Sabotaging in nursing

[Dexterosa]

When I started nursing, I was aware of pecking order. You start, you get the worst patients, you have to be nice to coworker who is mocking you. You have to say you were wrong even you were not, to gain a permission to breath at your unit. While other coworkers will a) join the club of hyenas and peck on the weak ones, or b) they will quit in hope finding better job, you stay neutral and righteous. Your patients are taken care of, they are safe. No codes, no deaths, no mistakes, no problems...

You work overtimes to help your coworkers. You work overtimes on weekends when someone called off, you give up your shift, because manager forget to put new coworker on the schedule and coworker is upset - so you let her take your shift, and drive hour back home. Just to please everyone. They call you after you come back from school at 9 pm that they need you, and you jump in car and come, just to get again the es eidz ai te assignment. You will put up with bully of your coworkers. You will let them push you aside. Staying in that hospital for years. You will not join the hyenas, you will help the newbies. While people who arrived after you, are already long time gone "because they will not put up with such a toxic environment". Each month someone leave. Mostly just a few months after they were hired. And then one day, you say. Its enough, I paid my dues. I paid back the opportunity and lessons. And your manager (who did not ask anyone else before to stay) ask you to stay if he make a minor change. And then you instead of polite lie, you said at first, now you tell him public secret, why everyone leaves, you just repeat email you sent months ago what is really going on on the floor, how you really feel about bullying at your work place and about being pushed around, and that you really honestly don't want to put with it anymore, because you don't have to. You would love to help them, and you may come as registry. But you are not staying full time. I got a job. Started there. But just to get 6 weeks later job offer - one would kill for.

Just to find out, that someone is sabotaging you and you are getting bad references and thus can't get that job....

The irony is, that the job I did not got thanks to someones poor reference is a job in specialty my hospital cries for. And I would have come back as a registry...

It is inconvenience, I guess I will get such a job sooner or later, with little more energy invested. I guess I can do it all over again. And I even don't know if I should address it. Or just calmly accept that in that place - summing up all what is wrong with nursing - they just punished themselves.

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

In my humble opinion you sabotaged yourself by telling your feelings about the problems with a job as you were leaving. I am a firm believer in not burning bridges I might have to retreat across later.

Hppy

[NuGuyNurse2b]

I think that the irony is that OP was trying to fill a specialty position that the hospital really needs and someone in the hospital apparently stopped her from getting the position. I say I think because I also cannot figure out most of the post.

that's not irony. it's unfortunate for her, maybe for the hospital too cause they need someone. but it's not ironic. Irony is an outcome that is contrary to what was expected. she was not expected to get that position. there was no offer letter already waiting in HR with her name on it. just because you apply for a job that an organization needs and you don't get it does not make the situation ironic. sure, they were expecting the position to be filled. but that position will be ultimately filled at some point in the near future. every single candidate who did not get it would not be in ironic situations. we would all be saying 'how ironic' every time we apply for a job and didn't get it if that's the case.

[RobotNurse]

OP (and anyone else who suspects one of your references might be saying negative things about you): call your references or get someone you know and trust to do it for you, and pose as a recruiter doing reference checks.

I can't take credit for this idea, but i have used it and was able to find out that one of my supervisors (1/3 references) couldn't be trusted to be positive, so i got another third person. better to know and do this *before* an actual prospective employer calls them!

[chacha82, ADN, BSN]

You teach people how to treat you. Work your assigned shifts. Do not "give up" shifts for others. If you are a full-time employee you are entitled to full-time shifts. Unless you sign some staffing bonus, you are not obligated to fill all of the holes. If they try to mess with your hours, or someone is taking advantage of you to switch, firmly say "I can't work that shift for you." It's not heartless. They will learn quickly you mean business. A coworker being "upset" does not trump your full-time hours. And I agree with what others have posted here, never burn bridges. There is a way to be a professional and reliable employee without being taken advantage of.

[GreatNurse04]

I know the environment you are talking about. I would not have done half the favors you did. All hospital units are cliques or most of them are. I learned long ago to never tell the truth. Act like your unit is "heaven" unit no matter what. Never tell them what the problems are. They already know and don't care. It was that way before you got there and will be that way for a long time after you are gone. Management probably feels they have too much on their plate to battle these sort of issues. They want an easy breezy day! When you report the problems, they will put you on their **** list.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

that's not irony. it's unfortunate for her, maybe for the hospital too cause they need someone. but it's not ironic. Irony is an outcome that is contrary to what was expected. she was not expected to get that position. there was no offer letter already waiting in HR with her name on it. just because you apply for a job that an organization needs and you don't get it does not make the situation ironic. sure, they were expecting the position to be filled. but that position will be ultimately filled at some point in the near future. every single candidate who did not get it would not be in ironic situations. we would all be saying 'how ironic' every time we apply for a job and didn't get it if that's the case.

I'll say this and then be done (no need to derail the thread).

Yes, it IS ironic that the hospital needs a specialist in a certain role, yet could not hire OP (who could fill the role) due to the hospital's actions (or someone representing the hospital).

In your words, the hospital received an outcome that is contrary to their hopes/expectations.

[Dogen]

There are laws that are clear on what HR can and can not disclose.

I'm not sure I'd say this is true. For one thing, laws regarding references are handled at a state level. The only hard and fast rule is that references can't say anything that would also be illegal for them to do during the hiring process - they can't say anything racist or sexist, they can't lie, etc. Many states (including mine) have laws that protect (immunize) former employers from defamation suits. So, in those states a former employer can tell a potential employer factual information about the cause of your leaving.

What's more, some states (like my old state, Washington) require former employers to respond to reference requests with specific information. In WA a former employer was required to send a letter that included the reason the employee left within 10 days of receipt of a request.

Now, it's certainly true that it's prudent to disclose as little as possible because the less they say the less chance there is for factual inaccuracy, which they could be liable for. But there's no broad law that prevents employers from providing information, such as "would you rehire this person?"

So, the idea that all an employer will hear is employment verification, salary verification, and start and end dates is really specific to 1) your state laws, and 2) the size of your employer.

[GreatNurse04]

In the past I witnessed a manager take a call from another manager at another place. The other manager was looking for info on a potential hire. The manager in the room with me started her sentence with "off the record" and continued her bad review of the employee being considered. Nuff said.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

I'm having trouble following, too. partly due to the lack of paragraphs. also, I don't think you know what irony means...that situation you described isn't ironic. You not getting a position that your hospital needs because someone gave you a bad reference isn't irony. I blame Alanis Morisette.

It's like RAIIIINNNNNNN on your wedding day............great, now that song is stuck in my head HAHA

These things are unfortunate, but they are not ironic....

[Dexterosa]

There also is not a law, that would say that questions like: rate on scale one to five (one is the least, five is the most) employee was always (whatever they want to) are illegal. Anyone can say whatever they want. Sometimes, it can happened, it is lead by malicious intentions.

[TriciaJ, RN]

There also is not a law, that would say that questions like: rate on scale one to five (one is the least, five is the most) employee was always (whatever they want to) are illegal. Anyone can say whatever they want. Sometimes, it can happened, it is lead by malicious intentions.

Yes, people often have malicious intentions. You stuck it out at Revolving Door General and put up with a lot of crap. The best plan would have been to just go quietly through the door when you had another job offer. Your big mistake was telling the truth that they needed but didn't want to hear. At places like that, if you speak out about the problem, they think you are the problem. Next time, don't waste your time trying to help people who won't help themselves.

On another note, everything happens for a reason. Dream Hospital might have had some unpleasant surprises. The hospital you're at now is much better than the one you left; enjoy the better working conditions for the time-being. When it's time to make your next move, you'll know. And you'll know better how not to make yourself vulnerable to malicious people.