Left job to safeguard my license - what "reason" to add on new applications?

[KatiejonD]

I was in my fifth year of school nursing and my administration (Principal, Superintendent, and School Board) were not supportive of medical (including emergency situations, or adherence school policies & procedures OR state laws on immunizations).

After an emergency situation involving a student going into anaphylaxis, and administration telling me that I "jumped the gun" on calling 911, and having absolutely no one in my office to help during the incident - I felt that my license was consistently put at risk by the school. I wanted to retire at this job, but felt that I had no choice but to resign, mid-year. [Details are in the post on the general Nursing topic threat, titled "I left my job and now feel lost"].

I'm filling out applications now for other jobs - what is the most appropriate thing to write in "reason for leaving" my school nurse job? I'm thinking "safety" or "safety concerns" -but I'm not sure. Any advice?

[OldDude]

And...you still earned a, "Bam! Another kid snatched from the jaws of death! School Nurses, that's what we do!

[KatiejonD, RN]

Ugh - you're right! I misunderstood the wording and though they meant think of the Principal, Superintendent & 'office ladies' as my coworkers. I went back and edited it.

[KatiejonD, RN]

Got ya! Thank you!

[Amethya]

Welcome to our little side of the forums!

I really wish you all the luck in the world! You sound like an amazing School Nurse! You saved that child's life and that's something to be proud of. I hope you find a good job where they value you and you have tons of fun!

[Chrispy11, ASN, RN]

Keep it simple. Truth without elaborating. "Resigned." I've yet to have anyone ask why when I put that word.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

When I was a school nurse, I dealt with the same thing. I was hired because the school had a child who was dx with a seizure disorder and had rectal Diastat ordered, only allowed to be given by licensed personnel. One day, one of the staff came flying into my office to scream that someone was having a seizure, so I grabbed the meds and hauled butt to his classroom. There he sat, perfectly fine, and completely mystified as to why I was telling him to come with me. No more mystified than me, to be sure. About that time, the staff member came crashing in and hollered, "Not him, the other one!"

Other one? OTHER ONE? Oh, yeah, the one they forgot to tell me about because his seizures were 'mild'. This mildly seizing 9th grader weighed about 2.5 times what I did and was rolling and thrashing in the floor, with no med order (it must have been filed with the notification that I had TWO seizure patients instead of one), so I told them to call 911 while I made sure he could not hurt himself and timed the seizure.

They refused, the seizure ended and I called my supervisor, who told me to call every time, full stop. People literally tried to get between me and the phone, they would reach over my shoulder and hang up the phone, and the poor kid's stepparent hated me because they had to refuse transport every time this happened because I was doing my job.

I don't miss that place. You did what you had to do. Good luck in your search.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

AngelfireRN said:

When I was a school nurse, I dealt with the same thing. I was hired because the school had a child who was dx with a seizure disorder and had rectal Diastat ordered, only allowed to be given by licensed personnel. One day, one of the staff came flying into my office to scream that someone was having a seizure, so I grabbed the meds and hauled butt to his classroom. There he sat, perfectly fine, and completely mystified as to why I was telling him to come with me. No more mystified than me, to be sure. About that time, the staff member came crashing in and hollered, "Not him, the other one!"

Other one? OTHER ONE? Oh, yeah, the one they forgot to tell me about because his seizures were 'mild'. This mildly seizing 9th grader weighed about 2.5 times what I did and was rolling and thrashing in the floor, with no med order (it must have been filed with the notification that I had TWO seizure patients instead of one), so I told them to call 911 while I made sure he could not hurt himself and timed the seizure.

They refused, the seizure ended and I called my supervisor, who told me to call every time, full stop. People literally tried to get between me and the phone, they would reach over my shoulder and hang up the phone, and the poor kid's stepparent hated me because they had to refuse transport every time this happened because I was doing my job.

I don't miss that place. You did what you had to do. Good luck in your search.

If people reached over my shoulder to hang up my call they'd be needing a splint...

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Why is it such a problem for Admin, Principal, other non-nurses to need and use 911?

Is it an embarrassment? Expense? record-keeping issue? Does it make them somehow

Look bad?

It sounds like Correctional facilities when the Custody personnel tell the nurse what to do and then get mad when you don't do it because you believe a different course of action is best, in your professional assessment. And your big boss won't back you up, even though you did what he told you in Orientation to do in various situations - and what not to do, and why.

As to what you should say, you are "seeking professional growth". As to how you would get that in the new position, I don't know unless you will be at a Special school district where you might have kids with trachs, G tubes, and other more involved Nursing care situations.

Wishing you the best.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Chrispy11 said:

Keep it simple. Truth without elaborating. "Resigned." I've yet to have anyone ask why when I put that word.

Yup, this is what I was going to suggest too. That's all I usually put. They're mostly just trying to see on your application that you haven't been fired from every job you held. If people ask why I left various jobs, I tell them the truth- I left my hospital job for a Mon-Fri schedule, I left my home nursing manager job because I saw the writing on the wall that the office I was working out of would end up closed (it did), I left my liaison position because I wanted to get out of the for-profit side of healthcare.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I am not a school nurse.

But I think your reason for leaving should always point to what's right with the new job you are applying to and never what's wrong with the old one.

For example "to work in a public health setting" or whatever most attracts you to the new job.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Kooky Korky said:

Why is it such a problem for Admin, Principal, other non-nurses to need and use 911?

Is it an embarrassment? Expense? record-keeping issue? Does it make them somehow

Look bad?

It sounds like Correctional facilities when the Custody personnel tell the nurse what to do and then get mad when you don't do it because you believe a different course of action is best, in your professional assessment. And your big boss won't back you up, even though you did what he told you in Orientation to do in various situations - and what not to do, and why.

As to what you should say, you are "seeking professional growth". As to how you would get that in the new position, I don't know unless you will be at a Special school district where you might have kids with trachs, G tubes, and other more involved Nursing care situations.

Wishing you the best.

I completely relate to the correctional facility scenario. But I would bag the "seeking professional growth" routine. I would say "I clashed with admin over the handling of a medical emergency." They will of course ask you for details and you tell them "A child was having an anaphylactic reaction and they refused to call 911. There are other similar instances and this is the one that broke the camel's back." You aren't bad-mouthing a previous employer. You are truthfully answering a pertinent question.

[KatiejonD, RN]

AngelfireRN... oh my. That is such a scary position to be put in!