I was working on a med surg unit and was floated to another unit where I made the dreaded heparin drip error. I know where things went wrong, and there was a system breakdown that contributed to my error, but alas, it was my med error! My situation is, I am applying for a new rn position. I am finding out that when HR checks my past employment history, the unit manager where I made the heparin error, is telling them of this and I do not even get a telephone call from HR to even set up an interview. I want to exclude her from my job history. So when I fill out another job application, there is a clause that says providing incomplete or inaccurate information may result from disqualification from that job, and may be a violation of state law that could result in civil penalties.
What do I do? Is there a way to get around this unit managers?
I'm wondering why this is such a big deal for this manager, or any of the facilities at which you're trying to gain employment? Nurses make med errors, and that's a fact of life. I've never heard of one med error tainting a job reference.
I was working on a med surg unit and was floated to another unit where I made the dreaded heparin drip error. I know where things went wrong, and there was a system breakdown that contributed to my error, but alas, it was my med error! My situation is, I am applying for a new rn position. I am finding out that when HR checks my past employment history, the unit manager where I made the heparin error, is telling them of this and I do not even get a telephone call from HR to even set up an interview. I want to exclude her from my job history. So when I fill out another job application, there is a clause that says providing incomplete or inaccurate information may result from disqualification from that job, and may be a violation of state law that could result in civil penalties.
What do I do? Is there a way to get around this unit managers?
Has anyone had a similiar situation?
HELP
Are you applying for a new job in a different facility or transferring to a new unit in the same facility. If you're staying in the same facility, you're kind of stuck. I would talk to the manager of the unit where you made your error and see if you can convince her that you've learned from your mistake and what you'll do to avoid the same error in the future.
Over the years, I have 3 hired nurses who 'owned up' to problems on their previous jobs, including one who was terminated for 'cause'. All of them had been reported as "not eligible for rehire" when HR did their references. But none of them turned out to be bad hires. I don't know of any nurse who has not made an error at some time.
You didn't say whether you were terminated or not, but in any case - if asked why you left that job - I would say something like; "I made a medication error. It caused me to completely re-examine my practice. I lost sleep over it. I will never forget it. It was a hard lesson and I will never do it again." As a hiring manager, I would respect that level of honesty and the acceptance of personal accountability.
Thanks for all the information Stanley, very very helpful. And thank you October Bride for your support and concern.
I feel like I am at a major disadvantage when I interview with a prospective employer.
What about excluding her, and my job for that one year.
Is it really a violation of state law and possible civil penalities if I EXCLUDE that job history from my resume?
Unless, I include it, include positive evaluations, and have an explanation ready.
What would you do?
One med error should not keep you from getting an interview even if it was Heparin. Did someone die? There must be more that your former manager is telling people since after all, med errors do happen.
Were you terminated from that job? If so, then be honest on the application about why you left that job. If you try to hide it, it can make you seem dishonest and that might be why you aren't getting called back.
As for excluding them from your history, I don't think it's that big of a deal. I've had a lot of jobs over the years and I usually only put the most recent job history on my resume and sometimes I skip over a job if it's not relevant. However be aware that if your job runs a credit check, it may show on the credit report if you have applied for any significant credit which required you to list your place of employment. Also they may ask you why you were not working for a year if there's a gap on your resume.
I have a long history within management and have hired and fired many inidividuals. There is no law which can prevent a current or former employer from giving negative information to a potential new employer. However, in general employers will not provide negative information because they can be liable for the information given. The problem is that you would have to prove that the reason you were not hired is because of the information given by your current or previous employer. This is difficult. In general most companies only provide your name, date of hire and date of termination. This is why most companies ask for references.
I suggest the following---
If you suspect negative reported information, report it to the HR dept and to the supervisor of the indivual who provided the information.
To get around any negative information, get letters of reccomendation from former employers to present to perspective employers.
If confronted with your error in an interview do not deny it or try to make an excuse. Be honest and tell the interviewer how you have learned from the experience. Review your experience both prior to the incident and after the incident.
SICU Queen
543 Posts
I'm wondering why this is such a big deal for this manager, or any of the facilities at which you're trying to gain employment? Nurses make med errors, and that's a fact of life. I've never heard of one med error tainting a job reference.
Is there more going on than the heparin error?