Part 2, Not that I want to go back to nursing but......

yourfuturenurse · Jan 31, 2011

Sorry to hear that. KEep your head up. YOu will eventually get a job, with patience. What happened at your previous job if you don't mind me asking.

WindyhillBSN · Jan 31, 2011

Click on my user name to see previous post. :nurse:

RNbrent · Jan 31, 2011

It's going to be really hard to get a job after being fired. Each application you have mark that awful spot that says you've been terminated. Most people toss those applications out the window without even giving them the time of day. I think your best bet is to call HR and talk to someone in charge of hiring nurses. Tell them your situation and justify yourself and have them take a personal look at your application. Keep your head up, you will find a job, it's just going to be a little bit harder.

Canggih1 · Jan 31, 2011

I read your other thread and I am so sorry about what happened to you. This situation you described doesn't sound right. I would take the advice other posters offered about calling the Labor Dept. and talking to a lawyer who specializes in nursing. It sounds to me they don't want to pay for maternity leave. The other thing is employers are not supposed to say you were fired etc. They are only allowed to say when your last day of work was. And you can tell any interviewers you left because of a difficult pregnancy.

In my own situation, I made small mistakes, could not do anything right. I was repeatedly called in to the DON's office. Finally I the last mistake was I forgot to yellow out one part of an order that was D/C'd! I had written D/C'd over the order and yellowed out part of it, but the other part wasn't yellowed out. OK?????

I was told that I could resign and they would be nice enough not to report me to the board. (dummy me, believing that I could be reported for something stupid like that) I decided to resign. Best decision I ever made. I found a job the very next day - $10.00 an hour more and alot less stress. Later on, I figured out that the actual reason they wanted to be rid of me was I was getting paid more than the other nurses -which I had negotiated with the previous DON because I was the only one with a BSN at that facility.

WindyhillBSN · Jan 31, 2011

Thanks for your comment. I plan to start with the labor board this a.m. :nurse: Unfortunately, I'm broke and hope I can get a pro bono lawyer.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jan 31, 2011

I read your other thread and I am so sorry about what happened to you. This situation you described doesn't sound right. I would take the advice other posters offered about calling the Labor Dept. and talking to a lawyer who specializes in nursing. It sounds to me they don't want to pay for maternity leave. The other thing is employers are not supposed to say you were fired etc. They are only allowed to say when your last day of work was. And you can tell any interviewers you left because of a difficult pregnancy.
In my own situation, I made small mistakes, could not do anything right. I was repeatedly called in to the DON's office. Finally I the last mistake was I forgot to yellow out one part of an order that was D/C'd! I had written D/C'd over the order and yellowed out part of it, but the other part wasn't yellowed out. OK?????
I was told that I could resign and they would be nice enough not to report me to the board. (dummy me, believing that I could be reported for something stupid like that) I decided to resign. Best decision I ever made. I found a job the very next day - $10.00 an hour more and alot less stress. Later on, I figured out that the actual reason they wanted to be rid of me was I was getting paid more than the other nurses -which I had negotiated with the previous DON because I was the only one with a BSN at that facility.

;)There are a lot of ways to say it without saying it. Not saying...............just saying lol.

Anyway, I always found it best to be honest. Tell them it was a bad fit, you've learned from the experience and have moved on.

Of course, the job I was fired from was a landscaping job and things were not as tight then. Landscaping seems to just have its.....undertow of job hoppers. So, IDK, might not be the best thing for your situation. Its what worked for me though.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Jan 31, 2011

I found my current job (peds private duty) after being fired from 2 previous jobs. I like the work, and only having 1 patient (instead of 17, 25, or 60) but sometimes I feel like a high-paid babysitter. I was already doing flu shots, and my backup plan was to get out of nursing completely.

It helps that the person who hired me had worked at the Nursing Home from Hell, where I spent 6 weeks. Apparently, the Nursing Home from Hell has a reputation for chewing up and spitting out nurses.

noahsmama · Jan 31, 2011

The other thing is employers are not supposed to say you were fired etc. They are only allowed to say when your last day of work was. And you can tell any interviewers you left because of a difficult pregnancy.

It is a widely held, but incorrect belief that former employers are only allowed to confirm your employment dates. Many employers have this policy, but legally, they can say anything they want about you as long as it's true. This includes saying you were terminated, as long as this is true. Lying to potential future employers about why you left a job is an extremely bad idea.

Here's more info about what former employers can say:

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/backgroundcheck/f/whatemployerscansay.htm

Some states have laws that are more restrictive than federal laws, for example, 20 states have laws against blackballing (i.e. when a former employer actively tries to prevent you from getting another job), but I don't think there are any states that legally limit what your former employer can say to dates of employment only. Check with your state labor board to be sure, meanwhile do not make any assumptions about what your former employer can or cannot legally say.

kcmylorn · Feb 1, 2011

I had applied to a travel nursing company while working as a staff per diem. I put this current per deim hospital down as a reference. The recruiter from the travel nursing company called me back and asked me for another reference because he was told by my charge nurse "we don't give refernces" so he asked me for some one else. When I called this charge nurse why she said it was their policy.

Canggih1 · Feb 1, 2011

It is a widely held, but incorrect belief that former employers are only allowed to confirm your employment dates. Many employers have this policy, but legally, they can say anything they want about you as long as it's true. This includes saying you were terminated, as long as this is true. Lying to potential future employers about why you left a job is an extremely bad idea.
Here's more info about what former employers can say:
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/backgroundcheck/f/whatemployerscansay.htm

In the other thread the OP mentioned taking off work alot because of being ill during her pregnancy so I don't consider that lying. Anyways if asked, she can give whatever answer she feels comfortable with. I read the article and checking with the former employer what their policy sounds like a good idea. I worked at one hospital where my manager had told me their policy was to only give last date of work but that she'd give me a good reference. The LTC place I was at also said they can only give out last day of hire and that the person is eligible for rehire. So I guess it depends on the place.

Canggih1 · Feb 1, 2011

I found my current job (peds private duty) after being fired from 2 previous jobs. I like the work, and only having 1 patient (instead of 17, 25, or 60) but sometimes I feel like a high-paid babysitter. I was already doing flu shots, and my backup plan was to get out of nursing completely.
It helps that the person who hired me had worked at the Nursing Home from Hell, where I spent 6 weeks. Apparently, the Nursing Home from Hell has a reputation for chewing up and spitting out nurses.

I'm doing peds private duty to! I love it. I don't care if it's a high paid babysitting job. I'm done with the stress and the drama and the crap I've been through. Maybe in a couple of years I'll get bored and want something using more nursing skills but for now this is perfect.