Not Eligible for Rehire

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I've been a nurse for 25 years. Most of my experience has been with the pediatric population in the acute care setting. I worked at the same hospital for almost 25 years. Long story short, I resigned before I was fired. My manager at the time told me it didn't matter that I resigned that I was not eligible for rehire. Several months later, I took a job in home health with the adult population (i've been there 5 years). I would like to go back into the hospital setting. Do you think I have any chance of getting hired? i worry about using the hospital (my former employer) as a reference but I have to because it was like my whole career. Does it at least say something that I worked at the same place for 25 years? Anything I can do to help my chances? Thank you.

Dear Do I Have a Chance,

You do have a chance and your biggest concern- the one you have control over- is getting back into acute care before more time has passed. Start applying, and focus on what you have to offer. Your work history is strong, but being out more than 5 years can be a challenge.

• Your manager may or may not have followed through on the official "Not eligible for rehire status"
• Your prospective employer may or may not call the facility for a reference
• If called, the facility may or may not share the "Not eligible for rehire status"

So work with your strengths and not your fears. If you get called for an interview, that means they are interested in you. If asked, you can say you chose to move on, or that it wasn't a good fit on that particular unit.

With your longevity, you have many contacts. Activate your network, let everyone know you are looking for a job, and ask them to put in a good word for you. Good luck!

Best wishes,

Nurse BethAuthor, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!

[RN94]

Thank you so much for your quick response. Another concern is that most of the people including that manager have now moved on. I don't know many people that are there now and don't know who to reach out to for reference purposes.

Thanks again.

["nursy", RN]

I recently had to dig up references from over 30 years ago (to get paid for all of my years of experience I had to prove where I worked and what my job duties were). I managed to find everyone I needed on facebook, was able to message them and get replies.