Nurse manager blacklisted me

[secretblue]

Over the summer of 2015 I worked as a VALOR student at the VA, which is basically a paid nursing student internship. The program is broken up into two phases with one taking place over 10 weeks during the summer and the other picking up after the start of the fall semester. Just before my fall semester began I found out I was pregnant and I informed my nurse manager. She told me to focus on school and staying healthy during my pregnancy so that I could be successful not only in school but also on NCLEX so I took her advice. During my winter break I returned to the hospital as a VALOR student at 9 months pregnant.

During this phase there was a dispute between myself and my nurse manager regarding my scope of practice as a VALOR student. When I started the program I was given documentation outlining exactly what my responsibilities and scope of practice was and I followed it to the letter. When questioned by my nurse manager I presented her with said documentation and was informed that there was a new policy in place and I was not to perform any duties which required a nursing license. I apologized for my mistake and did exactly as she said. I gave birth to my daughter in the middle of January and 2 days later my last semester of nursing school began. Again I was told by my nurse manager to make school and my baby my priorities. I took a break from VALOR under the impression that I would be returning after graduation. Fast forward to now. My graduation is one week from tomorrow so I went to see my nurse manager who informed me that because I had not returned to work during my spring break she "had not planned" for me and she was not sure if there was a place for me on the unit. She told me to email her so we could try to figure things out which I did and I never received a response. Upon contacting the nurse recruiters for the VA I was informed that my nurse manager had decided a few months ago not to have me return to the unit to work due to "repeatedly doing things with the veterans which require a license after being told not to" and having "altercations in the nurse manager's office" which caught me off guard because both excuses are blatant lies. The nurse recruiter informed me that the manager's decision is final and heavily implied that I have been blacklisted at the Nashville VA saying "this probably is not the place for you". I have no idea where things went wrong or where I should go from here. Does anyone have any advice for me?

[caliotter3]

Best bet is to move on. Managers have done this in the past, and will do this in the future. Good luck in your future endeavors.

[Emergent, RN]

Ditto to above. When one person with clout takes a disliking to you, it's time to seek greener pastures.

Good lick, you're not the first person who has had to deal with this.

[DrNurseEd]

It it is a very unfortunate situation. In my own personal experience, some of the meanest, nastiest, prejudiced, unprofessional, and most back-stabbing individuals I have come across in my life have been nurses. I feel sad that this has been my reality. It's quite ironic, too, considering our chosen profession. I hope you don't find this to be true in your future experiences as well. You will have to look out for yourself, and watch your back, for people like your former nurse manager. However, think of this incident as a learning experience as well as a motivator to be the best at what you do. Don't let this negative experience define you, or your career. Good luck!

[Nursechef]

Start over, just go to a new facility and start fresh.