Graduate Nurse program with contract

Nurses Career Support

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I took a job last August at a local hospital that offered a residency program and the fee for leaving after the program is 10000. However, If I stay for 2 years they would wave this fee. I have decided to leave after the program and am being faced with having to pay this whole fee up front. They will not take payments. I feel that this contract lures in graduate nurses that are these days hard pressed to find work and then it is used to keep them unhappily in a job that severely overworks them. With no way to escape I have been left with severe anxiety. Is there any thing I can do. I am in a non-union state.

Specializes in ICU.
I think you may have misread PMFB-RN's contribution , they gave an example of someone who did not honor the contract , but I don't see, as you appear to infer , that they even enterred into this program .

It appears you misunderstood the intention of my post nicurn001. I directed my post towards the individual involved in the story that PMFB-RN told, the daughter of the head anesthesiologist, not PMFB-RN. I apologize if the misinterpreted post caused you any anger or hostility.

Specializes in Critical Care.

So did you get a bonus of $10,000 that you now have to pay back if you leave early? If not I find it hard to believe they can charge you $10,000 for leaving if you didn't get any money up front?

Specializes in Critical Care.

Is this something new? I know new RN's were given contracts in the past, but then received a bonus that would have to be paid back if they left early. Can't believe you'd be stuck with such a high fine if you didn't at least receive a bonus.

As far as choosing to sign a contract, if you need a job and that is the condition of employment what's a person to do? I definetely think the hospitals have the upper hand with contracts because they have lawyers and experience to make it best for them and workers don't have lawyers or law knowledge on their side so its most likely to be to their detriment!

Once saw a non-credit course offered explaining these employee contracts by Alverno as many professionals of all types are finding themselves employed as contract workers rather than regular employees.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Is this something new? I know new RN's were given contracts in the past, but then received a bonus that would have to be paid back if they left early. Can't believe you'd be stuck with such a high fine if you didn't at least receive a bonus.

QUOTE]

*** The contract signed is to compensate the hospital for the cost of the nurse residency program. In my hospital the nurse residents recieve very high qualiety training that changes them from new grad RNs to competent ICU nurses ready to function semi-independantly in critical care units (after residency grads are further supported through a mentoring program with an experienced RN). This training is very valuable and very, very expensive for the hospital to provide. We spend $38K in wages for the resident alone over the course of the 7 month program. In addition there are other costs that add up to just shy of $100K per resident.

The skills learned are very valuable. Grads from the program are in great demand and a number of other hospital have hired grads and paid off the contract to get the residency grad. Their acceptence rates to CRNA school are very high (actually I don't know of any who applied and didn't get accepted). In one of the CRNA programs in a neighbor state half of the current junior class are RNs from this one unit of this one hospital.

So no the nurse residents do not recieve cash up front, but they do recieve something very valuable and the hospital wishes to recoupe as much of the cost of training as they can.

I should add that a portion of the cost of training these new grads is to train them in things they should already know as nursing school graduates but don't. Things that grads in previous years already knew.

Specializes in Psych , Peds ,Nicu.

While accepting that some will enter into these contracts to recieve the education , but have no intentions of fulfilling their side of the bargain . But it amazes me that the employers do nothing to improve the working conditions of there employees whilst having study after study to try to find why they have high staff turnover .Surely students being willing to jump ship ( and pay the fiscal penalty ) after completion of the course and followed by some months working at your facility says a lot about how staff percieve you as an employer .

Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.

That sucks. I am happy to be in a new grad residency program that you would need a court order and a bazooka to get me to leave.

If I were in your shoes, I would try to suck it up.

I was in a residency program it was HORRIBLE! I am glad I left. I know some ppl think they would LOVE it but they lied to us about what floors we would be working on. When we came to them saying the training was inadequate the management agreed and stated they would change things, by talking to managers, and extend the training. THEY DID NOT. We were getting overloaded with patients, are "preceptors" basically extra nurses were given assignments, I was never a hospital nurse and I was left to fend for myself with 7 patients?????? I had anxiety attacks, I couldn't sleep. If i left my program/residency I would have to pay back 5000. I was AFRAID for myself and the patients. I refused to put myself in that position. I am glad I left, my friend who stayed on her 6th night by her self was place in the ICU! Her first night alone she was put on a floor she NEVER TRAINED ON, and it was a step down from Open heart! Think about it fellow nurses would you want your family member taken care of by a new grad who never worked on that floor, after they had just had open heart a week or two ago?????!!!!! Now I receive a letter in the mail stating I have 30 days to repay the 5000. I am SO mentally wronged by this whole thing, I dont even want to be a nurse anymore. The hospital is a money making machine, who is willing to risk nurses sanity, and patient lives, well I dont want any part of it!!!! Nursing was not what I thought it would be and I feel I have lost many years of schooling for nothing. Anyone have any ideas for me, Im grasping at straws here.. I want to do Medical assistants now... Honestly.!

Specializes in Mixed ICU, OHU.

I am binded to a 1 yr contract or otherwise pay upwards of 10k... Before signing you must think things through, ask questions, etc etc... I made sure I would have the 1 yr of experience prior to the earliest possible date of attending school, spoke with ppl in the unit, in the residency, and mgmt.

I am sorry you are going through this, however you signed a LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT.

You've received some bad advice along the lines of "you signed a binding contract so there is nothing you can do". Unless these people have actually seen what you have signed, and know all that has happened in your situation, they have no way to know if your contract is binding.

There might be hope for you. Did your employer or is your employer fulfilling their side of the bargain? Keep in mind they can't use something they are already obligated to do as consideration on their part. For example, they are obligated to provide you new hire orientation and training to make sure you can perform your job, contract or no contract.

A lot (not all) of these new grad contracts are bogus. Unless they gave you money up front, there is a good chance they would never be able to collect money from you. I signed a contract too, and I have stayed where I am for many reasons, but not because of the piece of paper I signed. What I signed is obvioulsy put together by a recruiter and meant to scare people into staying. There is no way it would hold up in court, and I am doubtful they would even try.

With 10k at stake, it would be worthwhile to have a lawyer look at it for you. It wouldn't take them too long (and not much $$$) to give you an opinion.

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