New RNs - Has atheism affected your job search?

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Permalink Reply by Hilde on October 4, 2011 at 11:57pm

I'm in the same boat you are.  Should get my license in the mail in the next month.  I actually list myself on facebook as a "secular humanist jew," but that's really more for family reasons.  I'm guessing that it won't matter too much, since there's such a shortage of nurses, but I guess the area you are looking for work will have some influence on that.  And as a guy, I've got a feeling that they'll care more about my y-chromosome than my religious beliefs.

Permalink Reply by Andrew Stannard on October 4, 2012 at 3:14pm

That might be more of the issue; the Y chromosome bit. We will see...

Permalink Reply by Andrew Stannard on October 4, 2012 at 3:13pm

I am also very worried about this. I am a first year BSN-RN student at a Catholic university. It is an amazing nursing school-likely the best in the metro area of where I live. We are taught to embrace our own spirituality as well as respecting our patients. They have been very good about not throwing any specific deities around. I came out as an atheist to my nursing class, which is only 48 people and professors. After having done that, I get a sense that many people lost respect for me. Will they be good nurses? I doubt it. When someone hears atheist they think we have no spirituality; but we do - it is just defined differently (I think Neil Degrysse Tyson says it best). At least that is where I am coming from.
This is a topic that we need to be very concerned about; it is not religion that makes a good RN it is the individual! Being great nurse and being religious are NOT mutually exclusive! I will let you know how my job search goes, as I will be applying for prn CNA jobs during our winter break for the spring semester. I am also going to be applying for several internships at area hospitals this summer-where you are working with a RN. If places are going to discriminate b/c of this - then we got problems....If you are going to deny me a position deny it to me b/c of my ability not if I believe in a god. I look forward to hearing more from you as you are further down the road, I am assuming you passed the NCLEX and are searching for jobs? Also if anyone knows anything else about nursing and discrimination based on lack of belief please let me know. I have some lawyers in the family ;)