Legal Question in Employment Law in Iowa

I have been working for a local hospital as a certified nurse assistant (CNA) while I went through college to get my registered nurse (RN) degree. I�m finished with my degree and a few weeks ago I got my RN license. Went to work last Sunday night and they sent me home, and Monday morning I went in and talked to my Nurse Manager and she informed me that I cannot work as a CNA now that I have a RN license. They have not terminated my employment, just won�t let me work any hours, and my understanding is that I can�t get unemployment. I have finally gotten a hold of the senior HR manager and he is supposed to let me know what the next step is, but has not called me back in a couple days due to classes he is currently in. To my knowledge there is no company policy saying I can�t work as a CNA even though I have an RN license (have looked and have asked) and that I know of there is no state law on this. Is their action legal? I am applying for RN jobs (at the hospital I work at and others) but have not gotten one yet so I still need to work for the income. I have an excellent track record and high annual reviews and the nurse manager had offered a position but retracted it a number of weeks ago, she has never informed me that I will not be able to work as a CNA once I get my RN license even though she has known of my plans since she has worked there. Don�t know if I have legal recourse or if this would even be worth a fight.


Asked on 1/12/12, 7:25 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Luedeman solo practitioner

Iowa is a right to work state which means that employers can impose pretty much any terms and conditions of employment they wish, unless there is a contract of employment or a collective bargaining agreement in place.

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Answered on 1/12/12, 10:08 pm


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