lexy3227

Thanks for all the replies! My friend is part time so she doesn't qualify for FMLA. She has asked HR and our bosses over and over again if she needs paperwork/documentation but they keep saying no. But mgmt has been very sketchy and NEVER wants to put ANYTHING in writing! I definitely think the EEOC is a good resource for her as well as a labor law attorney. It's times like this I wish we were union. Both my friend and I are looking for other jobs (as is the majority of our unit!) but with this economy jobs are harder to come by. I will keep you all posted. I hope my friend wins this fight....getting tired of getting pushed around by management especially when we're overworked and underpaid!

I would agree with you but she's doing the exact opposite. Unfortunately due to the ridiculous attendance policy she is only trying to protect herself IN CASE she has to call out. Management keeps telling her to just take a leave of absence but she keeps telling them that she doesn't need or want weeks off at a time, plus her job isn't secure if she does that. The whole immunocompromised issue was brought up by our manager after my friend asked if she would accept doctors notes when/if she had an exacerbation. Our boss said no and then out of the blue told her that she could technically fire her right then and there because she was immunosuppressed and therefore shouldn't be working in a hospital setting.

Haha...how'd you know!!??

Agreed. Unfortunately HR is NO help at all....and most people don't trust them, at least at my hospital.

I WISH I could say what hospital it is!!!! I live in Northern Virginia. I called the corporate office and they didn't seem to think our hospital had to accept doctors notes. What's even more absurd is that management says if you have a doctors note it's considered an "excused" absence whereas if you don't have one it's an "unexcused" absence....but there's no difference because we still get penalized!! We've asked mgmt what the difference is between excused and unexcused and they said, "well it just looks better if it's excused....but you'll still get in trouble for calling out"! LOL. We actually had a nurse who got dizzy while working and we took her BP and it was REALLY high so we put her in a wheelchair and took her down to the ER to get checked out, on our way down there we told the boss what was going on and she said it was okay to take her to the ER....then several weeks later the nurse was written up for "abandonment of patients!" So basically if we're going to have a heart attack, stroke, get the flu or something like that we should just make sure it's when we're NOT working! As if we have any control over that! Ridiculous....

The funny thing is, our boss IS a lawyer! Not that that means she knows what she's talking about though. As for FMLA you have to work 1,250 in the past 12 months so if you're part time or PRN you don't have enough hours to qualify (unless you've worked extra shifts). I think it's shady that they don't accept doctors notes under ANY circumstances and the attendance policy is so strict. They don't want you coming to work sick but at the same time if you call out sick you're penalized for it! We've had nurses written up for calling out due to the fact that there kid was in the ER and they themselves were in the ER! Our boss told my friend that she should just take a leave of absence but that's ridiculous because she doesn't need weeks off at a time, doesn't know when she might have a flare-up AND her job isn't guaranteed once she comes back from leave. HR unfortunately seems just as bad as our director. My friend received a letter from HR stating they would not accommodate her and basically it's up to the unit directors discretion as to how to deal with this situation. My friend has contacted a lawyer from the MS Society. It will be interesting to see what happens. I just can't believe my work could care less if their nurses are sick...you'd think they'd be a bit more understanding since we're in the healthcare field!!

I was just wondering if your employer can fire you for having a medical condition, such as MS, which causes you to be immunocompromised. My best friend works in the same hospital and on the same unit as me and she was recently diagnosed with MS. She deciced to tell our boss that she had the condition and asked if they would adjust the attendance policy for her since it's strictly enforced at our hospital. Once you call out 3 times in 3 months you must go 90 shifts without a single call out (which is just over 7 months if you're full-time, 11 months part-time, and 1yr and 10months PRN) or you are written up, suspended, and then terminated. Just to give you an idea I received a verbal warning for calling out last year sometime, then I called out twice in February (and was written up) and once in June (suspended) and have had no call outs since. However I can't call out again until May 2011 or I will be fired. Anyway, our boss said that the hospital would make no accommodations for her, would not adjust the attendance policy for her and would not accept any doctors notes under any circumstances. She then went on to say that she could technically fire my friend right then and there because she shouldn't be working in a hospital setting anyway since she's immunocompromised. Oh, and MS isn't covered under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)? Something just doesn't seem right about this situation.... Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Well Marymount is about $500/credit while NOVA is $72/credit...not saying that this is a bad thing b/c if you've got the money then great. But I've heard it's not necessarily worth the money and the school tries to keep you in for as long as they can to try and get some more $$ out of you. Again, this is just one opinion I've heard. I also heard that the clinical experience you gain at NOVA is better than Marymount...however, I am talking about the accelerated program which is only a year long. Obviously since I'm in a 2 year ADN program I am going to get more clinical experience vs. a 1 year BSN program. I think I've just heard that Marymount isn't necessarily worth the huge difference in tuition. I will say this, NOVA is great at preparing you for the NCLEX. I'm only in my second semester and we're already being prepped. Good Luck!

I don't know what the prerequisites were a few years ago for NVCC but I know now that you have to have microbiology and human anatomy OR NAS 161, 162 done BEFORE you submit your checklist. I am now in my 2nd semester (1st year) of the program and I remember at orientation they told me to not even bother turning in my checklist until all the classes listed were completed. The faculty is very strict with the rules and no exceptions are made. Considering there were a number of nursing students who didn't pass last semester by 1 point and they were kicked out of the program. I know how overwhelming the application process is...just hang on! But at least if you get accepted you'll know practically right away. After I submitted my application mid-March I got my acceptance letter the first week in April, LONG before the other letters from other schools came... Good Luck!

Okay, so I just had my orientation today for NVCC...and it made me more stressed...is 15 credits too much for a semester? I didn't even think to take any of the classes before I even start in August, besides my prereq's...duh! I could have taken HLT 141 (Medical Terminology) and PSY 201 (Intro to Psyc) this spring and summer so all I would have during the semester is NUR 150 (Community Based Nursing) and NUR 111 (1st level Nursing I). So I'm going to have to take PSY 201 and HLT 141, which are both online and a total of 4 credits and then take NUR 150 which is 3 credits and NUR 111 which is 8 credits, which are obviously done on campus and at clinical sites. I will not be working at all. This is the recommended 1st year curriculum that is listed, but one of the Dean's said that if I could move 1 class back to 2nd semester I should?? But then wouldn't I just be making 2nd semester harder for myself by making that semester a total of 17 credits??? Somebody help.... :uhoh21: Call me crazy but I thought 15 credits, 4 classes, roughly 24 hours of class per week was definitely full-time, but not crazy!! Am I wrong here??

Yeah, I just had my orientation today and you're exactly right! I guess it could be worse....but we do look like a maid service!

puffy sleeves??...dickey!!.....say it ain't so!!!! :uhoh21:

Oh no, wait, I can still choose Marymount or Shenandoah....who has the least dorky uniforms!?....just kidding...a smock????....seriously....I also heard that some student nurses wear skirts??...what's next, the dorky white hats!!! I guess I'll find out tomorrow at the orientation program....oh lord....

What do nursing students wear as their uniform?? At least in the area of Northern Virginia...are they totally different by school? I was just curious to know if I'm going to look like a dork! :chuckle

Well I don't need to worry about choosing between GMU and NOVA because I found out yesterday that I didn't get into GMU....oh well. I wasn't that upset. But I did get into 3 out of the 4 schools I applied to (NOVA, Marymount, Shenandoah). I think NOVA is the best choice for me...Marymount is just too fast paced and WAY too expensive!! I can't wait to begin school!! I'm a little nervous about it though...I hope I enjoy it and don't go totally crazy! :rotfl: