Working as a nurse and pregnancy

monkeybug · Sep 3, 2012

I would wear something that didn't show my bump, and I'd keep my mouth shut about it. Of course, they can't legally discriminate against you for the pregnancy, but that doesn't mean they can't find another reason not to hire you if they know you are pregnant. I would worry about maternity leave, though. 27 weeks is not a lot of time to bank up sick leave (assuming you go all the way to 40 weeks) and you won't qualify for FMLA. I knew I wouldn't have enough PTO (I have a chronic illness that caused me to miss a fair amount of work) so I got short term disabiltiy insurance. That might have a preexisting condition clause, though. If you are confronted about it as one of the prior posters was, I'd say I had no idea. Haven't they ever seen "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" on TLC?

Nascar nurse, ASN, RN · Sep 3, 2012

Here was my experience, I am a Nurses aide, at 4 months preg I applied for a new position at a NH. I interveiwed and 3 weeks later I was hired. I didnt tell them I was preg. It had nothing to do with my job performance. So then like a month into my employment there the lady who hired me catches me as I ma clocking out and says
'I heard a rumor about u" I say " What, that I am preg?" She asked me how far along I am and I tell her 5 months..... She asks if i knew when she hired me. I rply yes. She says well if we had known that we may not have hired u. I replied with Iknow thats why I didnt say anything, And btw it shouldnt matter because I dont ask for special treatment, I am fully able to do my job. The other 2 aides I worked with were mean to me cause of the pregnancy but I just ignored them.
So fast forward 6 weeks, I have a light duty note from the Dr due some complications. It said no where on it that it was effective till the end of the preg.. Just for that time. I was fired. Due to the fact I couldnt perform my job duties, but I am welcome to reapply. That weekend I ended up in the hospital with a raging UTI, which apparently was why I was so sick to begin with. So really would of been out of work for 2 weeks if they hadnt fired me.
Talk about angry and betrayed. I really needed the job, everyone says what they did was illegal, but I have nothing I can do in retaliation. So now I have 4 weeks left and I just have to deal with it.

You have my sympathies but I really don't know that they did anything illegal. In my place of employment you have to be employed for 1 year before you eligible for FMLA. The only people allowed to work under light duty restrictions are those that have been hurt on the job. Therefore, in my place of employment, we would have also taken you off the schedule and replaced you with someone fully able to complete the job too. I have a very tight budget for scheduling - no way could I have someone doing 1/2 the work load...who's going to do the other 1/2?

Sorry, this is the reality of healthcare jobs and it's only going to get worse as more and more managers have their budgets squeezed.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Sep 3, 2012

In order to qualify for FMLA you need 1 year employment/1250 hours worked. In most cases, you will be given 6 weeks post delivery for a SVD or 8 weeks for a C/S if you don't qualify for FMLA. As for telling employers...as a former manager I would want to know as there are some patients that should not be given to pregnant women. Also, I would need to know for scheduling purposes. I will say that it is rough to just be off orientation, go on leave and come back. Kind of like starting anew.