Should I break my contract?

Jami RN, BSN, RN · May 26, 2005

There is nothing wrong with opting out of the agreement, as long as you pay the money back. At the hospital I recruit for, there aren't bad feelings about this as long as payment arrangements are made and adhered to.

Jami

grinnurse, RN · May 27, 2005

Sorry that you are having to deal with this type of situation but totally understand how you must feel. In the contract that you signed, did it state what your exact salary would be and the area that you would start in? If it did, couldn't you hold them to that? If you did get the job as promised in ICU would that be enough to make you want to stay with that hosp?

I think that I would opt out of the contract if things are as you say they are.....I think that as new grads we need more nurturing environments to be successful. Turnover in any area of the hosp would be a big concern for me too. That says alot about the hosp and it's policies and how they treat their employees. You have also been able to see the issues first hand. I would definately see if I could get out of the contract.

Good luck with your decision.

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 27, 2005

Many people have to pay back college loans, so you're no worse off than a lot of people.

Sorry it's not working out. Perhaps there's a good reason they are so shorts staffed.

Just make sure you don't jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. Check out the next perspective place very carefully.

Good luck.

allnurses Guide · May 27, 2005

You are hearing things from friends of yours . . .. I'd go straight to the source and ask before making any big decision.

If you do leave, pay back the money.

steph

RN06-NP09 · May 29, 2005

I took a scholarship from a hospital group a year ago on condition that I would work for them for two years after I graduate. It all seemed like a great deal at the time but here's the situation:
1. I've done three clinical rotations at this hospital since I received the money, and I now have many doubts that the particular hospital where they want to send me to work is the type of environment that I want to be in. The politics is horrible, and many of the nurses there are quite hostile towards students and new grads.
2. They promised to start me off with a preceptorship in my chosen area. I want ICU, which at the time they said was fine. But I am now hearing that they don't put new grads there and that "most of their positions are med/surg and nights". I've also heard from friends of mine who work for this hospital that even though they say you can transfer from med surg to a specialty area after six months, they will come up with all kinds of reasons to keep you in med/surg because they have a "very high" staff turnover on the med surg floors and thats where they badly need to have nurses. I consider the high staff turnover to be another bad sign about working at this place. I was working as a Nurse Intern at another hospital quite some distance away from here and quite a few of the nurses I met there were ex employees of this same hospital that I'm having second thoughts about. None of them would go into any exact details but hearing their experiences also discouraged me from wanting to go there to work.
3. They promised they'd start me at market rate salary for new grads, but I've been told by other new grad friends of mine who work at the hospital that this is a lie. They do offer a lower starting salary than what they pay to new grads who did not participate in the scholarship program. During my interview for this scholarship I specifically asked whether I would receive a lower starting salary if I accepted the award money and I was told "No". Of course, they make you sign a paper that you will not discuss your salary with other employees and that's how they've been getting away with doing this.
The contract I have with them says I can opt out of the conditions if I make arrangements to pay back the scholarship money. I Know every hospital has some type of commitment requirement after these extended preceptorships for new grads but I don't have a problem with this as long as I get to work in the ICU because that's the experience I need for CRNA school. I also don't want to accept a position at a place where new grads are treated very badly and then find myself looking for another job shortly afterwards.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Sorry That you have to deal with that... This actually kind of scares me too because next week I will be signing a contract that sounds the same like yours :uhoh21: . A forgivable loan from Kaiser if I work for them 2 years post graduation. If I break the contract I have to pay back the money with a 10% interst rate within 2 years. They also said that they will not under pay me. This is scary, maybe I should have them mention on the contract about this salary thing before I sign it. :rolleyes:

Let us know what happens.

Good luck :)

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · May 29, 2005

Tony, remember way back when you started nursing school and all of the crazy things you heard about the school, the instructors, the NCLEX?

Don't go on hearsay. Go on what you experience. I've worked places that were said to be awful, but that had improved by the time I got there. I've also worked places that were supposed to be great, but didn't work out for me.

Are you sure they won't start you in ICU? Are you certain that you're getting paid less? Only way to find out is to do it.

Not saying that it wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan, but you've obviously invested a lot in this, besides which it'll be expensive for you to have to get out of it.

It might turn out that your friends are right, but my point is that different people can have very different experiences within the same organization.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · May 29, 2005

Did you get the promise of the preceptorship in ICU in writing? If I read what you have put here correctly it sounds like what you are talking about are things you have heard, not your actual experience. Maybe you will get what they promised.

Know this, as a graduate nurse with a BSN you have very marketable skills, so they have a very good reason not to lose you. If you decide to fly the coop do some shopping around and talk with a number of nurse recruiters to see what they are willing to offer you. There will be something out there for you. Once you have your degree in hand, the odds shift a bit more in your favor.

Tony35NYC · Jun 1, 2005

Well, I followed up with this by going straight to the source---the scholarship coordinator for the hospital. As I imagined she might be, she was a little shifty and tried to dodge some of my questions, but I was very friendly and was eventually able to get the information I wanted out of her.

She claims that the ICU preceptorship is always on the table but that she pitches med-surg to every new graduate first because... (well, y'all know the rest of that line); but she said that I can switch over to the ICU after 6 months in med-surg "as long as their's an opening available" and that as far as she knows there's always opportunities there. She went on to say that the ICU preceptorship would then be 3 months (instead of 6 months if I had started in ICU first). She also said that although it is not a requirement that all new grads should start in med-surg she thinks its best if we start in either med-surg or tele and learn the ropes there first. After thinking about this for a while I agree that what she said makes sense. This hospital is HUGE, and their ICU/trauma center is nothing at all like the one where I used to work. Theirs is much bigger, and the action is much, much faster and far more intense. I accede that this would probably not be the best place for me to jump in as a "greenie". I' remember visiting just the overflow area of their ICU once during a clinical rotation, and just the high tech machinery alone seemed so overwhelming. I'm also not yet as good as I'd like to be with interpreting arrythmia strips, and you have to know those rhythms backwards and forwards before you can work in that ICU because they don't use techs.

I brought up the salary issue and she claims that it mostly depends on which nursing department I'm working in. She also explained that some new grads may seem to make less than others but that its usually because some people opt for per diem while others go staff, and also because of shift premiums and weekend differentials that I obviously wouldn't get unless I worked those hours. She said they are having a problem getting people who are willing to work regular nights and weekends and that they always try to fill those positions first because they don't have mandatory weekends or rotating shifts. (Ok, that sounded reasonable, too.) She quoted a starting rate for new grads (sans differentials) and this seems very acceptable to me. Its far better than they were offering new grads at the hospital where I used to work, and the benefits are so much better that it would be silly to compare them.

She wouldn't deny that the turnover rate on the med-surg floors is high, but she claims that people leave for many different reasons. I don't think my friends are wrong about most of what they told me, but I suppose one cannot completely escape the politics and the BS in any hospital, right?

And now for the kicker---they will pay for grad school if I agree to work for them for at least 3 years after I graduate as an anesthetist (provided I even get into CRNA school:)). I kinda liked that part so I'm sold. I've decided I'm going to stick with the contract, at least for a while and see how things go.

saminde · Jun 18, 2005

Hi! I'm not sure how much your scholarship money was... but, have you looked for places that are offering a loan repayment deal? I have been talking to recruiters at some hospitals and a few have offered $15,000 in loan repayment money. This money is given over 3 years, $5,000/year. At the 6 month point of each year, you receive a check for your 5K minus tax. What if you found something like this? Then it wouldn't be a big deal to tell them that you're "out". You'd be getting the money back from your first employer. Even if you agreed to a slow repayment and then used the sign on money to repay them off faster- it's not like they'd argue and you wouldn't have to worry about how this will hurt you. I'm with you... don't work for a company that has low morale. Look at the bottom of the ladder, too. Start with techs... are they happy? If not, why? Are they treated poorly? Do they have opportunities to advance. If not... chances are that everyone above them is kinda "stuck", too. Techs may very well feel more open to discussing this with you than a nurse; at least, that's what I found with my current employer). I'm definately NOT staying after graduation. Morale stinks. People are not encouraged to make lateral moves into other departments if they are unhappy, and I haven't seen a single person move up the ladder in almost 8 months.

My family and I are planning to relocate after I graduate, so I've been visiting a lot of different hospitals, talking with recruiters, and walking in the hallways. You would be amazed by what you hear people talking about. ALSO... I have stopped nurses and said, "excuse me, but I wondered what department you work in... do you like it, how long have you been there, is there a high turnover, are they frequently using agency nurses (to fill in gaps of employees that have called out, or who have quit)". I know it probably sounds strange, but people are actually very friendly, and I think they know that I am genuinely interested, not just being nosey. I tell them something like: I have a small children, and i need to find the right fit for my situation.

I haven't had trouble figuring out which hospitals I like, but which type of nursing to do is a whole other thing!!!

Good luck!!!

I took a scholarship from a hospital group a year ago on condition that I would work for them for two years after I graduate. It all seemed like a great deal at the time but here's the situation:
1. I've done three clinical rotations at this hospital since I received the money, and I now have many doubts that the particular hospital where they want to send me to work is the type of environment that I want to be in. The politics is horrible, and many of the nurses there are quite hostile towards students and new grads.
2. They promised to start me off with a preceptorship in my chosen area. I want ICU, which at the time they said was fine. But I am now hearing that they don't put new grads there and that "most of their positions are med/surg and nights". I've also heard from friends of mine who work for this hospital that even though they say you can transfer from med surg to a specialty area after six months, they will come up with all kinds of reasons to keep you in med/surg because they have a "very high" staff turnover on the med surg floors and thats where they badly need to have nurses. I consider the high staff turnover to be another bad sign about working at this place. I was working as a Nurse Intern at another hospital quite some distance away from here and quite a few of the nurses I met there were ex employees of this same hospital that I'm having second thoughts about. None of them would go into any exact details but hearing their experiences also discouraged me from wanting to go there to work.
3. They promised they'd start me at market rate salary for new grads, but I've been told by other new grad friends of mine who work at the hospital that this is a lie. They do offer a lower starting salary than what they pay to new grads who did not participate in the scholarship program. During my interview for this scholarship I specifically asked whether I would receive a lower starting salary if I accepted the award money and I was told "No". Of course, they make you sign a paper that you will not discuss your salary with other employees and that's how they've been getting away with doing this.
The contract I have with them says I can opt out of the conditions if I make arrangements to pay back the scholarship money. I Know every hospital has some type of commitment requirement after these extended preceptorships for new grads but I don't have a problem with this as long as I get to work in the ICU because that's the experience I need for CRNA school. I also don't want to accept a position at a place where new grads are treated very badly and then find myself looking for another job shortly afterwards.
Thanks for any suggestions.