I'm so stressed out right now. Any words/advice?

[raindrop]

I have been a nurse for 2 years.

I recently quit my full-time hospital job b/c I accepted a travel position 5 weeks ago. I have been at my new travel job, 7 hours away from home, for 1 week now. In this one week that I have been gone, I have gotten 3 ohone calls from my agency questioning my dates for previous employment. Evertime I get a call like this, it is by a different person. I have a gut feeling that they are looking for reasons to fire me...?

When the recruiter and I first began talking (back in July), I told her EVERYTHING about my former jobs. No problem, according to her. The problem now lies with the fact that for 6 months of my 2 years of nursng experience, I worked on a med/surg unit as a per-diem worker with a per diem agency. I was never an employee at the hospital that I worked at, but I was sent there full-time by an agency. My current travel agency has a policy that a nurse needs at least 2 years full-time experience with med/surg in order to work for them.

Now I *think* that they are trying to say that I only have 1.5 years, since I was never a regular employee for the per diem work that I did on a med surg unit. I TOLD my recruiter EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING.......and I even told her that there were times when I was cancelled and was not able to get a full 36+ hours in while working as a per diem, but for the most part, I did.

WHY are they NOW questioning this? Why wouldn't they have looked into this before I began working for them?

What can I do if they fire me over this he said/she said?

I can't prove anything - the former agency that I worked for per diem is no longer in business, and the hospital that I worked at never kept track of my attendance since I was never THEIRS.

I tried calling my recruiter about this today and she was conveniently unable to take my calls (first time this has happened).

[donsterRN, ASN, BSN]

Do you have any idea why they would want to fire you? Anybody in your facility making it difficult for you? You seem very sure about your gut feeling, and I'm just wondering why.

[CHATSDALE]

i think that this has just shown up on the radar screen and the recruiter is trying to distance herself from you

headhunters usually get paid for positions they fill so she was anxious to get some points on this one

be un front with the agency all you can do at this point..if everything is going well at work this probably will blow over

[raindrop]

Possibly 2 reasons:

When I acepted the position, my 'regular' recruiter was not in the office. The lady that offered me the job told me how much I would make if I accepted the position, and I was SHOCKED because my 'regular' recruiter 2 days proir to this gave me a quote that was MUCH lower. I am thinking that maybe they found someone who will work at this hosptail for a cheaper rate tham what I am getting. Possibly.

Or

When I was 17 years old, I was busted with marijuanna. 17 is considered adult here. I was never convicted. All charges were dropped and I even had it expunged. But their background check was extremely thorugh, so I'm thinking that they found a glitch on my report and are now looking for a reason to can me?

I can' think of any other reason, but surely there is SOMETHING wrong. I have never worked for a company, especially a travel agency, that don't look into employment history BEFORE they offer you a job and wisk you away.

[loricatus]

Maybe you should send an email to your agency explaining exactly what you did here. Say something to the effect that you are doing it to document and clarify things previously told to your recruiter. This way, should they try to say you falsified an application, you are covered with your explanation of work history. Also, as far as I know regarding a criminal record, if charges are dropped, you are not obligated to report it because you have not been found guilty (or plead guilty) to anything; and, therefore, have no criminal history.

[donsterRN, ASN, BSN]

I doubt it was for the pot; if you were never convicted, then it wouldn't (shouldn't) matter, even if the records still existed. No convictions is no convictions.

It really bites that you cannot get in touch with the recruiter. I'm hoping that it's all innocent and she's just been very busy. PLEASE don't seek out trouble; if it's looking for you, it has a way of finding you. Just do what you know to do, continue trying to get that woman on the phone and see how it plays out. Are you being treated well at the facility you're in?

It just seems that the length of time you spent in med-surg prior to going the travel route shouldn't matter, in this day of nursing shortages being so severe. 1.5 yrs vs 2 yrs? I don't see that as being a problem, but I don't make the rules.

Again, please try not to worry. Just go in and do your job, and see what happens. You're certainly employable, if not with this agency, then with another. God knows there's a lot of them out there.

Hugs, and much good luck, OK?

[steelcityrn, RN]

The fact that they have called 3 times already for information sure makes it seem that they are making sure they have all the facts now as you have only worked for one week. They are either going to make a decision to let it be, or you will probably be let go. The contracts they make with hopitals ensures the hospital that a nurse has so much experience, and if they are caught sending nurses who do not(and that means they can't prove it), that could cause them a loss of a hospital contract and maybe a lawsuit.