Lied to in Interview

[westieluv]

Has anyone else experienced this? I just accepted a new position in an acute rehab facility. During the interview I was told that I would be replacing someone who wanted to work a different schedule within the company. I was also told that I would only rarely have to stay past my scheduled shift but that most days I would get out on time. I told the interviewer that I will work my five days each week but do NOT want to be called on my days off, as I am not interested in any overtime and she said she would make a note of it and wrote it down.

I am now a few days into orientation and I have learned from the other nurses in the facility that a.) I am replacing a nurse who got fed up with the working conditions and left the company without a two week notice, b.) I will end up having to stay over the end of my shift pretty much every time I work in order to get everything done, and c.) I received a phone call this morning at 6:30 where I was pressured to come in and work to cover a call off, even though I told the caller that I do not want more than five days a week and I am still on orientation to boot. She was not very happy when we hung up.

I feel duped and scared that I have gotten myself into something that I will regret. I do not appreciate being lied to and I think it was unethical to do so. Part of me wants to run before I get in any deeper and part of me feels like I need to stick it out, except that I'm worried that I will decide to do so only to find that I am constantly pressured into picking up overtime, being forced to stay over, and getting nagged to come in on my days off, in which case I will kick myself for not getting out right away. I am not afraid to say NO to the requests for overtime, but if this is an ongoing thing, it will make my life miserable anyway.

What would you do?

[laurelg2]

I think it is kind of strange that you think they will not call to see if you can cover a shift when one of your coworkers is ill. I have been a nurse since 1984 and have never worked where they won't call and ask if you can cover a sick call. It is always your right to say no. They do have to cover sick calls.

[Christopher Ljucovic, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

You're a healthcare professional and you demand to be treated like one! Do not let anyone pressure you into doing anything you don't want to! I'm sick and tired of other professions or even our own leadership abusing nurses! Please please please stand up for yourself and say no! Reiterate that upon interview you've stated that you do not want to work more than 5 days a week. Be stern! It's what's best for the patient and yourself. If you are not comfortable doing something then don't do it. Unhappy/dissatisfied nurses do not provide optimal patient care. If you need the job for financial reasons then stay until you find another job quickly. I personally would leave immediately and verbalize that this is a breach of our hire agreement and I don't appreciate being lied to, I'm a healthcare professional. I have a big mouth though, I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I've walked out after a shift with a letter of resignation in hand a few times. I refuse to be abused and I demand to be respected like any other healthcare professional. Good luck!

[Chad Collins]

This happens more than you know unfortunately. Here is what I have learned in my time since becoming a nurse.

A. Their not gonna tell you that no matter what.the know you probably won't take the job if offered. They know this.

B. I got nothing, most jobs get better with time.

C. Don't answer the phone, I don't have mine in my bedroom. It's a #1 no no for getting a good nights sleep specially on days off.

PS. Lack of planning on their part does not constitute an emergency on my part. That's the way I see it.

[microtutor]

I did not read all the other comments, but if this happened to me I would leave ASAP - especially if I had another job prospect and it was something that fit my schedule that I really wanted to do. You still have references from your prior workplaces, you don't even have to count this one if you get out fast enough...and they misrepresented what you were getting when you interviewed so they have no reason to think you would stick around and suffer!

Don't say 'yes' when you want to say 'no' in general. It is totally normal for people to ask us to work extra shifts, to cover, etc. They will ask and ask and ask - if we can't say yes we shouldn't!

I started in acute rehab as a new grad and still work at one per diem. The job is physically demanding, the documentation standards are strict and yeah you do have to work after the end of shift, but not forever unless it was a heck of a day. I like it though - great generalist nursing experience and a very hopeful field helping people gain or regain functionality and independence :)

Good luck in your new job, whatever it ends up being!

[ToppDog]

Remember that the 90 day probationary period is a two way street. Just as they have the right to terminate you without notice within those ninety days, YOU have the same right to leave without giving 2 weeks notice during those first 90 days. That 90 day period is a trial run for both employer AND employee. If at any time during those ninety days either party feels it is not a good fit, then they are free to terminate the relationship immediately. Employers will sometimes try to pressure employees into staying, or fail to tell them of these rights because it's in their best interest to make sure they aren't stuck without an employee to do the job.

If you stay longer than the ninety days, however, you will be expected to stay for a reasonable amount of time in the job (6 mo. to a year at the least) & give proper notice. Failure to do these after you've been there longer than ninety days will look bad to future employers.

[Bob Almighty]

You've already been shown that you, you're license and well being are not respected. Nurses care sometimes too much, I wouldn't hang around. I've had the experience happen to me and conditions only got worse. If it isn't written it wasn't said, it wasn't done.

[BellaBlackwell]

I too have a strong work ethic, and sometimes, though that's a good thing, it can make things tricky. Don't up and walk out of the rehab facility, but definitely pursue the dialysis job.

[missourinurse2b, BSN, RN]

I would never give them my cell phone number or I'd block them.

I still have a landline with caller ID. I never answer the phone if I'm not on call if my job is calling me.

I am the same way. I deserve my days off and usually have scheduled appointments or made plans around my schedule. I show up on time and do my job well so I don't want to be bothered on my time off. That causes burn out!

[TriciaJ, RN]

So much of this! At my first job in LTC/SAR I was told "this is how it is everywhere." I would not pass meds without checking them against the eMAR (there was no bar code so all you did was click that you administered the correct medication). I would not chart assessments that I didn't do. I would not pass meds in clusters then document them at the time they were actually due. I would not chart "treatments" (wound care and such) that I had not completed. They called me anal retentive. Because I wouldn't cut corners, I could never leave on time.

Even in hospital work, sometimes I get told "That's how it works, Buttercup." My current job is the first one where there wasn't at least one person who acted like adequate orientation is special treatment! (CEO at my LTAC which cared for critically ill pts - trached, vented, critical drips, wounds - said the company 'standard' was 3-4 shifts) I'm perfectly aware of what modern hospital work is like, that doesn't mean I have to be settle when there are major problems.

Right on. If more of us stood up for ourselves and each other, there'd be way less crap. We let them pit us against each other, so when someone wants an adequate orientation or actual breaks or their scheduled days off, we sneer at them for being "special".

But I've never seen anyone cash in their martyr points for a bicycle or a toaster oven, so what's in it for us? The non-satisfaction of a crappy job poorly done? We have rocks in our heads to keep putting up with nonsense and feeling superior about it.

[TriciaJ, RN]

I know what you mean... I recognize the story. I am way overqualified for the position I am in, but believed the hype I was sold in the interview. It actually sounds like we work for the same company. Keep your chin up. You have to do what's best for you. We would all love to work from home in our jammies, but reality can be rough. I pray you get your dream job.... I know you rock as a nurse... Your compassion is evident.... You think before you react... That is a blessing...I got my dream the other day.... Now I just have to tell the work place from hell I am leaving. I hope I have the strength you did

You do.

[sarbo1010]

Not necessarily true. I had an interview where the nurse manager told me that the ratio on the floor was 5-6 patients to one nurse but would more than likely be 6:1. We have cna's scheduled but they usually get pulled for constants, they were gonna work me like a runaway slave and she didn't want to hear that the staffing wasn't safe. I so appreciated that she leveled with me I took the job. Granted it was a travel job, but I have returned for a second assignment and extended for 2 months on one of them. I just really appreciate someone who tells the truth. Management lies so much. I still keep in touch with co workers from that floor and would consider going back for another round.

[SoberGirl]

Wow. You're lucky you got hired at all. This is very demanding of a potential employer and it says to me that you are not a team player.

I don't understand how it's not being a team player and demanding of an employer to work the schedule you were hired for. It tells me she had healthy boundaries. If they are chronically short staffed (by design, I'm sure) that is not her problem. It is the employer's problem and up to them to fix it.