to apply or not to apply...WWYD?
Hi everyone. I am almost 18 weeks pregnant with my first child. I graduated from nursing school back in December and took the licensing exam yesterday. If everything goes well, I will have a license number to apply to jobs with in the next week and a half or so. But I am really torn about what to do and would appreciate any advice or suggestions...
I was hired at my current job, as a nursing assistant, while still in school, back in May. Because I was in school at the time, I only worked weekends. Now, whether it is because I am pregnant or whether it is because they assumed I would be leaving to pursue a RN position, my current job has hired another nursing assistant for weekends. She was nice enough to agree to working only every other weekend, so I could continue to work some. (This has all been a long story, which I won't get into the details. I really feel like I was screwed, since I made it clear to my current job that I planned to continue working throughout the pregnancy and after receiving my RN.)
Regardless, I am on the brink of being able to apply to nursing positions at hospitals. Given the economy and the small town that I live in, jobs are very scarce and thus competitive. I know it is illegal for companies to discriminate when hiring, but I still think it happens, especially given the situation I am in currently with my job. I do not look very pregnant; however, I would feel dishonest not coming clean after being hired (if that happens) and before accepting a position. My husband, sister, and mom seem to think that if I am not hired, I will only be hurting any future chances that I may have with the hospital. They all agree that if a potential employee is brought in for an interview and is not hired that they are generally not interviewed again in the future.
So, would you guys say screw it and just apply? If hired, I don't think I will be eligible for FMLA, so maybe I could just let the hospital know that I would come back to work after 6 weeks of being at home with the baby. The only thing is that this is our first child and I have no idea how I am going to feel about leaving a brand new baby with strangers at a daycare (we live several hours from any relatives). What would you do?
I guess I should have mentioned our financial situation. My husband makes good money, but because of our debt (and we have a lot), the sooner I can get back to work, the better. Money is tight right now, and my husband does not pay my car insurance, credit card payment (which is high from being in school), gas, etc. Also, I will soon be responsible for paying back my student loans.
Thanks everyone and sorry it was so long winded.
Re: to apply or not to apply...WWYD?
About an employee never being brought in for an interview again if they were interviewed and not hired - not necessarily. I mean, if you're not hired because you do something egregious in the interview, you might go on a blacklist, but I've seen it happen in my industry (not medical) that X guy isn't a good fit for Y job, but he might be for Z, so can we pass your resume on to a colleague/keep it in our system, etc?:
Also, I get the emotional aspect of leaving a baby with strangers at a daycare, but look at it as licensed professionals are taking care of your child. It seems to come up on TB a lot that "my MIL is watching my 6 day old and insists she can put him to sleep on his tummy". Look at daycare as a chance to pick and choose the values and rules YOU want.
About an employee never being brought in for an interview again if they were interviewed and not hired - not necessarily. I mean, if you're not hired because you do something egregious in the interview, you might go on a blacklist, but I've seen it happen in my industry (not medical) that X guy isn't a good fit for Y job, but he might be for Z, so can we pass your resume on to a colleague/keep it in our system, etc?:
Also, I get the emotional aspect of leaving a baby with strangers at a daycare, but look at it as licensed professionals are taking care of your child. It seems to come up on TB a lot that "my MIL is watching my 6 day old and insists she can put him to sleep on his tummy". Look at daycare as a chance to pick and choose the values and rules YOU want.
To me, this is a no brainer. Apply for the jobs. The interviewer cannot bring up your pregnancy; you can choose to if you want. However, if interviews happened right now, I wouldn't. If you get offered the job, tell them then - if they retract their offer, it would be a huge legal nightmare.
I was laid off at 8 months pregnant - it took me 8 months to find a job, so worrying about maternity leave became a moot point.
If you can't find a nursing job, find something (work as a cashier or something) to make some extra money while you can. Also, I know you said you don't know how you'll feel about leaving your baby at 6 weeks of age, but if you have bills to pay, you do what you have to do. Sit down and write it all out (money coming in, money going out - including a daycare bill) and that can help you decide as well.
Good luck!
To piggyback, the way we look at it is small kids + daycare = not a ton left over from the second income. But babies don't stay babies, and daycare doesn't stay expensive; we see the second income/career as a longterm investment that will pay out over time.