I am currently a Nursing Assistant and I will be graduating Nursing School next week. I had a little incident at work that it may damage my future professional reputation. About a year ago, my Nurse Manager called me to tell me I was due to renew my CPR license as part of the hospital requirements. She told me to report myself that following Saturday morning for a few hours to renew my certification. Honestly, I did not make a big deal out of it, so I wake up that Saturday Morning and wore a Sweat Pants Suit. I did not even bother to put any make up on since I thought it was not a formal thing. When I arrived that Morning, I realized that it was just not CPR, it was also an "In service" for the organization. I saw other people dressed in jeans and flip pops so, once again, I was not too alarmed. I was waiting to be sent home and reschedule, but that was not the case.
4 months later, my nurse manager called me into her office to tell me about the sweat pants incident. I was in shock because why tell me about it 4 months later? I admitted to it and assumed all responsibility. She replied back to me, "I hope they forget about that." The following week this nurse manager transferred to another facility and was replaced by another nurse manager. While all this was happening, I was in the middle of changing from per diem to part time. The New nurse manager told me that everything in my record was excellent, except the "sweat pants incident" and that it might hold me against the position as a nurse assistant part time. I asked her if this incident was in my work record, and she told me NO. The reason why she was aware of it was because my old nurse manager told her before she left. I was never discipline or signed any written report. She told me that the president of the hospital email the old nurse manager about the incident, but no further action was required. Her words were, "do not worry; they have bigger fish to catch." So I left it alone, while some people in the unit were rumoring about this. I was wondering how the rumor has spread, since I did not tell anyone. However, I ended up with the part time position.
Well, now a year later. I emailed the nurse recruiter about a possible position as a nurse that I am interested in. she replied back that I must pass my NCLEX first in order to apply. I found it weird because all my classmates had positions before they graduated. But, fair enough, I agreed to that. Now, last night, my assistant nurse manager told me that I am a great worker with an excellent work ethic, but if something is going to hold me back from a job in that institution is that incident with the outfit. I asked her how did she find out about this and she told me that my old nurse manager told her before she left!!!
My question is, if this is not in my permanent work record and all of this information about the incident was communicated between managers and got spread to other people (possibly Nursing Administration), this can damage my reputation. I did not get a chance to explain myself and /or apologize. Can this incident indirectly hold me back from getting a nursing position? I have a feeling it will. All the hard work I have put into my education and this organization are going down the drain. All I have to say is, you live and learn. I hope is not too late for me.
