Who will hire you at 5 months pregnant?

MALE*RN*777 · Jan 25, 2007

Unless you went into great detail I couldn't give my opinion on the loss of your job issue. Anyway, if it had to do with you being pregnant then you may be able to get short term disability with your insurance company if you still or had it from your employer. This type of disability is not work related disability. Also, there are telephone triage nurses from doctors offices, drug companies that hire nurses for phone research, insurance companies looking for medical review, etc. You may want to find some part time job at a doctors office or hospital other than a nurse that will keep you in the medical field but less demanding physically. Hope this helps... Good Luck...

Jo Dirt · Jan 25, 2007

The "firing" had to do with a blood draw, a backstabbing LPN and a case manager who is refusing to authorize payment for any of the literally dozens of other labdraws I did on this patient unless "disciplinary" action was taken against me. They keep insisting I did nothing wrong but they are terrified of threats and when there is money involved, you know how that is.

The last thing I want to do is cause anyone any trouble so I told them, look, I can find a job anywhere, but you can't replace your business and it won't hurt my feelings if I'm let go...

So, the agreement was that I would at least help them out another week before I was terminated. But the week is almost up and now they are trying to back out, saying they could really use me in other areas (the nurses aren't coming in as fast as they had planned).

I'm rather disappointed about this, even though I need money. I'm thoroughly burned out with this job and so ready to move on. I know we didn't have anything in writing but I'm wondering if I refuse to accept any other positions if they could refuse to fire me, then I would be quitting and certainly wouldn't qualify for unemployment.

I'm sorry, I know you all are busy and don't need to read about my little problems. I just don't have anywhere else to reach out to.

Jules A, MSN · Jan 25, 2007

But the week is almost up and now they are trying to back out, saying they could really use me in other areas (the nurses aren't coming in as fast as they had planned).
I'm rather disappointed about this, even though I need money. I'm thoroughly burned out with this job and so ready to move on.

I would rather be reassigned than fired for sure and I guess you could quit if its really that bad. If your pregnancy is giving you health problems maybe you could pursue STD like MaleRN777 suggested. Other than that I'd say just suck it up for the next few months especially since you said you need the money. Good luck.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jan 25, 2007

Having physician orders to perform lab draws and insurance authorization for each nursing visit to perform these ordered lab draws are two different animals.

Depending upon area of country, there may not be availability of home phlebotomy service. Philly area patients are setup with home lab service.

Pittsburgh area does not have home lab services, so agency eats cost of lab visit of homebound patient ...seen as part of agency cost (do try to minimize) always try to justify with Skilled nursing assessment visit when indicated.

Homecare nurses need to be aware of agency policies and SHOULD be covered as part of orientation. No one should be fired over issue unless blatant disregard for known agency policy.

Nurses ARE able to obtain unemployment if fired. Usually time on unemployment role is short as another position obtained. There is COST to agency for unemployment, so suspect they are trying to minimize this in hope you will just be fed up and leave. There are labor laws re firing esp with pregnant worker that managers often not aware of.

Small startup agencies and branches go through these growing pains re lack auth for services provided. Field staff should not be the sacrifice for someone's learning curve. Sometimes this is the only way one learns the nuances of homecare.....learned many lessons at my previous agency over same issue. Don't beat yourself up nor allow yourself to be pushed out BUT start looking now for a bigger agency that can SUPPORT and educate you.

Altra, BSN, RN · Jan 25, 2007

So, the agreement was that I would at least help them out another week before I was terminated. But the week is almost up and now they are trying to back out, saying they could really use me in other areas (the nurses aren't coming in as fast as they had planned).
I'm rather disappointed about this, even though I need money. I'm thoroughly burned out with this job and so ready to move on. I know we didn't have anything in writing but I'm wondering if I refuse to accept any other positions if they could refuse to fire me, then I would be quitting and certainly wouldn't qualify for unemployment.

If you have not been outright terminated, your application for unemployment benefits cannot be approved. Unfortately, if the company has offered you alternative assignments but you decline to take them, this will also reflect negatively on your unemployment application.

UKRNinUSA, RN · Jan 25, 2007

the same thing happened to me a few years ago -5 months pregnant, essentially got fired when I refused to be reassigned to a different area ( it was totally unsuitable for me and could have put myself and the baby at risk). I had no cause for unemployment because they made sure that they covered their butt legally, so I was in effect resigning from my position. I did registry - I got a cushy 10 week contract at an outpatient clinic -the clinic staff even gave me a gift for the baby when I completed the assignment and asked me to come back to work for them after my maternity leave. It worked out pretty well, although I'm sure I could have worked with my OB/GYN, if I had been in a better frame of mind, to get on disability earlier.

BTW -stop being so nice to your employer! Cause them trouble. Get in their face. They are taking advantage of your good nature. Mention the "L" word -lawyer- something like -"my ______ , you know he/she is a lawyer, told me that I should_______". The sense of powerlessness and betrayal that I felt, led to a nasty prenatal depression with suicidal ideation with a plan. Look after yourself and your baby first, the state of their business should not be your primary concern. If you are physically able to do the job that they have reassigned you I would advise you to "suck it up" and go for it, just to tide you over, unless you can hook up with a registry and luck out like I did. It's only for a few months. Once you get ready to go back to work after the baby, you will be in a much better position physically and emotionally and much more employable without that bun in the oven. You may find that the reassignment could give you additional skills to be used to your advantage in the future.

All the best. PM me if you like cos I've been there, done that and survived. You can too. Meanwhile I will be sticking pins in the voodo dolls that look exactly like that case manager and backstabbing LPN.:angryfire. What comes around goes around.:icon_hug:

Jo Dirt · Jan 25, 2007

All the best. PM me if you like cos I've been there, done that and survived. You can too. Meanwhile I will be sticking pins in the voodo dolls that look exactly like that case manager and backstabbing LPN.:angryfire. What comes around goes around.:icon_hug:

What is so funny is that I was at Books-A-Million the other night and in the New Age section I saw this "kit" complete with a doll, pins, and instruction manual that said, "Don't get mad, get revenge!" and the first thing I thought was about glueing some stringy bleached out hair on that doll and going to work.

Maybe I shouldn't say this here, but it's the truth. I had to stop my Lamictal cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant and I had the shakes pretty bad, among being nauseated. So I go to do this monthly blood draw and I did not get the specimen with the first stick. The private duty nurse practically grabbed the needle out of my hand and said, "I'll try." So she ended up getting the specimen. After that specimen was drawn they d/c'ed the draws until further notice. The doctor wanted to start them back up a couple of weeks ago, so the LPN jumps on the phone with the doctor and insists the patient doesn't want me doing any more of her blood draws and they need authorization for the PDN in the home to do them.

So, the case worker for this patient hears about this and starts bullying the administrator and accusing me of not doing any of the blood draws and since I turned in the paperwork for billing even though I specified the lab was obtained by the PDN she is claiming fraud and if they don't discipline me the case worker will take "action."

I thought it was protocol to do a home health skilled nursing note whenever you went in the home.

Yes, I've lost a lot of sleep over it. I know life isn't fair. I know that what goes around doesn't necessarily come around. People like this PDN and the case worker always come out smelling like a rose. To be honest, though, if I did come face to face with either of these sociopaths, I honest to God believe there would be blows and patches of hair missing from someone's scalp.

But now I can see the tactics this agency is using. If it costs them to fire me then naturally they will offer me another position that they know I will probably refuse so they can cover themselves. They are offering me a "contracting" position doing CNA competencies or they want to put me doing strictly admissions. I hate doing admissions.

I've come out of this a more cynical and bitter person and at this time I absolutely detest this whole profession. I've even registered to finish my bachelor's degree in psychology with plans to go get a master's and teach in a community college, or something. Anything but nursing.

And it is true, I walked into this agency when it was in total chaos, I did not get an orientation. I was a brand new RN and they handed me a stack of papers and told me the charts and maps to patient's homes were up front. I'm not whining or belly aching, because, truthfully, I did not realize it was against the law for another nurse to do the stick on a blood draw if the HH nurse was not successful, and I doubt that even if I had years of HH experience I would have known that. You just come up on so many precarious situations with this HH business. It isn't about nursing, it's about rules and regulations and who can do unto you before you can do unto them.

I've had it. I'd rather haul scrap metal than do this, anymore.

I went into this with nothing and I guess it looks like I will come out with less. I was counting on that unemployment.

ILWannabeRN · Jan 25, 2007

We just hired a nurse at the hospital I work at that is 6 months pregnant. I had lunch with her a few days ago and she said that she had to sign a contract that stated that after she had the baby, if she were to recieve maternity leave, she would need to work another 6 months for this hospital. She has a nice cushy job down in ER taking phone calls from family members and such that are asking condition of patient. She also does float for the L&D floor, she got certified in a weekend to be a monitor tech...which I know nothing about, but she likes it, and the patients love her waddling around and complaining of back pain just like them!

Talk to the hospital HR department...they should be more than willing to work with you as long as you are willing to stay post maternity leave...if not, come here to Illinois! LOL!

Good luck hon!

Claire

Simplepleasures · Jan 25, 2007

If you have not been outright terminated, your application for unemployment benefits cannot be approved. Unfortately, if the company has offered you alternative assignments but you decline to take them, this will also reflect negatively on your unemployment application.

Absolutely correct ,you will not be eligible for unemployment should they get wind of the fact the termination was agreed upon by both of you. Nurses do get unemployment if they are fired, unless the employer can prove it was for misconduct.Sounds like you did no misconduct, so if you tell your employers that you are staying on and if they want to get rid of you they need to fire you, THEN you will get unemployment even if you are pregnant, just dont tell the unemployment investigator in your phone interview that you have sciatica and cant work, you must be ABLE to work to get unemployment.Good Luck.Oh and by the way, you are YOUNG at 32 years old.

UKRNinUSA, RN · Jan 25, 2007

What is so funny is that I was at Books-A-Million the other night and in the New Age section I saw this "kit" complete with a doll, pins, and instruction manual that said, "Don't get mad, get revenge!" and the first thing I thought was about glueing some stringy bleached out hair on that doll and going to work.
Funny, that - I have been accused of being a bit psychic- they tease me about it at work. I'm not advocating voodo, just trying to use a bit of humor because I know how angry I got when it happened to me. Anyway, I just wanted to add a couple of things. I did a nosey on you, because I was curious about the Lamictal, and want to give you another few cents worth.
here goes
#1 :offtopic: from your other post "my baby won't make it". Do NOT go for a psychic reading while pregnant -you are too vulnerable. I avoided giving and receiving readings for quite a few years around my time of pregnancy/early motherhood- it just didn't feel right. I cannot believe that idiot would even consider freaking you out like that -what a meanie!! I think she may have got a bit mixed up -the "ending" she was referring to was probably something to do with your current job situation and the abuse from your husband she predicted she was probably confusing with the abuse you have been getting from these so called caring individuals, whom I believe have no business being nurses.( Surely compassion is at the heart of nursing. If you lack compassion, you should not be a nurse, but I digress...again) Perhaps the "psychic" was trying her best to warn you that this situation is not healthy for you ar the baby -see#3
#2 Protect yourself and get professional advice in times like these. You may have some kind of legal case and you definitely have extra employment protection because of being pregnant. You may have some legal recourse because this mess resulted from your employer not keeping you informed, from your med withdrawal due to your disability (ADA protection, hx of depression) -consult someone in the know.
#3 This does not sound like a healthy environment in which to be growing a baby. With your medical history, and you being off your meds it really, really does not sound healthy. You are under a lot of stress, its not good for you and the baby and I think you have a good case for being on disability. Plus the sciatica. Please see your OB asap for help with this. If he/she doesn't help, change docs or get your PMD involved. Have you been getting a lot of Braxton Hicks? I seem to remember that stress makes your uterus more irritable, but I'm not an OB expert so you would need to verify that. Watch out for that anyway.
#4 Please do not carry around all that anger and get as depressed as I got. I was suicidal with a plan but felt much better after those post-partum endorphins got going. Anger like this just harms you in the long run, it doesn't have any effect on the object of your anger. Use that anger to empower yourself into some positive action, forgive them, let go of the past, move on and open yourself up to new opportunities. There is something much better out there for you. Maybe you just needed a little encouragement to help you find it.
So, did you get that? Stop thinking about them and how they feel and do what's right for you. You can get thru this. I did. You can too. Go, Girl:pumpiron:

Simplepleasures · Jan 25, 2007

Another thought after reading the last post by UKRN, as far as disability goes, I know that you most likely will not get Social Security Disability at your age. IF you have a very severe condition of your spine and severe depression, you may have a chance, but honestly it is DARN hard to be approved, especially with your level of education and age. Plus it is a VERY slow process. I dont know much about short term disability, does your job or state offer this?