Should I tell my manager I applied at another facility?

[nlhnurse1982]

So I am finally experienced enough to interview for a top rated hospital that has a phenomenal ICU and is a level 1 trauma center. This is the place I have dreamed of working for quite awhile. I am going to be interviewing with the ICU manager and I still have not told my current manager.The issue is my current manager has made it hell for anyone to try and transfer in house and has treated other nurses who have resigned to move to another facility like crap not to mention she has lied to other managers about employees. So I figured I would not tell her I applied elsewhere unless I got a call back which I did yesterday. So I am not sure how to approach this with her. And my second question is the nurse recruiter asked me why I hadnt told my current manager and I was honest and told her that she has made it difficult for other employees to leave in the past so I chose to wait, was that a mistake? I really do not have anything good to say about my current manager or the facility to work for except that I love and will miss my coworkers so I am nervous about any questions that I might be asked about my current employer. Should I act like pollyanna and sugar coat everything or should I be try to honest without "bashing" the facility/manager. I dont want to blow this chance so any advice would be so appreciated especially from hiring managers. Thanks so much in advance!

[surferbettycrocker]

i am in a similar situation. got a job in house then was told after speaking with my mgr. i wouldnt have been considered if he didnt know where i was coming from in terms of the unit. always thought it was illegal to give a bad reference by a manager no? i am naieve that i was blindsided by this as i had never had a bad review.

is this common practice in nursing? never experienced this type of sabotage until i started in nursing. now i dont even want the job. i would rather leave house!

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

HR will rat her out.

Yep!!!!

(HR did this to me once - obviously in a right to work state.)

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Do not bad mouth your current manager to your potential manager it never comes across well. They wont ask you so dont bring it up. Good luck with the move

[CrstnBeach]

Its completely reasonable to tell anyone you are interviewing with that you are not comfortable having them contact your current employer, because you don't want the interview process to negatively affect your current work experience. I've done that before (albeit, not with nursing, but with professional positions).

You should share any other offers with your current manager, so she has the chance to match or exceed them. But no reason to tell her/him anything until you have an offer on the table!

[onatihne13]

i believe that u need to tell the manager u are in at the moment so u can get them as a reference for ur soon to be newly found job.

[SoundofMusic]

I find this a very interesting discussion, as a handful of us on our floor are going through this now. We are burnt to a crisp at our unit, have all been there at least 2 years, and are just ready to move on. All the problems w/ management are there, will never change -- and we'll probably walk into NEW problems, but we just need a CHANGE so badly!

So here I am, with a good recent job eval, yet I do NOT want to allow them to contact my boss, because I know very well from watching what has happened to other nurses who tried to leave -- they were instantly written up for minor offenses that somehow were never a problem before. Manager uses them to "hold" the nurse on the floor for an additional six months or so -- how she accomplishes this, I have no idea. And thus, the infighting and resentment begins. It's such a morale destroyer -- I have no idea why managers do this!

I mean -- how is one to ever gain knowledge and experience in different areas of nursing, if you're never allowed to move from one unit to another? Why can't they just get it that we just would like to gain knowledge and find our niche? I havent' found mine AT ALL, and want to leave so bad I can taste it.

I feel that nursing is a different deal from other jobs. I for one will NOT allow them to contact my manager, and will tell them why if they ask. It's just a known fact that anyone who tries to leave will be punished.

It's like livng in Hotel California at my unit!

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

i am in a similar situation. got a job in house then was told after speaking with my mgr. i wouldnt have been considered if he didnt know where i was coming from in terms of the unit. always thought it was illegal to give a bad reference by a manager no? i am naieve that i was blindsided by this as i had never had a bad review.

is this common practice in nursing? never experienced this type of sabotage until i started in nursing. now i dont even want the job. i would rather leave house!

I worked at a hospital once where you couldn't move to another unit until your old job was filled. One of the nurses in oncology had been offered a job in OB/GYN but her manager on Onc held her so long they had to rescind the offer. I thought that was a crying shame. She was so burnt out on Onco and would have been great in OB.

[NurseNinaFla]

use your co-workers (the ones you trust) as references and don't say a word until the other place hires you then give your notice

[jlcole45]

Not till your ready to give notice.

[jlcole45]

Never say any thing negative about a current or even old boss to someone like a recruiter! Never burn your bridges! It's a small world in nursing sometimes. Besides it makes you look like a disgruntled employee which is a red flag for HR folks.

You owe your employer nothing except your 2 week notice. Any when you give it don't apologize for leaving! But do thank her for your time there and acknowledge how much you learned, etc ... You want to leave on good terms because you never know when you might need her reference and or to return there to work (never say never).

[Ahhphoey]

I'm currently looking for another job and I did tell one of my managers. However, I am working two part-time jobs (one in ICU and one as a house supervisor) which I did to break up the monotony and physical stress of bedside nursing (I have rhematoid arthritis). Now, though, I really need to find one full-time job and I need it to be away from the bedside for health reasons. I told one of my managers this and she was very understanding, but I also let her know I'm taking my time because I actually love both my jobs, but the physical demands of bedside nursing are becoming too much and the house supervisor job has no full-time openings. Although I have great relationships with both my managers, I do not plan on telling my other manager only because it's a fairly easy to fill position while the supervisor job isn't.

In your situation, though, I'm with the other posters in not telling your manager. I've had a manager like her in the past and it's just not worth the trouble and possible interference with your potential new job.

[DirtyBlackSocks]

From any job perspective it's a bad idea.

I've been in jobs where the owner and I were on great terms, until I mentioned that I was going to be going back to school and gave him 6 months notice.

He cut my hours from full time to 8 hours a week, essentially forcing me to quit.

Prior to telling him about all of this I was receiving praise left and right, responsible for basically running an entire business.

You'd be surprised how superiors deal with no longer being in complete control. If you want to give out references, do so with co-workers you trust.

If the subject comes up at your interview, be honest but professional. Negative commentary is always going to come off wrong, especially in an interview - where the person asking the questions comes in with a cynical outlook to begin with.