Blacklisted by your Nursing School?

[PolishGirlRN]

I'm in a particular situation and was wondering if anyone had faced anything similar.

I have recently graduated and become licensed and was following up with professors who had agreed to write me letters of recommendation for jobs and getting nowhere. No response to multiple emails and phone calls from five different people in the department. So I decided to stop by there when I came on campus to pick up my diploma to see if I could catch someone in person.

I ran into one of the professors who had not responded to me and she told me to go to her office and that we needed to talk. She told me that the department had found our facebook group, that students had been saying disparaging things about professors and making death threats and "how would it look if I wrote you a glowing recommendation when the head sees all of them?" She said my behavior was unprofessional and implied this was why no one was responding to me. I have become persona non grata.

Except I never wrote anything disparaging or made any threats against anyone. I was completely blindsided by these accusations but I went back to check my activity on this group and found nothing questionable at all. Our department had a lot of problems communicating important information to students so we started this Facebook group to easily keep each other abreast of what was going on and share resources such as helpful videos that further explained course content.

There were a few students who had written less than professional comments and I know two of these students are employed in hospital jobs right now so they probably got letters before their comments were discovered. I wrote nothing unprofessional and I feel like I am being singled out because they can no longer hurt those other students.

I know I can't force anyone to recommend me, but I find it suspicious that professors who already gave their assent that they would are now ignoring me, especially since I was the valedictorian of the class. It feels like I have been put on an informal blacklist without any chance to defend myself.

I feel like without letters of recommendation my job prospects are severely limited and I'm not sure of what to do about this.

I had considered speaking with the head of the department (who I don't really know, but who sees me as a troublemaker because once when I had an issue with a professor who repeatedly misgraded my exams and refused to fix them, I asked Student Services how to handle it which was a huge no-no. Apparently the nursing department does not like anyone going outside the nursing department for help) but I feel like her response will be that she can't make anyone write me a letter. Which is true. If I bring up what that professor told me in confidence, I could be putting her job in jeopardy.

I can't really see a way forward and I really feel like all the time, effort and energy I spent on this program could have been better invested elsewhere.

Does anyone have any advice?

[PauperRN]

This a unique kinda case. If I was u, which I ain't, I would absolutely move forward without the letters. Coz I do not see how u going to make them write them~literally forcing them to write since they do not want to write them. There are several ways to kill a rat.

[PolishGirlRN]

I have been applying for jobs all along but there are several that would hire me right now if I could show them two letters. And any hospital based training course or further level of education will need them too. I feel like my career has been killed before it even began.

[HotChihuahua]

Oh boy. Have they blacklisted every member of this group? It seems a bit unprofessional and extreme to blacklist everyone just because of a few people who behaved inappropriately. Are there any clinical instructors you could ask? Who was your advisor? I would reach out to an instructor you were closest to and who you think may hear you out. Good luck!

[PolishGirlRN]

Well that's the thing that's interesting. The professor who spoke with me also implied that if we were still students we would be facing disciplinary action but there are a few people in the group who are still students and none of them have heard anything about it. I know that it was mostly my close group of friends who are being held accountable (with most of the negative consequences falling on me since two of them are not looking for work and another is already employed).

Our school didn't have advisors and those clinical instructors that I was close to are not responding to me - even the one who has often expressed how sick and tired she is of the way this department behaves (and has the clout and seniority not to be afraid of for her job).

I guess I will keep calling and leaving messages and maybe stop by there a few more times.

Anyone got any ideas of how I could get alternative letters? I'm enrolled in a BSN but it's all online and I don't start until September. Even volunteer work wants you to have experience in my area.

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

My school was similar to yours. I did ask for meetings with the director and school admin numerous times d/t things such as what you mentioned above, as well.

After I graduated, I asked for a letter of recc from a teacher I had a great relationship with. (Or so I thought) This particular instructor told me I was an excellent, inquisitive student and she hoped to remain in contact with me after I became a nurse. She told be things like "I'm going to assign you the most acute resident because I know you can handle it." She pulled me to the side several times to tell me she really likes me. Honestly it was a little creepy but ok.

When I graduated I asked for a letter of recommendation. I probably had the highest GPA in our class. If not, I was definitely in top 3.

She said she'd write me a letter of recc but then she didnt return my calls r/t picking it up before my interview. I called, texted, etc. Finally the morning of my interview she told me I had a bad attitude and was an angry person and she wouldn't write it.

I was like WT??? I couldn't believe how fake she was. I reminded her of all the glowing things she'd said about me prior.

Long story short, I received a letter of recc from a different instructor. I was able to find a job. I never even provided a letter of recommendation to My second place of employment.

And my schools corporate office had the audacity to call me and ask to confirm where I was working so they could add my name to the list of employed grads so they could look good.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I think you should talk to an attorney. Find out if you have any legal rights that are being violated.

[PolishGirlRN]

I'm really disappointed by how horrible people can be in this profession. Watching the cheaters, liars and butt kissers get ahead by massaging egos while true passion and achievement count for nothing has made me really rethink if I belong in nursing.

I'm glad you managed to successfully deal with your situation. I guess I should keep trying. I did have one instructor who was kind, thoughtful, helpful and honestly loved me but she is not allowed write letters of recommendation because she is just the lab instructor.

I hate to add this but I also feel that there is this inertia towards helping me that is due to a kind of tribalism in the department based on race and ethnicity. There were professors who were open about preferring students of certain religions over others. My friends and I are minorities within our program and there is a clear unstated preference for those students who are of the same race as the majority of the faculty. It sucks.

[PolishGirlRN]

I think you should talk to an attorney. Find out if you have any legal rights that are being violated.

Do you know what kind of case this would be? Does this fall under employment law, maybe? Civil?

[klone, MSN, RN]

There were a few students who had written less than professional comments

Did you speak out to these students on FB? If not, there's a saying "What you permit, you promote." There's also another saying about guilt by association.

I'm sorry this happened to you. It must be very frustrating.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

I'd guess civil or administrative. Try calling a few offices.

[caliotter3]

I would seek legal advice.