Question about references in LTC.

[linzz]

My friend is an LPN in an LTC. She told me that her work has started a new policy that charge nurses (the RN's) are not allowed to give references out for anyone. The only one who can give out references in the DOC. Is this a common practice? This is a problem, she said, because she has heard that the DOC isn't to be trusted to give out decent references. Do many LTC's have this policy?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

My LTC does not have this type of policy.

I still wouldn't trust my DON to give me a decent reference, since she has never worked with me. Also, LTC nurse managers are known for doing very political, backstabbing things. I use my coworkers for employment references.

[nightmare, RN]

We are also not allowed to give out references unless it's just a character ref.Our manager is the only one allowed to give out ref.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

linzz. . .here in the U.S. I've been a nursing supervisor and manager at a couple of facilities. I was told at each that the giving out of any references under the letterhead of the facility was only to be done by the human resources department, or whoever was the person acting as the human resources agent. It is for legal reasons. In some cases, employers who hired people and felt that they had been deliberately misled by the information provided on the references they received went back and sued the former employers. Worse, a manager or nurse who doesn't understand the legal implications of giving a recommendation, and who has a screw loose, will see an opportunity to "stick it" to someone they didn't like before and send off a bad reference. If the employee finds out this was done, the former employee can sue their former workplace for defamation of character and loss of potential income if they can prove that the nasty things that were said on the reference weren't true which can easily be done if there is no documentation in the human resource files to back up what was put on the reference.

Here in the U.S. it is common practice that human resource departments only release dates of hire, last day of employment, the position a person held and whether or not their termination was voluntary (the person quit) or forced (the person was fired). That's it. If someone is leaving a job and you want to be a personal reference for them, give them your best wishes and tell them you would be very pleased to give them a personal reference. Give them your home address and phone number and offer to be a personal reference for them. But be careful what you say if your offer is accepted and you are asked to give any kind of personal reference. Rule of thumb is if you can't say something nice, then don't say it at all. People who evaluate these references aren't dumb. They can read between the lines and can figure out what isn't being said as well as what is being said. If you have never been responsible for giving a written evaluation of a person, you shouldn't be giving written evaluations or references of their job abilities to potential employers either. This is serious business that carries legal ramifications and supposes that you know the law on it. If you receive a reference out of the blue, at work, turn it over to the human resources people or your manager immediately. That lets you off any legal hooks. If you receive a reference letter in the mail at your home, you should know right away who is requesting it because you discussed it with them first because that's how they got your address. I never give a personal reference to anyone that I didn't offer it to or who hasn't come to me first and asked if I would be a personal reference for them. That is just common courtesy. Many job seekers and former workers just don't understand how this process of job references work in the first place. But, once we do, we are obligated to our employers to follow the rules.

Because of all these legal problems that have occurred in the past, the process of hiring people has become very complex. When I first became a manager I was sent to several seminars on how to write a proper employee evaluation and how to interview prospective employees. One of the goals of an employment interview these days is to attempt to discover any bad behaviors in that short 30 minutes or an hour you spend with that person. Written references won't give you that kind of information. Some employers are getting very sly these days and asking job candidates to show them copies of written evaluations they received from other jobs. A candidate would do this voluntarily and it is one way potential employers think they have of bypassing all these rules and regulations that protect a persons confidentiality of their employee records. However, I've been on the business side of things long enough to know that anyone can get a blank form and "create" a great evaluation for themselves and forge the signature of another person. There's no way an interviewer or potential employer can verify that any of these papers are truthful documents since they have no legal right to them in the first place. This is the complex game that our lives have become. I have to laugh when I read comments by the working nurses who feel that supervisors and managers "do nothing". The truth is the we just have different job duties and responsibilities, many which don't involve patient care. When managers screw up and don't follow rules it affects more than just one patient; it can affect entire groups of workers.

[linzz]

Thanks Daytonite for your response. I have printed it out, in fact I have printed out a few of your other postings because they are full of good information. I am glad that you are willing to share your knowledge and experience with everyone on this board.

Yes, I agree, I think it is unfair to say that the "supervisor does nothing", I have always doubted that it is ever that simple. I think. even knowing you are responsible for certain outcomes in the facility is stress enough.