Should I reapply?? Help!!

[Ontario.nurse85]

I worked at a hospital for 4 years, three years on a general floor and one year in ICU. My grandmother became ill and I quit my job and could not give the two weeks notice and I needed to go back to my home town 4hrs away to be with her as it was my plans to careFor her until she passed. Looking back I should have asked for emergency leave or leave of absence. When I left my manager was not happy and basically told me I was unprofessional. I was able to care for my grandma and am so thankful I did but now that she has passed I am wanting to go back to the hospital, not to the unit I left but to another floor. I have been doing tele triage for last month and can not imagine having to work here for much longer. I am worried that when I apply my old manager will give me a bad reference due to how I quit. Should I still try and apply to work at the hospital again?Thanks!!!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Can't hurt to ask for an opportunity to explain yourself. As my favorite button says, "Don't die wondering!"

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

While I am sympathetic to why you left with no notice and am sorry for your loss...from the manager's POV, you did bail on her without notice or explanation. It's she who had to deal with the aftermath of your actions, so you can't blame her for being less than happy with you.

I would still try to apply to the hospital. I would also call HR to see if you are a Do Not Rehire--if you are, you should try to talk to someone there and explain what happened. Not saying it'd definitely fix things, but you never know.

I also agree with GrnTra: you have nothing to lose by talking to your old manager and explain why things happened as they did. Maybe she'll be understanding, maybe she'll still be displeased but will promise to not give a bad reference, or maybe it won't help a bit (and then at least you'd know what to expect). But you won't know until you talk to her.

Best of luck.