Response to Company's Constant Contact After Ghosting Me as a New Nurse

[sideshowstarlet, BSN, RN]

It's not often that I feel knowledgeable enough to share work-related nuggets of wisdom, but I am feeling ALIVE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT (or something) today. I thought I'd share my experience from my past life as a new nurse. Hopefully, my experience shows that employers who don't respect your time will soon need you more than you need them.

I currently receive recruitment emails from HCA on a semi-regular basis. This is interesting, given my one experience as a new nurse attempting to interview for this company at an HCA-owned hospital located in Texas resulted in me being ghosted (back in 2012- detailed below). I'm now living across the country and working in an entirely different career which I enjoy more. I have not in any way indicated that I am seeking a nursing position. But for some reason, these HCA emails would keep coming. I have no idea how I got on their list. I used to send these recruitment emails straight to my spam folder. However, on Saturday, I decided to respond to the most recent one, which I had received on Friday.

Here is my response:

Hello, please take me off your list. I applied for and had an interview scheduled with an HCA hospital in Corpus Christi, TX in 2012. I was told by the HR rep at the time (Name provided in email but redacted for this post) to meet in the HR office at a specific date and time. I took time off the job I had at the time for this interview. I spent over an hour waiting for the manager who was supposed to interview me for the position, as the HR person said he should be on his way. After waiting for over an hour past the scheduled interview time, Ms. (Name Redacted for post) told me the manager would be unable to make it and that they would be in touch to reschedule. This was never rescheduled, despite multiple attempts on my part to follow up.

I hope that HCA has improved in its treatment of potential job candidates. However, I have no desire to work at any facility associated with HCA.

Best wishes,

(My name)

For me, the takeaway is: If you are arranging interviews or trying to staff a unit/office/agency or any kind of workplace, do not treat prospective employees like this. You may change your mind between calling for the interview and the actual interview and decide you don't need another employee after all. But there's going to be a time when you genuinely need staff. When rude HR/interviewer behavior has the name recognition of a large company behind it, that's a lot of healthcare facilities that are tarred with that same brush.

I've been seeing a lot of social media posts about how people are having a hard time finding a job/getting ghosted. If you're having employment troubles, chances are you'll be able to grow past it, and the company that treats you poorly will be in the same mess years later. 

[Emergent, RN]

I doubt if a living,  breathing human will read your email.  The emails you've been getting are probably AI generated.  Computers are being allowed to take over the world...

[sideshowstarlet, BSN, RN]

Emergent said:

I doubt if a living,  breathing human will read your email.  The emails you've been getting are probably AI generated.  Computers are being allowed to take over the world...

Awwww.... I can still dream. And the stories I've heard about HCA between then and now make me think I dodged a bullet.

[Davey Do]

Emergent said:

I doubt if a living,  breathing human will read your email.  The emails you've been getting are probably AI generated.  Computers are being allowed to take over the world...

 

[sideshowstarlet, BSN, RN]

Davey Do said:

 

Well, at least when I post here, at least one human being reads it. 

[k1p1ssk, BSN, RN]

sideshowstarlet said:

Awwww.... I can still dream. And the stories I've heard about HCA between then and now make me think I dodged a bullet.

Sending the email was surely an exercise of catharsis. I think I would have done the same thing. There's a reason they say screaming into a pillow can help relieve stress - a strongly worded email into the ether can likely have the same effect!

[Davey Do]

k1p1ssk said:

Sending the email was surely an exercise of catharsis. 

Agreed- however k1p1ssk, sideshowstarlet is the Queen of Catharsis and some of her works are Humorous Manifestations of a true Slice of Professional Life!

 

sideshowstarlet said:

Well, at least when I post here, at least one human being reads it. 

Very little is worth the read these days and your posts are, sideshow.

[sideshowstarlet, BSN, RN]

Davey Do said:

Agreed- however k1p1ssk, sideshowstarlet is the Queen of Catharsis and some of her works are Humorous Manifestations of a true Slice of Professional Life!

 

Very little is worth the read these days and your posts are, sideshow.

I like to use humor to cope with stress and past negative situations. I could never get it to a point where nursing was a career for me. At best, it was a job that I sometimes enjoyed, was able to learn things from, and was, at times, good at. Talking to you reminds me that there are still sane and reasonable people out there who can make nursing into an actual career. 

[jadedRN04]

They most likely got your info from the state's BON. They just send out blast emails. I get them too and have never applied to one of their facilities.

[Davey Do]

sideshowstarlet said:

I like to use humor to cope with stress and past negative situations. I could never get it to a point where nursing was a career for me. At best, it was a job that I sometimes enjoyed, was able to learn things from, and was, at times, good at. Talking to you reminds me that there are still sane and reasonable people out there who can make nursing into an actual career. 

Good technique, using humor in negative situations. Also, good insight in your perspective toward nursing as a career and being honest with yourself.

Nursing was true calling for me, I've been retired for six years come next Spring, and have not missed it one iota.

Kudos to you for fighting the good fight, sideshow! 

 

[sideshowstarlet, BSN, RN]

jadedRN04 said:

They most likely got your info from the state's BON. They just send out blast emails. I get them too and have never applied to one of their facilities.

This is scary (but likely on brand for HCA), as I deliberately let my license expire in September of this year. Wasn't worth the renewal fee for me.