed because my name is tarnished all over the internet as a "litigious nurse," or does it really matter? Do HR people and nurse managers reconsider offering a job to a good candidate because she once sued another facility? What they did to me was wrong. And I want justice. But do people that sue facilities end up having a hard time getting a job elsewhere because of it? It seems like double punishment to me.

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

I am calling shennigans on this. If you were orthodox, shabbos would only be part of the equation. There's a whole host of holy days that would require you to be off. You haven't mentioned them as a concern. I think this is just a pot stirer post topic.

[merrywhiterose]

Discrimination due to your religion? Did you think you could take every Sunday off? Or what WAS the problem? Were you pushing your beliefs?

[uRNmyway, ASN, RN]

I think that regardless of how valid the reason for you suing TWO different employers, the fact that you did will definitely be enough for most new employers to not want to touch your file with a ten foot pole. Personally, if I was a nurse manager, I would throw out your application pretty darn quickly after seeing this. There is such a concern nowadays with people throwing out the discrimination/racism/bigotry card that potential employers will certainly want to avoid someone they KNOW has a history of making these claims and attacks in the past.

But thats just me. I just think people use those words too lightly and it has taken away much of their validity and meaning.

[merlee]

I am Jewish, not Orthodox, and worked nearly every Christmas eve and Christmas day since forever. One year I couldn't get Yom Kippur off. I was not pleased.

But I worked in Israel for a while, and there is some discrimination there too! Nurses with children were more likely to get holidays off!I had to ask my boss for an occasional Friday evening off! I worked mostly days, with some evenings. I worked plenty of Saturdays, as well.

If you interview for a unit that is 24/7, then work your share of the weekends and holidays. Someday you will find yourself face to face with someone from your faith who is thrilled to have you there regardless of which day of the week it is.

Best wishes.

[macgirl]

I would quit it with the lawsuits. Drop the second one if you can and think moving maybe? I have a job 12 hrs with set days. You could easily be a Mon, tue, wed 7-7 employee. But holidays would still be an issue, you would have to trade to get them off quite possibly. That said 2 lawsuits are going to make you untouchable to many.

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

With due respect, two lawsuits? No, I would not hire you and I do not think many people will consider you. I also fear that advanced nursing practice may fail to solve the dilemma for you as well. While there are more M-F 9-5 opportunities available for APNs, you are somewhat "radioactive" shall we say, and being a NP isn't going to change that.

My advice to you is to seek out quite a few volunteer gigs (highly respected ones- remote area medical, mission trips abroad, etc. walking for breast cancer just aint gonna cut it), research opportunities, and kiss up to your professors and preceptors like you have never kissed up to anyone before in your life. You are going to need straight As and simply stellar letters of recommendation from high profile people with serious "street cred" to overcome your own internet biography. That is the only way you are ever going to get an interview. And then you better rock that interview. If you know that you don't interview well (and I mean you better be more charming than Puss-in-Boots, with genuine Bill Clinton charisma) then get professional coaching. Get wardrobe consultants, make-up artists and a $200 haircut. You have a tremendous hurdle to overcome that none of the other 10,000 new grads will have.

And I'll tell you the truth. Unless you cure AIDS as a grad student, I probably still wouldn't hire you. Nobody wants a problem employee, and you have trouble written all over your resume. But I really do wish you good luck.

[JSlovex2]

If religious people can be exempt from working certain days, does this mean people who aren't religious can be exempt too? What defines a religion anyway? Maybe it's my religion not to miss my children's school events. Since I don't ask to be off on Sundays, can I be off on a Tuesday or Wednesday if my kid is going to be in a play? I think religious exemptions border on ridiculousness personally.

Unrelated, but this reminds me of when I worked with a lot of smokers, I used to tell my boss (when I was working in a restaurant) that I was going to go take an "I don't smoke break." I also thought it was funny when people who didn't believe in working on certain days would go out to eat. You don't believe in working on Sunday, but not enough that you'll stop supporting a business who requires employees to work?

I never understood nurses who don't want to participate in blood transfusions either. Maybe instead of expecting everyone to accomodate your religious beliefs, you should tailor your job to your beliefs. If I didn't believe in abortions then I probably wouldn't apply to work in an abortion clinic. If I didn't believe in blood transfusions then I might not work at a hospital. Common sense trumps nothing, I guess.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

There are enough Jews that would want Saturdays off and enough Christians that want Sundays off. I think it's a fair trade if the Jews offer to work on Sundays for the Christians and the Christians work Saturdays for the Jews. The religious Christians should be happy that there is someone who is willing to work for their Sundays so they could go to church, which is basically what I offered.

First off, I respect all cultures and religions, even if those beliefs are not my own. However, let me play Devil's Advocate here for a minute. As a coworker already working the floor for years and years, patiently waiting my turn for my weekend nights off in the rotation, and in comes a new hire who has special accomodation. Great for you, bad for me. Why should I care that you need weekend nights off for ANY reason? We all have a life. What you're expecting is unreasonable. Either go PRN or find a M-F position. Employers do not have to work around you. Their first mandate is filling the schedule.

[Mas Catoer]

Some employers would see what you call as accommodation is more as privileges though it concerns about religion. If the scheduling system run into scrambled just to accommodate you then they inevitable have to do something about that might make you fall into a misfortune. I still don't understand how it can be called as discrimination if the scheduling need is compromised just to accommodate you. Unless there were equal number of employees to make trade of.

Once you deliberately sued them. And you happened to win. I might say you career in nursing could have come to its end, unless you establish your own clinic. Most of employers use to dig down most of applicant's track record.

Just my thought.

[Joveta]

Well i didn't read all the comments but i can tell you,the same thing happened to me,three or four times,but i didn't sue.I always tell them i need Sunday off to go to church,and 99% of the times they will say ''No Problems" you can have Sunday and Monday off,three months later,and my new schedule will have all the Sunday ''ON". So i usually quit after 3 months.I am surprised you even won ,they usually just lie to you and agree to all your requests than they change their minds.

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

change your last name or put a different last name on your resume? I can't believe that people are proactive enough to google you at every job anyway but legally changing your name might help if the situation fits.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Oh my. Good luck with those assumptions should you ever get hired in a hospital again. Wow.

There are enough Jews that would want Saturdays off and enough Christians that want Sundays off. I think it's a fair trade if the Jews offer to work on Sundays for the Christians and the Christians work Saturdays for the Jews. The religious Christians should be happy that there is someone who is willing to work for their Sundays so they could go to church, which is basically what I offered.