Gender discrimination

Nurses Job Hunt

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Specializes in Transplant, LVAD, cardiac.

I recently was turned down for a job in a pediatric CVICU. I rocked the interview, and was even considering working nights because CVICU is my dream job. So naturally, I was crushed when they told me they wanted people with more experience. A coworker of mine was also turned down for the same reason. We are both very good nurses.

Then we find out that a male nurse from our floor was hired! He has less than 1/3 of my experience and only half of the other girl that was turned down. He's without a doubt the worst nurse on our floor. He's dumb, lazy, and arrogant. No one on the floor likes getting handoff from him, because it's always full of holes and we have to go clean up after him - make sure labs were drawn, IV fluids are correct...

Experience has nothing to do with it. Just tell me that I'm not a man. Nursing just feels like one big joke.

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Specializes in NICU.

Is it possible that being a male has nothing to do with it? I am sure your current manager is well aware of you and your coworkers' issues with him. It is easier for her to pawn him off on another unit than to go through the hassle of firing him.

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Specializes in Transplant, LVAD, cardiac.

He's going to another hospital. If two very good nurses that are female are turned down for "not enough experience", but a male with less experience is hired...hmm?

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May have done better networking?

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

Unfortunately this seems fairly common. Our ADON was hired from within, less than two experience as an RN and less than 1 year in the building. The two other in house applicants had far more years of experience and one had prior managerial experience. The new ADON is male, the two nurses passed over for the job are female. One of them quit pretty much right after he was hired, the other one waited until she found another job and then she was out of there too.

In defense of his being hired, he is actually quite decent at the job. I really think he's better at it than either of the other in house applicants would have been.

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Specializes in PACU.
Is it possible that being a male has nothing to do with it? I am sure your current manager is well aware of you and your coworkers' issues with him. It is easier for her to pawn him off on another unit than to go through the hassle of firing him.

I'm thinking this is a more believable reason he got the job. I've seen my fair share of pawning off of undesirable employees to other floors on more than one occasion, because said employee just becomes someone else's problem.

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Specializes in Cardiac (adult), CC, Peds, MH/Substance.

Everyone's perception is their own reality.

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Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.

It isn't all about experience. Interviewing is like going on a date, there has to be chemistry!!!

Annie

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He may be a really good talker and "sold' himself in that interview.

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I personally think your suspicions are correct; wonder how things would have worked out if you were a dude.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I can understand how frustrated you are. It may not be much comfort right now, but I can assure you that I have never seen an "all hat, no cattle" nurse that isn't tripped up in the work environment. In my early management days (yep, I'm old) I fell for a couple of 'good interviews' only to have them crash and burn very quickly afterward. Interview skills may have been sufficient to get hired, but they will not be sufficient to keep the job.

There are some clinical specialties where assertiveness is an absolute necessity.... such as CVICU.... because nurses have to be very strong advocates for their patient. Shrinking violets are not a good fit. There is quite a bit of evidence on this - in interviews, males tend to 'sell themselves' much better than their female colleagues. They exhibit greater confidence, and this is a trait that usually resonates with hiring managers. However, a skilled manager always takes the time to validate their superficial impressions with smart interviewing skills.

In the meantime, rather than indulge in a protracted pity party (OK, just a short one) you may want to do some deliberate work to perfect your own interview skills. Consider each job interview as an rehearsal. You're going to be so good that when that really wonderful job comes along, you're going to blow them away. Not only are they going to hire you on the spot, but your interview will re-set manager expectations for all time to come.

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