Black listing

Nurses Activism

Published

I have a few degrees much to the dismay of some nurses. I am competent in my practice, have never had a clinical complaint filed against me in 27 years of practice working at many hospitals in various roles. I had this delusion that if I went into management I would be able to be an advocate for nurses. Instead I found myself targeted by a bad apple in the department that was clinically fine but major behavior issues . Upper management wanted me to discipline her according to the HR guidelines so I did. Yet she got the union involved and they turned it around on me . I had no administration support. All these events happened in a span of a few months out of a 4-5 year employment where I had a clear record.

If you don't think this can happen to you ---you are wrong. Lots of bullies in the profession.

There are no mysteries in this story. I have a law suit ongoing . Attorneys agree this cases are hard to prove . I managed to get another job locally in a hospital but then 180 turn in attitude towards me after one month of employment. Getting black listed can destroy your career. Trying to get back into regular nursing is tough because all the applications are geared towards your hands on experienced within the last year. It is as if all your experience and education do not count. You cannot even speak to a real person. Everything is automated and no critical thinking is used in selecting applicants. Any thoughts on this

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Been there...done that...hospitals are very good at covering their tails.

You are not alone.

I do not have any words of wisdom to offer you, but I can empathize with your situation. Bullying among nurses is a major problem and can only be solved by nurses. Nursing will never achieve the status of respected professional until we become a cohesive political force and that begins with treating each other civilly and conducting ourselves in a dignified fashion.

I was wrongfully terminated by an employer after enrolling in an outpatient alcohol rehabilitation program. I had no impairment at work, no practice issues, no absences related to my off duty over-indulgence in alcohol. Three different attorney groups have offered to represent me but I fear being blacklisted. This particular hospital system is quite prominent in this geographic area. I will just have to move on. I can certainly relate to your frustration with the contemporary job searching process. I think I filled out about one hundred online applications but was hired by one of the few places I was able to walk into and talk with a real person. Where do all the online applications go? Good luck to you. Something better will come your way.

Blacklisting is blacklisting. As the employment attorney told me: the employer can say anything they want about you as long as it is true. When the employer says it, that makes it true. Moving out of the area and the passage of time helps, as long as you can survive long periods of unemployment. Hang in there.

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

It makes me wonder who management was after. The bad apple, or the OP.

It's shocking when you do everything right, and the worst that can happen, happens. When you do everything right, and those who are supposed to support you, let you down.

I'm sorry. I personally think that's one of the worst feelings in the world.

I work in an area where there are both big metro hospitals and small rural hospitals within an hour commute. When something similar happened to me, I applied at a small hospital and was hired.

Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

Educate please. I was under the impression when other employers come calling, all they could say was if the person would be a candidate for rehire.

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Educate please. I was under the impression when other employers come calling, all they could say was if the person would be hirable.

Depends upon the state's law. Some permit the disclosure of anything that is true; some facilities, although permitted to reveal such information, have an internal policy allowing only dates of employment and rehire status be revealed.

Specializes in LTC, Psych, M/S.
Educate please. I was under the impression when other employers come calling, all they could say was if the person would be hirable.

I have been wondering a lot about this as well

And what about those emails/questionnaires they send out to your references? What if a nurse cannot contact their previous manager to get their email address, ect?

My husband worked retail for a while. He said the way around the legality of giving/getting references was the mgrs would have the security guards call each other to get the "informal scoop" on the individual. However, If they didn't want the person to leave they would give a neg reference and if they wanted to get rid of someone they would give a glowing report.

I wonder to what extent that happens in healthcare.

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

"Are they eligible for rehire".

That's a legal question from one HR to the next.

The answer to that question can be true, false, or manufactured to be either.

Actually many HR departments know their counterparts at other hospitals. They use tone of voice to relay a problem when saying available for rehire or not. Try to use people in the hospital that are still there as references. I had an HR person not like me as a department head. I was lucky that the CEO was a reference for me. Don't let it get you down. Karma comes around.

Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
Educate please. I was under the impression when other employers come calling, all they could say was if the person would be hirable.

Many places will only verify job title and dates of employment. They can probably divulge anything they like, but then they may face a law suit if the the candidate challenges "the truth," or feels the organization is retaliating against them.

If an employer calls me, and my employee hasn't informed me I might be getting a call, I just refer them to HR.

Educate please. I was under the impression when other employers come calling, all they could say was if the person would be a candidate for rehire.

Depends upon the state's law. Some permit the disclosure of anything that is true; some facilities, although permitted to reveal such information, have an internal policy allowing only dates of employment and rehire status be revealed.

Well, that, and one can speak volumes about a person while actually saying very little... damning with faint praise, communicating with inflection and emphasis, and a pause at just the right time... If someone is out to get you, you're pretty much Eff'd...

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