Jobs

Once I got my MBA, one of the first things I did was to sit down with the director and her assistant. I pointed out to them that nurses who get a master’s degree do so because they don’t want to stay in their current role. The response was that there were no promotions available. They explained that we were budgeted for 10 assistant managers, and we currently have 14. Additionally, five people have been here longer than I have were promised any upcoming promotions. The result of all of this is that I would have to see nine people leave before I would even be considered for an assistant manager role. Assistant manager doesn’t even require a bachelor’s degree, as there are several who only have an associate’s in nursing.

I pointed out that I had more certifications and more education than any of those who were currently in roles over me, as many of those in line ahead of me don’t have a bachelor’s or a single board certification, much less a master’s and multiple board certifications. I am more qualified and certified than any other nurse in the department, including the director herself. That apparently didn’t matter.

My hospital is getting ready to open a free standing ED about 20 minutes down the road, and the staffing for that unit is coming from the staff of my current hospital. I asked them if I could apply to be the director of that facility. She told me that she was planning on running it directly and remotely herself, so there would be no director position to apply for. It’s more cost effective to not hire a new director, don’t you see…

The director then said, “I understand what you are trying to do. Just stick around, because there is a lot of growth planned over the next two years. There will be other opportunities for advancement, and you can apply for one of them.” To me, this was like being placed in the friend zone, where a woman leads you on in order to get you to continue to act like a boyfriend to take her out to dinner, but had no plans of ever letting things go any further.

So I began applying for other jobs. I first tried to get an assistant manager spot at other hospitals within the same company. I was offered one, but at the same pay that I am currently being paid, and I would no longer qualify for some of the incentive pays that I currently receive. In other words, a cut in pay. Topping it off, the position was an hour’s drive away. I turned it down.

So I applied to positions outside of the company. One of the interviews I went to lasted over 2 hours. I found myself saying things like “You hire professionals. They want to succeed and work for a place that is winning. A leader is there to give a team a common vision so they head in the direction that they already want to go, and the result is usually excellence.” They loved me. I was told that I could take a current position as an assistant manager, or I could wait and see if my other application for a more senior position would bear fruit. I elected to go for the higher position.

I then was asked to a second interview with the hospital’s board of directors. I went and got a Brooks Brothers suit for the interview. I got an email on Saturday, and the woman who would be my boss at the new hospital told me that she thought I was a great fit and this second interview was to be on Wednesday.

Then on Sunday, I got an email that the second interview would have to be postponed. Two days later, I was called by HR and told that I was no longer a candidate for either position, because the positions would be eliminated. As of this morning, both positions remain posted on the company’s job board.

I continue to search for a better job. It’s all good, I’ve only had an MBA for 2 weeks, and I have already had 6 job interviews. It will happen.