Need employment, poor work history

[rue1725]

Please help! i have been a nurse for 23 years with vierty of experiences. The problem is over the last 6 years I had 7 different jobs. My husband was very ill and every time I started a new job he would end up in the hospital. I was so overwhelmed the majority of the time that I would call in sick because I feared I would'nt beable to be safe. I never was a bad nurse but I was A bad Employee. My husbands long stuggle ended in july when he died. I fortuatly had been able to hold down for the last year and half. Unfortunatly this past Jan. my employer decided to clean house with what they pobably thought was dead wood. They fired myself and 12 other people. I was told that I was terminated because I had not completed mandatory testing within a certain time frame and with my abcences. I did receive unemploment benifits. But I need to work. I am so afraid that no one will even consider me for employment because of my history. I have thought about lying about my recent employment saying that I am still employed and requesting them not to contact them Please hELP

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I would just be honest. Someone will understand I am sure. You did what you hjad to do and the situation is now resolved. I am sorry for your loss.

[rue1725]

Thank you!

[OCNRN63, RN]

I think you should be up front about what was going on. Just don't let it stray into what may appear to be "looking for sympathy." I'm so sorry you lost your husband; losing your job on top of that seems so unfair. Keep applying; someone will eventually give you a break. It may not be the job you want, but it may be the job you need. Try to keep a clean record with your new employer. That will give you more latitude down the road.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Please accept my condolences on the loss of your husband. :hug:

Ditto as to what Crunch said above. Never lie about previous employment......it will come back to haunt you, as all it takes are a few mouse clicks for an HR person to learn all about you. Being caught falsifying an application not only will destroy any chance you may have had at getting or keeping a job, but healthcare facilities do talk to each other, and you don't want to wind up on somebody's "do-not-hire" list.

There are times that certain things can be omitted, like a position you held for only a week or two, but otherwise, you would be well advised to state upfront why your work history is the way it is. However, as sad as it is, the reason for your past employment issues no longer exists, and that should work in your favor.

I'm glad you've been able to take a few weeks off to collect unemployment and gather your strength for the next battle. I'm thinking that perhaps you should consider some counseling, though, if you haven't done so already. Sometimes it helps to work through the issues and come to an understanding of how things came to be the way they've been before you throw yourself headlong back into the search for work. I know this was very helpful to me some years back when I left my hospital job due to what amounted to a nervous breakdown. I had the luxury of receiving unemployment benefits even though I'd quit, because even the hospital recognized that my stress levels weren't ALL my fault and they were willing not only to pay UI for me, but they extended my EAP benefits for 30 days afterwards.

Whatever you decide to do.....here are some gentle hugs and good thoughts for you. :hug:

[rue1725]

thank you all so much.

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

I moved this to Career Advice where I hope you get more helpful responses.

I wish you the best of luck in finding a new job.

[rue1725]

Thank you for the move, but how do I get there

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Go to the Site Map at the top of the page on the left side and click on that; it'll take you to a page where you can find all of the forums we have here. Scroll down the list till you get to the Nursing Career Advice forum, then click and it'll take you there. Your thread will be listed under forum threads. Or, you can click on the little heart next to the link, which will put that forum in your Favorites list (red heart at the top of the page on the right-hand side). That's a shortcut---all you have to do is click the big heart and all your Favorites will show up. :)