At what point should I be worried?

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So...I had an interview last week at my proverbial dream hospital for a dream job. Super excited, especially because I'm d o n e with my current position for many reasons. It went very well (from my perspective), and on Friday, the recruiter told me she got good feedback from the manager and they were "working on next steps;" she would contact me soon. I already sent the thank-you emails. How long should I wait to gently check in before contacting them again? It's a big hospital, so I know they're busy, but orientation would start in slightly less than two weeks. And...part 2, because of that, I turned in my notice on Friday to give a proper two weeks. I know it was not the "right" thing and it's a serious gamble, but as mentioned before, I'm in a hurry to move on. I'd be ok for a month or so financially (I did consider that) if this fell through, and it's been indicated they'd be happy for me to extend at this current job, so I'm sure I'd be ok. But...just on pins and needles. Especially since today's a holiday (I know it's a hospital, but a position like the recruiter might take the day, I don't know).

I'm thinking by Wednesday, I'd check in, but is that too soon? I don't want to look desperate.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

At least a week ... maybe 2.

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48 minutes ago, llg said:

At least a week ... maybe 2.

Thanks!' I definitely don't want to be a pest...I guess I'm just anxious because I had a job before where HR thought the manager contacted me and the manager thought HR had, so if I didn't follow up, I'd have missed out on that job entirely.

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Specializes in Cardiac Stepdown, PCU.

When I was hired at the hospital I work at now, I interviewed in mid February, was Offered the Job on March 15th, and was "enrolled" into general orientation on April 18th. I was on the floor in orientation the end of May. I'm sure you're timeline will vary, but if new hire training starts in two weeks, you're likely not going to get hired for that start date. There will be a lot of pre-employment stuff to do. You will likely be hired on the next month's new hire date.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
On 1/21/2019 at 1:10 PM, Miss.LeoRN said:

When I was hired at the hospital I work at now, I interviewed in mid February, was Offered the Job on March 15th, and was "enrolled" into general orientation on April 18th. I was on the floor in orientation the end of May. I'm sure you're timeline will vary, but if new hire training starts in two weeks, you're likely not going to get hired for that start date. There will be a lot of pre-employment stuff to do. You will likely be hired on the next month's new hire date.

I agree with this post. Unless you specifically discussed onboarding for the start date in two weeks, even if you’re hired I can’t imagine it happening that quickly. If it’s a larger hospital they likely have frequent orientation start dates. I hope it works out for you though.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Salary negotiation, background check, license verification, education verification, possible physical exam with drug testing, employee health requirements, signed written offer - nope, you would not start in two weeks I'm afraid. At least, not for most hospitals. You don't say how often they do orientation, but giving your notice was pretty ill advised. Never quit a job until you have a firm offer with salary and start date agreed upon. You just gave away all your leverage to negotiate your salary too.

The position I have now, I applied in June. I started on October 8th. It is not unusual for the hiring process to take six weeks or more. As far as when to contact them, I would reach back out via email in a week.

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Specializes in Oncology, OCN.

I’m just in the process of starting my first nursing job and the process is not a quick one for me. The holiday season didn’t help I’m sure. I interviewed on Dec 11, shadowed on the unit Dec 14 and was told I should hear back in about a week. I heard nothing until Jan 4 at the point I’d basically given up on hearing good news. The email on the 4th said another recruiter would contact me on Monday, the 7th, with all the details and an anticipated start date of Jan 28.

Other recruiter contacts me on the 7th and gives me an anticipated start date of Feb 25! I respond saying very interested but what happened to Jan 28, the sooner I can start the better for me. They say Jan 28th can’t happen but if everything goes smoothly and xyz happens I should be able to start orientation on Feb 4. That’s 8 weeks after my interview. It’s not a quick process.

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It can take a long time unfortunately.... I personally would not have quit until I knew for sure I had a new gig. Bills need to be paid.

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