Need advice after leaving my old JOB... Would like to go back into the workforce

[loveandnyc]

After graduating nursing school, I landed the job of my dreams at a local pediatric hospital. I dedicated the next two years of my life.. blood sweat and tears! I was an excellent employee and loved the work that I was doing! I primarily picked this hospital because their core values matched mine: COMPASSION, EMPATHY, and TRUST!

A little after my 2nd year anniversary, I had to go into disability because I started to experience symptoms similar to those that I had when I was first diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. I had been in remission but I always had a mass that, if it moved or grew, I would I have to have a bone marrow transplant. You could only imagine the fear and sadness that I experienced.. I was 28 living the career of my dreams... now worried that I would have to give it all up for treatment... I never thought the cancer would return, although I feared it everyday... I underwent 3 months of testing and at the end the symptoms were caused by a neurological problem and I was given a remission status once again... It was a terrible 3 months, full of sadness and fear... You could only imagine HOW HAPPY and RELIEVED I was to return!

The same day I turned in my "okay" to go back to work, I met with co-workers to celebrate... They unfortunately gave me some bad news... Apparently a co-worker who had nothing better to do with her time approached one of the nursing supervisors and told her that she felt that I was FAKING MY DISABILITY. Apparently, they were checking my myspace (which I stopped using a long long long time ago) to see if I was on it posting photos of me on outings WHICH I WAS NOT! Even though they could not find anything because I was NOT DOING ANYTHING but ILL and IN and OUT of the Hospital THIS DEVASTATED ME! I was still very sensitive after what I had just gone through during the summer... I felt back stabbed... Part of the recovery process of undergoing disability is the return to work... At that point, I wondered how I could return to a work environment that I NO LONGER TRUSTED... I knew who was responsible for this... and I no longer felt comfortable working with these individuals. You can call me naive to say this... but where DID THE VALUES of COMPASSION and EMPATHY go? It was unfathomable how these individuals could talk about an me at one of the scariest and lowest points of my life... I couldnt return...

I attempted to call HR for a good 3 weeks.. they never followed up.. the thought of the incident made me so sick I just turned and walked away.. I didn't even write a letter of resignation.. I just didn't want to deal with them.. I was too hurt... I knew that i would adversely pay for this down the road. but at that time I just needed time to heal and forgive.

I ran into my old preceptor a few months ago and she told me that even after 3 months after I left, they apparently put me on the schedule then because of my no-show fired me...

I didn't worry too much about finding work, because my mother and I had also started our own Home Health Care Nursing agency after my grandfather died.. it was a life long dream... but now I miss working within a hospital setting and I REALLY WANT TO RETAIN.. I miss the hands-on environment and my mind needs stimulation.

I don't know how to apply.. I don't know how to approach prospective employers about my termination status...

Any advice will help.

Thank You!