Maternity discrimination

MunoRN, RN · Sep 9, 2015

It's not discriminatory for an employer to ask a new-grad to commit some sort of time period, pregnant or not, which is pretty reasonable. It's sort of useless for an employer to hire a new grad who's only going to work 3 months and then take time off. If you were hoping to land a job right of school and keep that job, you should have thought about that before getting pregnant 6 months before the end of school (sorry to sound harsh but I'm not really sure how else to word that).

RainbowHead · Sep 9, 2015

The stresses of being a nurse on top of being a new grad wouldn't be good for you or the baby. Wait until you've given birth so that it will be a more comfortable transition.

Nursynursenurse, ADN, RN · Sep 9, 2015

I interviewed and landed 2 jobs as a new grad at around 24 weeks pregnant. I wasn't showing at the time. I had no choice but to work so I could afford to take time off after the baby was born. Its not ideal but if there's no other way it can be done. Its better to learn a new job and work crazy overtime while you are pregnant than worry about how you will function at a new job after you have a baby and are only sleeping a few hours a night. At least when I go back I already know what I'm doing and wont have to deal with the stress of being a new employee and a new grad.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Sep 9, 2015

Then I would think that your pregnancy wasn't a factor. It can take a while to find a position as a new grad. If you can afford it financially I agree with others that it is best to have your baby first. Congrats on the baby and completing nursing school.

I was an experienced nurse, not a new grad.

Dranger · Sep 9, 2015

Problem is you would be cutting residency in half if they hired you. So by the time you came back your skills will rustyish and they would need to start again from ground zero. For you and your employers sake I wound wait till you have delivered and spent usual 3-4 months at home.

Logically it makes sense.

SubSippi · Sep 9, 2015

It's not discriminatory for an employer to ask a new-grad to commit some sort of time period, pregnant or not, which is pretty reasonable. It's sort of useless for an employer to hire a new grad who's only going to work 3 months and then take time off. If you were hoping to land a job right of school and keep that job, you should have thought about that before getting pregnant 6 months before the end of school (sorry to sound harsh but I'm not really sure how else to word that).

I seriously doubt it was a planned pregnancy, and if it was, then she had to have had a pretty good reason to try to get pregnant in the middle of nursing school. Come on now...

OP, it depends on the area you're in. If the job market is tight, you'll probably have a hard time getting hired if you're showing.

In my area, it wouldn't really hurt you. We are very short on nurses, and I have seen more than a couple visibly pregnant women hired into a new job. And while their jobs aren't guaranteed to be there when they come back, it's pretty unlikely that all the holes would be filled anyway.

If you can afford it, you'd probably be glad that you waited until after your baby is born. I think it would be really tough for a new grad to take a long break after just a couple months and then have to hit the ground running.

Either way, do what's best for you. Don't put off getting a job just because you're worried about inconveniencing you're employer. Even if they are aggravated with you, they'll get over it. It seems like the majority of bedside nurses are women who are still in their fertile window, so people are constantly getting pregnant. Everyone is pretty used to it.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Sep 9, 2015

I interviewed for jobs at 10 weeks and 24 weeks. I wasn't showing either time (my interview suit still fit), but I didn't get either job.

Did you tell them you were pregnant? I'm confused-are you saying you were discriminated against for being pregnant even though you weren't showing?

ixchel · Sep 9, 2015

Hello, I am a nursing student. I am set to graduate this December and will be about 6 months pregnant at that time. Can you tell me if you have had any experiences with applying for a job pregnant? Do you find you are turned down more? Would you suggest waiting to apply after the baby is born?

I tried applying for jobs during my second pregnancy and not one single interview came out of it. You have quite some complicated timing there, since a gap between school and work might be a turn-off to employers as well.

Mom to future mom, though? I think I'd wait. The third trimester is hard. Not only that, but if you started working immediately, your orientation would end just in time for birth. It's just an incredibly large amount of stress at one time. Graduate, take your time preparing for the nclex, pass, get some baby snuggles, then go comb the want ads.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and upcoming graduation!

Jules A, MSN · Sep 9, 2015

Why is the thread titled discrimination? If I understand correctly the OP hasn't even applied anywhere yet.

Although I understand the concept of the occasional unplanned pregnancy there are months to develop a strategy and game plan prior to being in a jam in the last trimester. I'd have to agree that it seems unreasonable to expect an employer to take on a new employee, especially who is a new grad, when they will be leaving before orientation is even finished. It wouldn't hurt to look but I would make sure there is a solid plan B and C.

RNKPCE · Sep 9, 2015

Graduating in December you still have to take NCLEX. That involves having the documents sent to whatever state you live in. In California, your baby could be 4 months old before you get the Authorization to Test. Then you have to get a test date. Take NCLEX, wait for the results now you are probably 7-8 months pregnant. Also not much hiring goes on the end of December, with the holidays things slow way down.

I think it is unrealistic to expect to work before you have your baby.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2015

I'm curious as to where people get this idea that a new grad not done with orientation would qualify for a 6 week maternity leave. The United States does not have any laws guaranteeing maternity leave other than FMLA. FMLA doesn't apply until you have worked 1250 hours in a 12 month period, therefore the OP would not qualify. If an employer has a time off policy that states no time off in the first 90 days or 6 months or what have you, OP would deliver before that time is up and could find herself with no job to return to.

SubSippi · Sep 10, 2015

I'm curious as to where people get this idea that a new grad not done with orientation would qualify for a 6 week maternity leave. The United States does not have any laws guaranteeing maternity leave other than FMLA. FMLA doesn't apply until you have worked 1250 hours in a 12 month period, therefore the OP would not qualify. If an employer has a time off policy that states no time off in the first 90 days or 6 months or what have you, OP would deliver before that time is up and could find herself with no job to return to.

It depends on the facility. Where I work, we are so short on nurses that if someone took a non-FMLA leave of absence, even if their job wasn't guaranteed to still be there, you could pretty much count on being able to come back to work before all the holes were filled.