Should I Stay or Should I go?

[kwest210]

So I am currently 21 weeks pregnant employed by the State doing prenatal/women's services with a great team and OB... my goal over the next 5 years is to attend Frontier and become CNM as I have had a love for babies and moms since I began my health care career 6 years ago, have precepted in L&D/MBU and helped midwives deliver at birth centers, already NRP certified etc... I was recently contacted by the one hospital in the area with NICU, offering me a day shift MBU position with cross-training to L/D/Nursery/NICU, tuition reimbursement after only 30 days on the job, tuition assistance when I begin school later and some amazing opportunity and benefits (besides the health insurance which obviously cannot beat state insurance ). This facility is one of two here that even has Birthing services and the job is hard to come by. They were very interested and pretty much offered me the job the same day, even asking me when the soonest I could attend orientation; just checking my references now. I'm stuck.... Do I stay with the State job, good health insurance and wait for baby and then try to get the position again? Or do I take the offer? I plan on telling them I am pregnant when they call with the official offer and start date however did not tell them in interview as I was very interested to see if my merit was why I was hired or not, keeping my pregnancy from being a distraction to my interviewers was the only way to do that. If I hear any sign of annoyance with this I will not take the job, as I have known both types of managers, those who care or don't care to hire pregnant women, and completely understand both arguments. I have worked to term on an acute rehab unit lifting heavy pts ALL SHIFT so accommodation while I blimp up this time is not an issue...:icon_roll but hiring orienting and then birthing your newly hired nurse might not be likable to some and I completely get that. Anywho... feeling at a cross hairs here...

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

I wouldn't be concerned about the fact that you will be delivering your baby at the place you work. I'm sure they care for employees on a regular basis and everyone should be professional. There's no reason that it would stop them from hiring you if you plan on delivering there versus another hospital.

I'd be more concerned about how they would feel about the fact that you'll be taking maternity leave possibly before you're even finished orientation. Also keep in mind that most employers and state laws require that you be employed for at least a year before you are eligible to take maternity leave with pay. I know this is the case for FMLA. You will probably start to accrue PTO when you start work, but won't have much time at all built up before you have to take leave.

Also consider the benefits. While your new employer's insurance should cover your pregnancy, you may not be getting equal coverage. What's the difference in co-pay and % coverage? Also, some facilities don't allow benefits to kick in until after you have completed the orientation period (3-6 months). So there could very well be a several month period where you aren't covered by insurance. You want to make sure that time does not extend into the time when you will be delivering or you could be stuck footing the entire bill (especially if you deliver early for some reason).

Can you afford to take maternity leave unpaid? Keep in mind that without FMLA in place you'll only have 6 weeks of job protection. If you can afford to take all of this time unpaid, and the hospital hires you knowing that you'll be taking leave soon, then it sounds like this job is a good opportunity to help you meet your goals. But considering the insurance issues and the maternity leave factor, this might not be the best time to be changing careers.

[kwest210]

Well I called and discussed my pregnancy with the manager who was not bothered in the slightest, she said she is planning on offering me the position because I have the experience and drive she is looking for, which was nice to hear. My husband brings in enough income for me to take the 6 weeks without pay, not too much of an issue and the health insurance starts upon hire which is nice and after getting the information from the benefits specialist at the hospital, it compares nicely with my current plan. Although it is more expensive, the pay raise I get working at the hospital still has me making more than my current position which was a surprise to me as I was doing the math lol. So I am pretty sure I will be taking the position as apparently this opportunity is hard to come by according to nurses I've spoken to in the area. Thanks for responding!