Why am I trying to make career changes already?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

Or even considering it?

My hubby and I were talking today. He was talking to his nurse mgr, who told him "Once you graduate, don't stop". DH explained he was planning on going back to school to get a master's, then mgr said "No. I mean find what you're passionate about and go after it with all you have."

That struck me. What am I passionate about? I work in an ER. My dream job since I was a tween volunteering in the ER back home. I love the pace, I love the unexpectedness- I just love it.

But then I thought about it again- am I passionate about it? Not really. The ones I get excited about and am eager to care for are the female patients. I like the chance to teach, to connect with them (I mean ob/gyn pts). Those are the ones I look forward to caring for most. Strange? I've always enjoyed women's health. I think there is such a lack of knowledge there on the patients part- there is so much room to reach and teach, KWIM?

I'm at the point already where I might consider a career change. I'm having issues with my employeer and my maternity leave. Basically, I'm getting fired when Anna is born, then they will rehire me once I am medically cleared by my OB (6-8 weeks depending on type of delivery). This leaves me with a lot of choices. Do I want to return to an employeer that would do that to someone- leave a new mom without pay or insurance?

This has been tearing at me lately. Today's conversation got me going even more. I guess this is more of a vent then a question. Comments welcome.

Have you considered working in women's health? Labor and delivery has a lot of teaching oppurtunities, etc. ...Got to go catch a baby as I write... BYE!

Seems to me that many years ago this type of treatment was addressed, and something called the family medical leave act was signed into law. This was what it was dsigned to prevent. Employers dumping employees who have some sort of medical probloem that requires time off from work. In the past, some employers had so called maternity leave, and pothers didnt. This was meant to take up the slack. If memory serves me correctly, you have 12 weeks under FMLA. If you have the sick time or hours to burn, they take that first, and then you go into an unpaid status, but your job is guaranteed by federal law. Your job is guaranteed, your time keeps running, you keep your seniorority. I know hospitals hate really crappy press, especially things about how they treat there employees. I would ask why they are not following the mandated guidelines set out by the feceral government. Just my opinion.

Be Safe

Jerry

Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

Follow your heart and dream. God bless you in whatever route you take. :)

Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.
Seems to me that many years ago this type of treatment was addressed, and something called the family medical leave act was signed into law. This was what it was dsigned to prevent. Employers dumping employees who have some sort of medical probloem that requires time off from work. In the past, some employers had so called maternity leave, and pothers didnt. This was meant to take up the slack. If memory serves me correctly, you have 12 weeks under FMLA. If you have the sick time or hours to burn, they take that first, and then you go into an unpaid status, but your job is guaranteed by federal law. Your job is guaranteed, your time keeps running, you keep your seniorority. I know hospitals hate really crappy press, especially things about how they treat there employees. I would ask why they are not following the mandated guidelines set out by the feceral government. Just my opinion.

Be Safe

Jerry

You have to work at a place for a certain amount of time before being FMLA eligible- I believe it's 1 year.

But as far as enjoying working with OB patients, lots of different things to consider:

Specific to ED: SANE/FNE nurse?

Oh course there is the NP route, working in L and D or post-partum where a lot of teaching is done, or health dept work which is heavily OB in some areas.

Best wishes!!

Things Don't Sound Right About The Word Firing, But I Say Things Happen For A Reason, I Would Go For The Passion Before Years Of Nursing Go By ANd Steal It From You.

What does KWIM mean?

Maybe you can take this opportunity to really look around and see if you can find something else out there.

Good luck!

Specializes in Pediatrics.

My background is Human Resources. I have a BSBA in HR. I worked as the VP of HR for 4 years and am very well versed in FMLA, Pregnancy Leave Act, and Title VII. I am seeking a second degree in Nursing so that is why I'm on this board. Anyway, the Pregnancy Leave Act is under the Umbrella of Title VII (as are most HR laws) and I am telling you they CAN NOT FIRE YOU BECAUSE YOUR PREGNANT NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU'VE WORKED FOR THE COMPANY. This hospital presumably has more than 15 employees (the magic number in the world of HR) altho I think FMLA is 100 but I will have to look that up. Anyway, it doesn't matter if you worked for them for 1 year or 1 week. It is illegal for them to fire you because you are pregnant. Now, they do not have to pay you for your leave IF you haven't been there for a year or have any accumulated sick leave. If you have been there a year, it's 12 weeks unpaid (or sick leave pay) leave but your benefits remain intact. They are not required to use your vacation pay either altho most employers will since upon termination of your employment they are required to pay you the balance of this benefit. This makes me so mad because it's why I left HR. :angryfire They get a bad wrap because of departments like this who don't take the time to support their employees. Good, Bad, or indifferent, supporting your employees is important because it comes back to you two-fold in the way of profits and loyalty. AAAHHH!!!

We had an employee who was fired because she did not want to go to a Liquor store to recruit new employees (this was a "land of second chances" type company) mainly because her husband, the sherrif, had been at this particular location investigating a homicide but really because she was pregnant with twins. I about had heart failure when I found out her sup. fired her. Needless to say, she will never HAVE to work again and this was not a company with the means to support her for the rest of her life. The sup. got fired, the department overhauled and lots of boring HR training to the employees.

Employers perk up when you start going legal on them. They don't want the bad press and pregancy discrimination is bad, especially for a hospital. I'm not saying sue, unless it's your last resort, but do your homework on these laws (any HR website will have the info you need) and go into the HR department and file a formal grievance. This is your documentation to the events. And that is another thing, write down exactly what was told to you by your sup. or the HR person. If an HR person told you this, I apologize for the entire profession. Clearly, whoever told you this is uninformed or misinformed. Either way, putting the hospital in a potentially litigious situation is not something any HR department worth their salt is looking to do. They are there to protect the employees right as well as the employers bottom line.

Okay, I'm off my soap box now. Hope this helps. Keep me posted please because stuff like this sends me off the deep end and I want to know how it ends.

WooWoo! Lets hear it for BSNGRAD2B:yelclap::yelclap::yelclap:

Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.
My background is Human Resources. I have a BSBA in HR. I worked as the VP of HR for 4 years and am very well versed in FMLA, Pregnancy Leave Act, and Title VII. I am seeking a second degree in Nursing so that is why I'm on this board. Anyway, the Pregnancy Leave Act is under the Umbrella of Title VII (as are most HR laws) and I am telling you they CAN NOT FIRE YOU BECAUSE YOUR PREGNANT NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU'VE WORKED FOR THE COMPANY. This hospital presumably has more than 15 employees (the magic number in the world of HR) altho I think FMLA is 100 but I will have to look that up. Anyway, it doesn't matter if you worked for them for 1 year or 1 week. It is illegal for them to fire you because you are pregnant. Now, they do not have to pay you for your leave IF you haven't been there for a year or have any accumulated sick leave. If you have been there a year, it's 12 weeks unpaid (or sick leave pay) leave but your benefits remain intact. They are not required to use your vacation pay either altho most employers will since upon termination of your employment they are required to pay you the balance of this benefit. This makes me so mad because it's why I left HR. :angryfire They get a bad wrap because of departments like this who don't take the time to support their employees. Good, Bad, or indifferent, supporting your employees is important because it comes back to you two-fold in the way of profits and loyalty. AAAHHH!!!

We had an employee who was fired because she did not want to go to a Liquor store to recruit new employees (this was a "land of second chances" type company) mainly because her husband, the sherrif, had been at this particular location investigating a homicide but really because she was pregnant with twins. I about had heart failure when I found out her sup. fired her. Needless to say, she will never HAVE to work again and this was not a company with the means to support her for the rest of her life. The sup. got fired, the department overhauled and lots of boring HR training to the employees.

Employers perk up when you start going legal on them. They don't want the bad press and pregancy discrimination is bad, especially for a hospital. I'm not saying sue, unless it's your last resort, but do your homework on these laws (any HR website will have the info you need) and go into the HR department and file a formal grievance. This is your documentation to the events. And that is another thing, write down exactly what was told to you by your sup. or the HR person. If an HR person told you this, I apologize for the entire profession. Clearly, whoever told you this is uninformed or misinformed. Either way, putting the hospital in a potentially litigious situation is not something any HR department worth their salt is looking to do. They are there to protect the employees right as well as the employers bottom line.

Okay, I'm off my soap box now. Hope this helps. Keep me posted please because stuff like this sends me off the deep end and I want to know how it ends.

THANK YOU! I knew there was some other legal stuff besides FMLA! -Andrea

Aneroo,

I would suggest printing these regs off the internet, and mailing them with a note saying only "I thought you may want to review the following Federal mandates regarding pregnancy leaves, as there seems to be some confusion in the department." Sign it, and send it certified mail, return receipt requested.

I guarantee you will have an expedited, butt-kissing response within 48 hours!

~IMBC

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