leaving my job gave a 2 weeks manager very rude.

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I am an RN and just got hired onto a new facility. I have been driving 50 miles one way to work and wanted to find a hospital to work at closer to my home, which I did. I turned in my notice I asked for my last shift to be 1 week and 6 days from then (6 full 12 hour shifts). Well, my manager wanted to have a meeting with me this past week and it was very uncomfortable for me. All she said was how disappointed she was in me for leaving the company. She had nothing nice to say to me at all, no thank you or you've done a good job or good luck in the future.

Nothing!! When she asked me why I was resigning, in the middle of me explaining why, she cut me off. I pretty much had no talk time or say in this meeting. Well at the end of it she guilt tripped me into working an extra day. After I got home and everything sank in, I'm extremely mad for agreeing to work that extra shift, especially after the way she treated me. I start my new job the week after thanksgiving and I still have a lot to do before the holiday so that I can be prepared to start that next Monday. The only free days I have to do these things is this Friday, and what would have been a day off next Tuesday, but now I have agreed to work. I don't think it will all get done in one day.

What should I do? Tell her I can't work? Will this hurt me in the future, she is already really mad and I doubt that she would ever give me a good reference. I NEVER plan to work for this hospital again, and since I was there for less than a year I forfeit my paid time off to be cashed out. HELP!!! Advice needed.

Do what is right for you. It's not professional of her to be "mean" as well. Dont take it personal.

I worked my last day for my coworkers because I was close to them honestly.

I think it would just better if you would be the better person. Finish all the task that needed to be done, then move on to your new job. At least she would not be able to say that you reneged on your promise.

Dated and old fashioned? Hurt in the long run? Care to share what you mean by this? What about the patients that are expecting quality care? What about your coworkers that are stuck pulling extra shifts or working short?

The nursing community is generally pretty small - everyone knows someone who knows someone. Not sure how long you've been in the business but I'd bet money you're not making a good reputation for yourself with this attitude.

Yes. A two weeks notice is dated and old fashioned. We are moving into a world that is lawsuit heavy. Someone calling HR for a reference and they say they are ineligible for rehire, so what?

Here's an example. A nurse worked for two solid years at a facility. She had excellent reviews. It was announced at a staff meeting that a substantial sum of money was missing from their non-profit organization specifically the medical department fund, and that no one was going to do anything about it. She chose to file a police report for ethical reasons, left without notice, and was told never to come back. Anyone who calls this employer says that she is ineligible for rehire, and that they won't let her back in the building, but don't say why.

In this case, there are two sides to every story. You do not always get the full story and just because someone is ineligible for rehire, does not mean that they were a poor employee or did anything wrong. References don't mean a thing this day and age. Especially when you have organizations that are set up such as "Dial a Reference" where anyone can pay to have fake references given.

A person's true character is important. I would a million times rather hire a nurse with ethics than one who has no values or morals.

Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Something no one else addressed, you said you had given notice with 6 shifts left, did that cover the full range of the two weeks? Or was it actually an 11 day notice because 6 shifts happened to fall on that? It is possible, if you gave notice in the middle of the week that you may have not given an official two weeks?

In my state we are only required to give 2 weeks notice, I frequently give a month or more if possible, and also offer to stay on per diem if I can to help ease the transition, I've never had a bad reference. Although as one other poster said, in the past if I thought it was going to be difficult, I put in my notice right before a 2 week vacation, only did that once though. Good luck OP!

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Yes. A two weeks notice is dated and old fashioned. We are moving into a world that is lawsuit heavy. Someone calling HR for a reference and they say they are ineligible for rehire, so what?

So what? It could be the difference between getting the next job you apply for and not getting it. When employers check references and work history -- and they see a history of "ineligible for re-hire," it raises very big red flags that may prevent them from hiring you. It's not worth taking a chance about unless the issue you taking a stand on is huge. In the OP's case, it involves giving a full 2 weeks notice and working 1 more shift as opposed to leaving a day earlier. It's not worth the risk to fight it.

And to the OP in regards to the manager being "rude." OK, maybe she wasn't as gracious about it as you would have liked ... but really, you shouldn't have expected her to be all smiles and happy about it. You gave a minimal termination notice just before the holidays. After taking their resources to get the training you needed to qualify for other jobs without working for them long enough to be worth their investment in your education, you are leaving them in the lurch just before the holidays and not giving them enough notice to find and orient a replacement. It's not realistic to expect her to be at all happy about that. Yes, she could have been nicer about it, but you need to recognize the seriousness of the problems you are causing for her. Don't judge her too harshly because she let some of her stress show. I'm sure you are not always perfect when handed a new crisis either.

My husband always says you should burn no bridges behind you when you leave a job. You can't predict the future. 5 years down the road that place of employment might look pretty good. Some employers put NOT FOR REHIRE on peoples folders. Do you want that over one day?

Specializes in Adult Critical Care, Med-Surg, Obs.

Its tough but my advice would be to work the extra shift, its more money in your pocket. Besides do you want to give that NM more ammo to fire at you.

Dont burn bridges even if you see the smoke.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Nursing is a small world. The CNA you ticked off by leaving the unit short handed so that her assignment for Christmas was unmanageable may be your boss is 15 years. That probably won't be a pleasant working relationship. If you leave without adequate notice and become labeled a "Do not hire," what happens when you want to work at the hospital closer to your new home and they're owned by the same company? I don't understand why you don't just behave professionally about it all. As far as the manager -- I don't blame her for being less than happy about the employee of less than one year who up and leaves right before the holidays with less than adequate notice.

The OP is the one at fault here; I feel sorry for the manager.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I am an RN and just got hired onto a new facility. I have been driving 50 miles one way to work and wanted to find a hospital to work at closer to my home, which I did. I turned in my notice I asked for my last shift to be 1 week and 6 days from then (6 full 12 hour shifts). Well, my manager wanted to have a meeting with me this past week and it was very uncomfortable for me. All she said was how disappointed she was in me for leaving the company. She had nothing nice to say to me at all, no thank you or you've done a good job or good luck in the future.

Nothing!! When she asked me why I was resigning, in the middle of me explaining why, she cut me off. I pretty much had no talk time or say in this meeting. Well at the end of it she guilt tripped me into working an extra day. After I got home and everything sank in, I'm extremely mad for agreeing to work that extra shift, especially after the way she treated me. I start my new job the week after thanksgiving and I still have a lot to do before the holiday so that I can be prepared to start that next Monday. The only free days I have to do these things is this Friday, and what would have been a day off next Tuesday, but now I have agreed to work. I don't think it will all get done in one day.

What should I do? Tell her I can't work? Will this hurt me in the future, she is already really mad and I doubt that she would ever give me a good reference. I NEVER plan to work for this hospital again, and since I was there for less than a year I forfeit my paid time off to be cashed out. HELP!!! Advice needed.

First, you didn't give two weeks notice. You have one week and six days.

Second, you should have given four weeks notice -- that's the professional thing to do.

Third, that meeting with your boss SHOULD have been uncomfortable for you. YOU have been rude and unprofessional by leaving in the midst of the holidays with less than adequate notice. Why would you expect your manager to have anything nice to say to you?

Fourth, YOU have treated your manager miserably. So your indignation about her not heaping praise upon you and "guilt tripping" you into working an extra day is not only misplaced, it's inappropriate.

Fifth, it's not the manager's problem whether you still have a lot to do before the holiday. YOU have just created enormous problems for HER by leaving with inadequate notice during the holidays. YOU have created problems for the entire staff. Suck it up and work the day with good grace.

Sixth, just because you don't like the advice you get does not mean it is wrong.

Seventh, Consider that even if you don't work for this hospital again, you may find yourself working for this manager again. Or for one of the co-workers you left in the lurch at Christmas. This WILL come back and bite you.

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Nursing Professionals at the time of hire and orientation should review the employers policy on resignation/termination.

Many facilites have requirement that you need to give notice = to amount vacation accrued. Many RN's accrue 3 weeks/first year, thus 3 weeks notice needed. Managers receive 4 weeks vacation --thus need to give 4 weeks notice. Director level may need to give 2-3 months notice.

As a department head and key staff, I'm required to have a cession plan in place and groom my replacment: 3-4 months notice needed.

Specializes in Acute,Subacute,Long-term Care.

Hi SweettartRN, When you handed in your resignation without notice, did you find it difficult to obtain another position elsewhere? I live in an at will state also. Once in my life I resigned without notice and had a very difficult time to get hired at another facility. Just curious. Have a great day!

Specializes in Hospice, LTC, Rehab, Home Health.

Review your company's employee manual regarding resignations/ amount of notice and policy regarding REHIRING former employees. I have worked for several companies whose policy was NOT to rehire. So EVERYONE who left was a DO NOT REHIRE. That being said you want to leave on a good note because as was said ealier by other posters if you remain in the same geographic area you will eventually work with some of these people again somewhere else, either as a co-worker or as a subordinate. If your company does have a general "Not for rehire" policy mention that on your future applications or interviews.

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