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Hi everyone! I have a question about whether a new nurse who has a special needs child should mention this detail to their future employer. The employer is a pediatric home health agency and the experience the new nurse has with her child would greatly help her chances of getting the job. On the flipside, I'm wondering if the employer might view this as a negative since having a special needs child can necessitate extra time off from work. The child himself also gets home health nursing through a different agency. Not sure if there would be a conflict of interest there. The other home health agency would be willing to hire the mom as a nurse but there aren't any positions available at the time. I know that from what I've read it's best not to mention too many details about your personal life when interviewing but I'm thinking in this case it's different. The skills the nurse/mom has learned over the last 12 years from caring for her child are g tube feeds, trach care, vent care, wound vac, mediports and picc lines. Not to mention having tons of knowledge about programs for special needs kids and knowledge about treatments, meds, surgeries etc. The employer hires new grads and is willing to train them so i don't think not mentioning the detail about having a special needs child would necessarily cost the nurse the job either. What would you all do in this situation?

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Don't use it in the context of experience. Maybe in the context of exposure to the role of the home health nurse and how it's driven your interest in home health care.

Think of it as a nurse coming in and saying their husband has diabetes and has been on dialysis. It doesn't count as nursing experience and could work against you depending on how they perceive it.

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Thanks for replying! I was thinking it could be used as experience because the mom/nurse has actually performed the hands on skills on a regular basis since her child was born. The child does not get 24 hour nursing so the parents have to assume all care when the home health agency nurse is not there.

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You could say that you're ready to have those skills checked off.

(Although apparently some agencies are sending nurses out before checking off skills and little orientation)

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That sounds like a good way of telling the employer that the skills are met without mentioning anything else. Thanks!

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I wouldn't mention anything about the health of my family, only what skills you have but not why you learned them.

But, that said, I would seriously reconsider trying to get the position if your home life nessesitates frequent unplanned time off. Its not fair to those you would be working with, or your client population. If you can't be regularly reliable it seems like it would not be a good fit. Not to mention the possibility of being fired for excessive absence.

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I have known nurses whose children received services from another agency. That fact should have no bearing on your job with any particular agency.

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Home health nursing is probably one of the most flexible nursing jobs around so that would probably be the best fit for this mom. Her child is very stable and his health shouldn't affect her having a prn job. I'm just thinking that mentioning the nurse has a special needs child MAY lead an employer to assume there will be problems with attendance or other issues later. On the other hand if this agency doesn't see this nurse as an asset, maybe it's best she not work there anyway. I would think that an agency who provides nursing to help families of special needs children would understand more than any other employer the struggles these parents have. This nurse could help other parents greatly and knows firsthand the ins and outs of caring for a special needs child. Not sure what kind of advice to give here.

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Thanks for letting me know that. Maybe I'm over thinking this but my degree in Human Resources leads me to think that employers care more about profits than people. I really want this nurse to get the job but I'm not sure what to tell her. I even mentioned that since she personally knows several other families that get services from this agency and knows some of the nurses that are employed there, that eventually the agency might find out about her situation anyway so why not mention it at the interview? I hate the politics of business but I always think that honesty is the best policy. If it bothers the agency that much, then it's their loss and why work for them anyway. There are other employers out there that care more about their employees and patients. Problem is, there are not many other pediatric home health agencies in this area that are willing to hire new nurses without work experience.

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Oh, I didn't realize you were asking for someone else.

I don't know why a special needs child would need their mother to call in sick more than a regular child who doesn't have prearranged nursing care for their unexpected illnesses and injuries.

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Oh, I didn't realize you were asking for someone else.

I don't know why a special needs child would need their mother to call in sick more than a regular child who doesn't have prearranged nursing care for their unexpected illnesses and injuries.

The op specifically said that having a special needs child would mean more unexpected abcenses.

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The op specifically said that having a special needs child would mean more unexpected abcenses.

OP specifically said..

...since having a special needs child can necessitate extra time off from work.

Emphasis mine. Extra time off work doesn't automatically equate

unexpected absences

And I don't why they would, as in why she should reconsider a position (and there was no mention of hours/call) based on your assumption of

..can't be regularly reliable.. And ..excessive absences.
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