Interview for oncology position: Do I disclose that I'm pregnant?

[jessicakay]

Hi all!

I'm quite excited that I'm finally a new grad and am beyond ready to find a nursing job. I got a call from a local hospital to set up an interview for a position on an oncology unit. I'm excited. Oncology has always interested me.

However, I just found out that I'm pregnant. It was unexpected but we are thrilled nonetheless. Knowing that chemo is harmful to the growing baby, should I be up front with the manager? It is very early on in the pregnancy. I don't want to put myself out of the running but I don't want to waste anyone's time either.

What do you all think? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Jessica

[mappers]

Not to be rude but I am concerned that your school did not teach you how to use your critical thinking skills. What type of degree did you just get?

Pursuing this position would be a complete waste of everyone's time. Do you really want to start a new job in an oncology unit, where one of the main functions of your job is to administer chemo medications, by telling everyone "Hey, thanks for the new job but everyone on the floor is going to have to cover for me for the first 9 months because I cannot do my job. Thanks all for making my dream come true".

Seriously?

Well, we've come a long way baby. Geesh!! Is this how women treat other women in the workplace? Have you ever had a co-worker get pregnant or been pregnant yourself while working? It is illegal to discriminate against a woman for being pregnant. With attitudes like this, I know why a law is needed.

It really saddens me to see such discriminating attitudes towards women in a profession that is dominated by women and known as the "caring" profession. What if you got pregnant? Does it really matter if she gets pregnant now or a year from now? Is it OK to discriminate against her for that?

And maybe you didn't think if it like that, but what you posted is discriminatory.

[OCNRN63, RN]

i think it's one thing for an existing staff member to get pregnant, but quite another for a new hire to be pregnant. suppose she is hired. she won't be able to hang chemo. then she'll be out for several weeks for maternity leave. when she comes back, if she's breastfeeding she still won't be able to hang chemo. (at least, in some facilities this is true.) so now we're talking about a new hire that probably won't be up to speed with a major function of her job for well over a year, maybe close to two.

yes, it's not appropriate to discriminate, but imo prospective hires need to be realistic when it comes to what they expect from employers and staff. hopefully if she does get hired, the staff will be understanding, but it's possible this could cause some bad blood among her fellow nurses.

good luck, whatever you decide to do!

[Emilynn09]

Also, in many facilities, new grads do not take chemo classes until 6-12 months of employment, to allow you to become more secure in basic nursing before adding more advanced training.

This is TRUE. I was hired on as a new grad on an Oncology floor and just now, I am being required to take the ONS Chemo certification at 6 months in. I have never administered chemo or radiation yet, and have done many of the med/surg patients that are on our floor, or taken care of them pre or post chemo/radiation. There's a lot to learn/do on an Oncology floor outside of just administering Chemo. Although, I am VERY excited to finally start learning to administer it.

[Trixie13, BSN, RN]

I'm not sure you need to disclose your pregnancy; as a previous post stated, a new grad will not be hanging chemo--our facility does not offer the chemo course until 6-12 months of employment (even for experienced but non-oncology nurses). I have worked with patients receiving chemo during three pregnancies and followed proper chemo precautions. I have a healthy, normal almost-4 year old, a healthy, normal 21 month old, and a healthy, normal pregnancy. :)