ORTech2RN

My apologies if this has been posted to the incorrect forum. Mods, please move if so. I was recently interviewed for a position in primary care. I currently work for the VA, so this would have been a lateral move, but a good chance to develop more experience. I was rejected for the position. However, I note on the interview panel, there were: 2 RN's (one being the NM), an LPN, social worker and a medical support assistant (clerk). Am I missing something, isn't the case that a Nurse should be interviewed by fellow RN's or leadership?

It's honestly the worst experience I've had with a hiring process. If your not interested in hiring someone, don't waste time with physicals and the like. It's really mystifying why a company would do this.

Really don't know where to start, other than to say that the post title is probably misleading, since I don't even know if I *was hired.* Here's my story-I was looking for a PRN job to stay busy a couple nights a week and make extra income. I currently work in a 8-4 clinic job. Found a job through a local organization that provides hospice/private duty and transitional care coaching. Anyway, here's the fun part. I applied online, never heard back. Called HR and was told by a baffled HR person that they needed help bad. One hour later get a phone call requesting an interview an hour away. Take off work early for said interview and apparently all goes well. Easy dosage calculation test, basic questions and then explanations on how the process works. Sent home with orientation papers (HIPAA, fire safety, sexual harassment etc etc) and told to complete and mailed back. Packet mailed back, never heard back. Of course when I called back the packet "just got there." Was told physical/UDS form would be emailed. Call the main office and was told by original HR person that the next person in line is "awesome" and would get to the bottom of things. "Awesome' manager never calls back. I call again (2 days later) and finally reach awesome manager. She proceeds to put me on a three way phone convo with hiring manager who informs me that she didn't know why I was upset, and oh, by the way, your titer is negative for measles. Nothing like calling to find that out. Awesome manager and first hiring person tell me to get that taken care of and yadi yadi yadi. A couple of extra fun tidbits for added context-my friend also applied for similar role and has had regular phone contact with a different mgr. She even has an orientation date next week. Sorry for lengthy post, just needed to unload this frustration. Just not sure why these people would spend money on physicals etc and then ghost someone.

Update.....I'm thinking I will call my previous Nurse Manager today and try to come back, even if it's nights. I just can't deal with this level of boredom. I have done, maybe, 30 minutes of work in the past two days. This is a new position with very few job duties. I think they anticipated that the duties will grow as the NP's base grows. One of two things will happen, I will just move on, or they'll eventually figure out that I do absolutely nothing and move me. Either way, I'm a short timer. Also, to reiterate, next time anyone feels that they would love a job where they kick their feet up for 8 hours and draw a check, think again. It makes me very annoyed to be useless while everyone else serves a purpose or function.

It's mental health, and kind of a new concept here.

Anyone ever make a job change within the field and feel like they have made a mistake? I think I have! I went from being a night shift RN in an ICU stepdown to a very useless feeling outpatient clinic RN. Let me explain. I was on night shift for the last 4 years or so. I knew my job, coworkers and patients well, but felt it was time to explore other areas. Also, I was tired of night shift. I could no longer sleep during the day, we're talking 2-3 hours max. One day, my body said enough and I decided to peruse the job listings within the hospital. Low and behold I found a position for an outpatient clinic RN with essentially banker hours. The job is 8-4, no holidays or weekends. A dream, right? Not so fast, I'm only on day 4 and I'm wondering what exactly my job is. I'm working for a NP, who is also only a few months in the position and the NP isn't exactly sure how to use me. So, I sit in my own little office area. I look at work related training online until I get bored to tears, watch the clock religiously. I try to volunteer my services although I'm not sure what I'm doing. I feel like I should have been paired with another outpatient RN from another clinic for a week or two. And so I sit here and wonder if I should swallow my pride and go back to my old unit and learn to live on sleep deprivation and plan on working holidays until I retire or just stay here longer and feel absolutely useless

I'm a 40 something year old guy with deep acne scarring and putting on a middle aged gut. If I ever had years I looked good, they are probably long gone. Here's the thing: I don't care. I'm married, have kids, a damn good job with benefits and enough money to provide for my family and put food on the table. Here's another thing. Most people don't really care either. Your patients are sick and in a dark time of life, most likely. They want someone with compassion, someone who knows their stuff and will advocate for them. For example, when a new MD wants to pump your patient with 2 liters of fluid and you know their of history of CHF and risk of overload, you will advocate and question the order. Compassion, knowledge, integrity and advocacy. Those are qualities of a good Nurse, not how much foundation you can apply to hide your acne scars. I want those qualities in my coworkers, I don't care how good they look. Not to mention someone who will show up to work on time and is somewhat competent.

More pros than cons, that's for sure. Best pay I've ever had. Benefits are hard to match. 5 weeks of Annual leave per year. Separate bank for Sick leave in which one accumulates 4 hours of SL per pay period. FERS is Federal retirement system and is a major benefit. Beyond that, you work with a great population of veterans who are mostly tough as nails and just want someone to take care of them. In seven years of nursing, three on the outside and the last four at the VA, hands down I enjoy working with VA patients the most. Management can go either way. A good manager hardly spends time on the floor as they are pulled into different directions, and often detailed to manage other areas. Unions can be beneficial but also a detriment as problem employees literally get away with most anything. Change is SLOW to come by as most areas of the Government are. It's really a lesson in hurry up and wait. There are a diverse amount of nursing jobs available and you can apply and transfer (if hired) to literally anywhere in the country. I applied for a CBOC (outpatient clinic) and was hired after working for four years on an inpatient unit here at my local VA. I'm scheduled to transfer there later in July. The M-F day hours will be a welcome relief from the last few years of nights, weekends and occasional holidays. Although I will miss the big shift diff pay and holiday pay for sure.

Did not want to piggy back on the earlier thread, but my experience with this process is very frustrating. My Nurse manager submitted mine back in August 2017. I still had not heard from the board by October, so I emailed the point of contact for the board-it was never submitted, or it had been misplaced. My NM supposedly submitted it the following week. Here we are, the end of January and nothing. In my department I am the only remaining Nurse 1. I have seen a fellow RN with less time come in and receive her Nurse 2. Said RN and I also worked on a unit project that we both submitted on our proficiency. Even if, by miracle, the board receives the 2017 evaluation, it will get the shredder treatment. No way, no how will they approve a 2017 proficiency and allow me the retroactive pay to June, 2017. I feel the union would be useless in this matter. I had asked our union rep the previous year about my 2016 rejected proficiency and received a lukewarm response. More or less, not interested. I'm at a crossroads of sorts. Bottom line, I can't just leave. My earnings and benefits exceed what I would expect from an outside facility. However getting blown off by own management is disheartening. Any insight?

Boy, do I have experiences in this area. I recently have been shot down for promotion to Nurse II. I wrote a very similar proficiency to another coworker (whom had less time in the VA), and was shot down. I also found out that my former unit manager sat on my review, which I thought was prohibited. My third appeal has been sent to the VISN, but I'm already 1-2 months away from submitting my proficiency for my third year. My current manager has been supportive and feels confident that this will be a success this time. I'm not so sure, as I feel the system is more about subjective than the objective. One thing is for sure, it has dampened my enthusiasm to work. I still work 100% for the veterans, but when I see yet more hoops to jump through, such as more TMS learning stuff, changes to ACLS/BLS, I almost shrug it off.

I think this is the only recourse. However, I don't expect a clean resolution. I would expect retaliation and I wonder how management will treat this. I work for the federal government, where they allegedly take EO complaints serious. I've had a recent offer from a friend in home health. Taking this job would give me a day job, and I would be close to home, but a significant cut in pay and loss of my benefits.

I am heterosexual, I'm pretty sure she is aware of this. Unless s he perceives something else, I don't know. I'm honestly stumped. I'm 43, and have worked various job since I was 16, never had an incident with a coworker trying to harass me. I'm generally a laid back person and have always gotten along with coworkers. Maybe she's threatened somehow? Insecure?

That's where, inevitably, I think this will lead to. I have no idea why she suddenly decided to target me. It's growing old and I'm pissed that she feels she can walk in to our unit and insult me for a laugh from others. I hold my tongue, because I feel that my words can be used against me, although she has instigated this situation. Not overly thrilled about using the chain of command,as I feel she will attempt to retaliate. For what it's worth, I have documented this, and have someone that can back me up, if this goes formal. Not sure why people just can't go to work and leave others alone. Live and let live.

Hey guys, strangest situation I've probably found myself in. Been an RN since 2011, and worked health care since 2003, never had a problem working with women. Not one. I have an RN on our unit, well, now she's moved on to another clinical area. For whatever reason, insists on greeting me as "girl." And, to get a show, she'll address me as "what's up girl," in front of other people. Initially I blew it off as just jokes,whatever. However, I'm pretty sure she knows it gets a rise out of me, and does it to jerk my chain, and humiliate me. The ironic thing, I'm 6'1, 230lb and obviously have very little resemblance to a female, lol. Here's the thing, I can confront people, but sometimes I come off as being too aggressive In other words, I take crap and try to blow it off until I lose it. I have a federal job, so don't really feel like losing it for completely going off an idiot. Plus, I feel with the feds, they wont take any complaint serious, considering I'm a male, a white at that. Opinions?

I didn't know anyone either. I was on active duty (US Army) from 99-03. I know it's stated that prior service gets points in the hiring process, but I doubt how much weight that really carries. I was hired in to stepdown unit, with 3:1 patient/RN ratio. At my previous civilian job, I worked in the exact same capacity. That's the only reason I got interviewed, and hired. It's tough to get on, I had applied for open and continuous jobs on the USA jobs site, and never received one interview. I applied for a stepdown unit job, thinking I had nothing else to lose, and got a call to interview a week later.