trouble getting RN job being shomer shabbos

iriska_meller

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 11:29 am

I am a new RN - just got my license a few weeks ago. I graduated from a top nursing school with a very impressive GPA and excellent recommendations. I was confident that I will get a job in no time... until the reality struck.
First, the notorious Maimonides hospital, where I had my internship and had raving reviews from other nurses on the unit did not hire me without explanation, even though I know for a fact they DO hire new grads, and the had several vacancies. Recruiter never returned my calls or emails afterwards.
This week I had an interview at NYU. The recruiter and manager were willing to hire me on the spot until the Shabbos issue came up. Then they said they will need to think about it... I haven't got a definitive answer from them yet, but I don't have such a great feeling...
I interviewed at a couple of other places, and still waiting for reply from them.
I really don't know what to do, because all of my achievements and hard work is being ignored because I am shomer shabbos. It makes me feel like a have a disability or something.
Thanks for reading this. I would appreciate any advice and words of encouragement.........

Pickle Lady

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 11:41 am

I am not an RN but when I did interview for jobs I NEVER told them that I was a religious jew for this reason. Both of my jobs I was interviewed in the summer. So there were no holidays and later shabbosim. Then when fall came I told them the "good" news. By that time they couldn't fire me for it.

Last edited by Pickle Lady on Tue, Jun 24 2008, 11:41 am; edited 1 time in total

iriska_meller

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 11:44 am

Pickle Lady wrote:

Well, I couldn't do that, unfortunately. Before the interview they had me feel out a questionnaire, which started innocently with "have you ever been convicted of a felony" and ended with "will you work any assigned shift". I couldn't lie, cause then they would have grounds to fire me later... Mad

NotInNJMommy

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 12:15 pm

Actually, legally you can say you will work any assigned shift, I believe. Religious observance doesn't count in that question legally when it comes to antidiscrimination laws. You may want to check with a lawyer, but that was what I was advised.

sky

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 2:30 pm

I hasve friends who up front who said they would work sundays to make up for satursday and the hospitalsare happt that they work holidays that no one ele wants. the hospital knew about shabbos so it was a non-issue.
I don't think it can be called discrimination because the consider it necessary for the job.
good luck finding a job. I'm sure when yo find it you will see that all this was basherit.

marina

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 2:35 pm

pharmacists have the same thing many times. Often you can float (I.e. cover other people's shifts while they are away, etc.) and this can be a regular job. Othertimes, you just have to find people who will not mind switching for the saturday shift. This might be harder in places who already have a lot of frum people.

Mama Bear

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 3:04 pm

I thought most RN jobs are 3 or four 12 hour shifts a week. many frum nurses have hospital jobs and they dont work on shabbos.

maybe you want to work in a private doctor's office? why is a hospital a better job than with a doctor or such?

iriska_meller

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 4:56 pm

malkief wrote:

Thank you for the encouragement.
As it happens, most of the year I really cannot work 2 days of the week. If it is nights, than friday and saturday nights are a problem if the shift starts at 8pm. For days, you cannot really EVER work Fridays or Saturdays.

iriska_meller

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 4:58 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

This is true, but they want you to be able to work any day fo those 3 days. This is especially true for a new grad, who is at the bottom of the "food chain".
Private doctor's office works are few, almost impossible to get without experience, and pay significantly less. But I'm looking anyway!

chavamom

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 9:52 pm

iriska_meller wrote:

Not true - you can work Fri 7 - 3 most of the year and Saturday night 11-7 all year round. I have never had a problem getting a job even without working shabbos. The unit I work in now I work every other Sunday in place of very third weekend and I split the weekend with a Pentacostal girl who can't work Sundays and works every other Saturday.

iriska_meller

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 10:14 pm

chavamom wrote:

iriska_meller wrote:

You're right, I meant for 12-hour shifts.
However, for 8-hour shifts you have much less flexibility with holidays Sad

((

Cdlf

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 11:04 pm

I know that 2 frum nurses recently left the L&D dept. of Maimonides and lots of frum nurses applied for their jobs but didn't get in. One of the frum applying nurses told me that she's in touch with Vaad L"Tzarcheh Refuah, an organization that helps pple. in Maimonides, and they are trying to make MMC hire more frum nurses. MMC claims that they hire all nationalities to represent all their diff. types of patients and only 20% of patients are Jewish,[spoil] so right now they don't need any more Jewish nurses, which is so not true!! You should contact them and also send a letter to Douglas Jablon, who is also Jewish, and administrator or something of MMC. I also know that Maimonides lists all their job openings online so maybe try applying like that and not mentioning the Shabbos issue until later. Good Luck!! Keep us posted!!

boruchhashem

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 11:09 pm

Isn't the not hiring because of shabbos a bias issue/religion?
My father used to work for the EMS of the city of NY, and they had a few things to work through, but he never had to work on shabbos, yom tov, or even remove his yarmulka when not wearing his cap, which they required, but went to court for, to straighten out.

chavamom

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 11:13 pm

iriska_meller wrote:

However, for 8-hour shifts you have much less flexibility with holidays Sad

((

I work 12's, but have had places willing to split a shift for me (8 Sat. night and then 4 on another day) to make up the hours or something like that.

Secbeb

Tue, Jun 24 2008, 11:17 pm

Its tough. Probably makes you want to give up, huh? That's how I felt when I got out of nursing school and applied at the hospital that I thought I was *guaranteed* a job but never got called back from the nurse recruiter. I had been begged by the nurse manager to apply for a job on the unit I did my mentorship on and I was totally psyched to start, but of course, the not working on shabbos thing came up and I never heard back. In that case, it was because the nurse's union at that hospital wouldn't hire me because I had restricted days. It made me not even want to apply anywhere else and face the same rejection. Luckily, a friend of mine got me to send my resume in to a local hospital with some nudging and I got a call to come interview. I was apprehensive, but this hosp has an equal opportunity policy and the nurse manager with whom I interviewed made it very clear that not working on shabbos would not be a problem at all. I interviewed for two floors and got job offers from both. I chose to work in the cardiothoracic ICU and I've been here for more than a year. In the end, thank G-d it worked out. Instead of working at a hospital 30 minutes away, where I originally was rejected from, I work 7 minutes from my house, with people I really like, even another frum nurse! We can't always see how wonderful G-d's ways are, except in hind-sight, but stay positive. Gam zu letovah!