Resignation Letter-Help is Needed

[loricatus]

I have been working in a toxic environment for over a year now and have an offer from another hospital pending a good reference at my current hospital. I do not want to go into identifiable details, except that things have just escalated because of a complaint I recently made to management.

Anyway, I am about to write a resignation letter giving the one month's required notice (in order to receive payment for my accrued vacation and holidays) and have no idea what should be included/excluded from this letter. I know that I chance losing out on the other job because of a retailatory bad reference (has happened to 4 other people I know of that have left this department in the past year); but, I have to have peace of mind knowing I am leaving there soon-it is the only way I could survive the month.

Do I just state my resignation date and inform them that I am giving the required notice, as per policy and leave it at that? Do I include a statement that I will work out the month if there is no further harrassment? Do I state the reason for leaving vaguely (eg, due to circumstances / incidents within the past couple of months that if to continue may compromise my physical, mental and professional well-being)? As you can see, I don't have any experience in resignation letters and have no idea what would be appropriate? Any advise would be appreciated

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

simple answer keep the resignation letter simple and brief

" dear toxic manager

As per our discussions i am writing to confirm my resignation from the post of as of therefore my notice period will end and my last possible day of work will be

yours sincerely

loricatus RN + alphabet soup"

dish the dirt on the dept in a seperate letter to the director of human resources ...

[CHATSDALE]

good advise from zippy

a resignation letter will be part of your file forever, long after their current ptb have been tossed to the wayside

if offered an exit view make a list [for yourself] and go thru with it, probably will be the gist of a lot of gossip but it is not a piece of paper with your signature on it

good luck with new job

[Draken]

simple answer keep the resignation letter simple and brief

" dear toxic manager

As per our discussions i am writing to confirm my resignation from the post of as of therefore my notice period will end and my last possible day of work will be

yours sincerely

loricatus RN + alphabet soup"

dish the dirt on the dept in a seperate letter to the director of human resources ...

Sounds about right

no complaints should in this letter but you can list a reason and who you talked to about it but not always needed but I did have one job that listed my reason differently on my exit interview so they could try to avoid any future liability.

This was before i got into this field and one of the reasons i didnt stay in retail.

One assistant manager was talking badly about me, I was of same stature in management but in a specialty department.

He openly discussed how he hated me infront of my wife and customers, degraded me and when taken to the store manager all i got was so?

I quit and they put down i refused to work it out Lol

only reason i didnt follow up on it was i got paid out just under 6k then another 6k was put in my bank, I received a double payout and 12k was enough to make me happy for a while.

had they tried to recoup the double payment i would have filed complaints.

[TazziRN, RN]

"Dear Toxin:

Due to the inability to resolved this issue I am tendering my resignation effective (date + 1 mo).

Your Name"

End of story.

[Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN]

It is with great regret and tremendous disappointment that I find it necessary to resign my position as effective as of ______ (last day).

I appreciate the opportunity to have been a part of such a (great/well respected/etc) organization. I leave a stronger nurse for having been in your company.

Please accept my appreciation for all the valuable lessons I have learned in my tenure here.

Sincerely,

GOOD LUCK! Leaving is never easy. But, I believe that when one door closes - another opens!

[llg, PhD, RN]

There is no need for any explanation in a letter of resignation. Simply say that you are resigning and state your last day of availability.

Do not write a separate letter to the Head of Human Resources complaining about anything. That letter will end up in your file and may prevent you from ever being hired by that institution again. Such a letter may also cause them to list you as "ineligible for rehire" -- which will be reported to anyone asking for a reference or to confirm your employment in the future. While such a letter might feel good to write, it could cause harm to your future career and is not worth the risk.

If you have an opportunity for an exit interview -- TACTFULLY discuss the key problems on your unit. That's the right time and place for that sort of thing. But still be careful as you don't want to burn your bridges behind you. Remain diplomatic.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

It is with great regret and tremendous disappointment that I find it necessary to resign my position as effective as of ______ (last day).

I appreciate the opportunity to have been a part of such a (great/well respected/etc) organization. I leave a stronger nurse for having been in your company.

Please accept my appreciation for all the valuable lessons I have learned in my tenure here.

Sincerely,

GOOD LUCK! Leaving is never easy. But, I believe that when one door closes - another opens!

This is the best response I have seen. It does not seem as though you are trying to smear them, and even though you do not agree with these statements, you do need them until you can gain more experience from a better, healthier group of people. It is about making sure that you and your family eat, not about anything else. This response is gracious, ladylike and polite...all the things you are probably not feeling about them, but it leaves you in the clear to move on with your life to bigger and better things.

[loricatus]

this is the best response i have seen. it does not seem as though you are trying to smear them, and even though you do not agree with these statements, you do need them until you can gain more experience from a better, healthier group of people. it is about making sure that you and your family eat, not about anything else. this response is gracious, ladylike and polite...all the things you are probably not feeling about them, but it leaves you in the clear to move on with your life to bigger and better things.

first, i'd like to thank everyone that has responded. your thoughts/ideas have helped me through what i am finding to be a very difficult situation, causing a great deal of self doubt and anxiety. every response is helping me put this situation in a better perspective and i am grateful to all that have taken the time to provide opinions.

i do have to agree with pagandeva about nremt's version. the beauty in that letter is that the manager will know how it reads on my file versus how it reads in between the lines (especially the parts about "all the valuable lessons i have learned..." and "i leave a stronger nurse....") pagandeva is correct in that i do have to make sure my family eats and i need them to provide a good reference to my new employer (my offer is contingent upon a good reference from my current employer)! although i would like so much to expose this dangerous environment, it will not change a thing; and, i would have to resort to being the type of person i am trying to get away from. i would like to be holding my head up when starting my new position, (in that i chose to take the high road), rather than held down in shame-nremt & pagandeva, i appreciate your assistance in helping me to see an aspect of this situation i had not taken into account.

again, thank you all

every response has assisted me through this and words cannot express my gratitude to each and every one of you.

[GAPEACH07]

It's best to be simple and to the point. Don't include any comments that could come back to haunt you. Remember, anything in writing is most likely in your employment file. You really don't have to give a reason. I would, however, suggest that if there is someone you could get a letter of recommendation from (someone with superiority) to do so before you get too far into your notice. Maybe this would help you at your next job. GOOD LUCK....

[Gromit]

Zippy Chatsdale and Tazzi are the way I'd go. Short, simple, to the point. Don't clutter it up with false praise or regrets.

Exit interviews (oftentimes HR gives these, either in written form or in person -I've had both) are the places to air your misgivings or other reasons for leaving -if you want. It really depends on you at that point. But keep your resignation short, simple and professional. THAT letter can actually follow you a bit, and you will be better off if you don't leave any openings for clarification.

I wish you luck in your new place!

A good friend who was also an HR manager at one time, also left me with a small gem -once you write it, read it out loud. Leave it alone, come back (preferably tomorrow) and re-read it out loud. If there is anything that feels like it could come back to haunt you, edit. If it "reads clean" then you should be "OK"

[Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN]

Loricatus,

You are so welcome.

I have been in a difficult situation or 2 over the years.

I understand the desire to "get it out", but remember IF IT FEELS GOOD SAYING IT- IT'S PROBABLY THE WRONG THING TO SAY!

Keep your head held high and leave with your dignity intact.

I know that it is difficult to take the high road (esp. when you have been victimized) but you will NOT regret it - I NEVER HAVE.

Best of Luck and Keep us posted on how your NEW OPPORTUNITY turns out!

Best Wishes!