I need help!

U.S.A. Maryland

Published

Specializes in hospice, pediatric oncology.

:cry: I've been trying to find a job for 2 months, with no luck. My last job was home health/hospice care. I resigned from it in Dec, 1997, after working there for 8 yrs. I left to stay at home with my 5 children, sold my house, and moved to a new one. My supervisor was upset because I resigned. She made allegations to the Maryland Board of Nursing about my practice without my knowledge. MBON could not find me to tell me about it. I never told them I moved because I was not renewing my license. The allegations were unsubstantiated, but I could not defend myself. The claims concerned paperwork, missing days when my children were ill, and minor infractions that I could have proven to be false. Five years after I resigned, there was a hearing and my license was revoked. I found out about it years later. I applied for reinstatement, was told to take an RN refresher course (which I recently completed), and my license was reinstated in October, 2009. The agency I had worked at went out of business shortly after I resigned.

I have a BSN, graduated from UMAB School of Nursing with a GPA of 3.9, and I'm a dedicated, caring, and frustrated nurse. I have not worked since 1997, anywhere. I have no recent experience, no strong job history, and no professional references (except for two nurses who worked with me at the home health agency), since 1989, when I worked 2 years at Johns Hopkins in pediatric oncology. That was 20 years ago.

I have applied for many jobs that I was qualified to do, but no one is giving me the chance to prove myself.

Does anyone have any ideas that might help? I want to work!!!!

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I just read your post, what a horror story! Im not sure if this is helpful, but your might want to start by looking regularly on Craigslist.com under health, for RN positions which post daily, and then emailing your resume in. At this website, which I find very helpful, you can find short and long term RN jobs, and even post your own ad, for free, stating that you would work as a private duty nurse for a private pay patient. Try personally contacting and/or applying via website, for rn jobs with national franchise companies, such as right at home, home helpers, visiting Angels, etc. You might have to consider applying directly for a Certfied nursing assistant job, check with your state board about process if you are already a licensed nurse, and work as a CNA. NETWORK. Once you get your foot in the door, and prove yourself, you would be one step closer to getting an RN job if one becomes available. Long term care facilities, such as skilled nursing places are a great place to start; but first apply as an RN.

Word of caution...be careful how you explain your situation to a potential employer, if at all. May need to consult with a professional recruiter on how you explain your circumstance in interviews.

Hope this info was helpful, Good luck!!!

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Specializes in hospice, pediatric oncology.

AngeleyesRN, :bowingpur

Thank you for responding. You are the only one who did. I'm required to tell any person who I apply for a nursing position with, about my circumstances. It's really hard for me to not explain what happened. Revocation of a professional license brings to mind substance abuse, a crime, negligence, or malpractice. I have none of those issues, just paperwork, two occasions (out of over 1,000), when my beeper didn't work, and things that were not true! I appreciate the advice. Visiting Angels "can't put me in someone's house to care for them", as a companion making $10. an hour, because I have no professional references for the past 20 yrs! Agencies like Maxim, (I had 3 hours of tests and an interview a few weeks ago. I passed all of the tests.), say I don't meet their minimum requirements, probably meaning no recent references, no current experience, and the license issue.

I graduated from UMAB in 1987, ninth in my class of about 300 students. I was given the "Community Health Nursing Award", I taught CCD, Sunday School, in Catonsville for 4 years, I have volunteered at "Beans and Bread" - a "soup kitchen" over the years, etc. and I don't meet their minimum requirements.

MBON is allowing me to work in my field, but I can't find a job.

I'll take your suggestions to heart and see what happens. I think I have to take a course from the Red Cross to work as a CNA or HHA. (It used to be 8 weeks, I think.) Thank you! Carol Cowan, RN

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