Got the job, but Pregnant--Need Advice

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Hello all,

My wife recently graduated and got a job offer and we are so excited. Also, another good news is my wife is approx 4 weeks pregnant and we are expecting our 3rd child :-)))

The HR department told her to come to fill up paperworks and do some tests like PPD, and Hepatitis B done before starting her job (my wife only had the 1st Hep B done 1.5 years ago, but not the 2nd or 3rd shots).

My question right now are the ff:

1) is it fine to have those different tests done (e.g. PPD tests, perhaps 2nd shots of Hep B, or other tests given to new nurses ?) If its not safe, how do we say so and would they allow my wife to start her job without those tests if we decline it?

2) 2nd, if we tell them that my wife is pregnant, can the hospital rescind her job offer ?

We are just anxious that perhaps the hospital may say that since we cannot verify your safety with patients, then we cannot hire you just now and you can start the job after you deliver ?

We have never encountered this situation so any sage advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and have a great evening !

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1. no idea, i'm a guy, never had to worry about it.

2. not on the basis of pregnancy, they may think up some other "legal" reason though.

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Specializes in L&D, Mom/Baby, LTC, Rehab.

Hi and congrats on the new addition to your family. To answer your questions: the hospital can't legally fire your wife for being pregnant. I started my first hospital nursing job when I was around 17 wks pregnant. My pregnancy didn't show at the time, and while I never lied about it, I didn't automatically volunteer the information to HR. When the time came for my pre employment physical, I told the examiner that I was pregnant and did not want to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine. I did receive a PPD and gave a urine for urinalysis.

The only thing that turned out to be a problem was that I wasn't eligible to receive short term disability benefits because I had not been employed for 6 months prior to my maternity leave, but no one ever treated me with hostility and my nurse manager and coworkers were always supportive. Though it does help that I worked on the maternity unit!

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Specializes in SICU.

Your wife needs to talk to her OB to find out what is safe. Withe the first hep B so long ago she will need to have all 3 shots in order to be protected. They are on a schedule for a reason.

It will depend on how her work contract was writen on if she will have problems with the job. My job was contingent on passing the physical, if I coudn't (for any reason) then the job was going to be resinded.

Most hositals that I have worked in would like the Hep B to have been done, however, it wasn't a total requirement like the PPD. There was always an option of signing a paper saying that you knew the risk of contacting Hep B at work and would not hold the hospital responsible.

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Thank you guys for sharing your experiences.

For what its worth, I checked and did my own research and yes, PPD and Hep B vaccine (whether its the 1st or subsequent shots) are not contraindicated with pregnancy acc to CDC and other studies. Of course, one should consult with their primary care givers.

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Specializes in Rehab, Infection, LTC.

how trustworthy do you think her employers are going to find her when they find out she hid her pregnancy from them on hire?

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She's only 4 weeks along, southernbee, she may not have even been aware during the interview. During my l/d and ob/gyn time, at least half the women we saw didn't know until at least week 6.

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how trustworthy do you think her employers are going to find her when they find out she hid her pregnancy from them on hire?

I wouldn't care if she was 8 months pregnant and ready to pop. A woman is not obligated to reveal her familial status, and if she chooses not to it does not make her untrustworthy. In my opinion it makes her smart, because pregnant women and women that have young children get discriminated again all too often.

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Specializes in Rehab, Infection, LTC.
She's only 4 weeks along, southernbee, she may not have even been aware during the interview. During my l/d and ob/gyn time, at least half the women we saw didn't know until at least week 6.

part of his original post was should she tell the hospital she is pregnant and if she does can they rescind the offer. i realize that we don't have to reveal our health history, family info, etc. but to me, if you accept a position that you KNOW you are not going to fully be able to do by having to take maternity leave then that's not truthful, IMO. but then again, if i think about it, if you need a job and are pregnant and DO tell them, they wouldnt hire you. hmmm...so, after thinking about it, i would have to say no, dont tellit. but if you don't tellit, will the insurance cover you?

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part of his original post was should she tell the hospital she is pregnant and if she does can they rescind the offer. i realize that we don't have to reveal our health history, family info, etc. but to me, if you accept a position that you KNOW you are not going to fully be able to do by having to take maternity leave then that's not truthful, IMO. but then again, if i think about it, if you need a job and are pregnant and DO tell them, they wouldnt hire you. hmmm...so, after thinking about it, i would have to say no, dont tellit. but if you don't tellit, will the insurance cover you?

I guess it could be sticky with insurance. They may consider it a pre-existing condition, I have never had to deal with it myself, but it is not like pregnancy is a terminal disease that an insurance company will have to keep paying out for. When it is done it's over. So, I would think that it would be covered. But, more likely than not a pregnant woman trying to get a job is doing so, because she needs income, not just insurance.

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