I broke my HCA residency contract after working there for a little over a year. Two months later I received a letter from the Benefit Recovery Group saying I owed them money. I reached out to different lawyers and basically got answers from all of them. One said there's nothing I can do but I could try to negotiate. Another said that because I never received the 10,000 that HCA values their training at the money I owe them is " a training fee acts as a penalty and under Texas law, it's not enforceable". So I emailed them a response with what the second lawyer said and never heard back. Today I got the same letter again stating I owed money, so I sent them the same email. 

Does anyone have an experience with not paying them back? When I quit I knew I'd have to pay and I was okay with that, but I'd rather not if I don't have to. Will they eventually just drop it or will they send my debt to collections?

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
On 8/24/2021 at 12:53 PM, subee said:

We need a way to tell the country .  Our nursing organizations have lawyers on staff and I never hear a peep about them taking this issue on.

Because they're up against the largest,  wealthiest healthcare organization in the country (world?), which has its claws in just about every state in  the US.

Specializes in Dialysis.
1 hour ago, klone said:

Because they're up against the largest,  wealthiest healthcare organization in the country (world?), which has its claws in just about every state in  the US.

^^^This^^^people don't realize that HCA has the funds to draw out a lawsuit so long, that your great great grandchildren will still be waiting on an action for you

Specializes in school nurse.
On 8/30/2021 at 7:19 AM, klone said:

After everything you read in this thread, you really are asking this?

But it didn't sound as if that poster even read through the thread. (Either that or we were being subtly punked...)

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
JenZorss said:

Hello. I've been reading this thread. I left an HCA facility in 2019 after the horrible conditions and bullying as a new grad in the STARN program. I was also falsely accused of stealing ? This was shortly after I went to HR to report bullying, and unsafe conditions. I constantly went to my union rep about how unsafe it was after realizing why mistake I made and then I had a target on my back. I even switched to nights to get away from management. I almost quit nursing altogether. 
 
I started receiving letters shortly after saying I owed them $3000.00. I've ignored it until now and they have not pursued it. Now they offered me 25% off saying I owe $2250.00. I know of at least 5 other nurses who quit before their contact was up as well and some were pursued and some were not. IDK if I should be worried now or not if they'll sue or send it to collections. Don't really want my credit ruined or have to pay a ton of money for legal fees if they decide to go after me. It's crazy how they only go after who they want. 

I was told by an inside source it is hospital based whether they pursue you for the repayment. Makes sense since the people they went after weren't necessarily liked. 

HCA is single-handedly the MOST EVIL, CORRUPT health system I have EVER seen. ?

You can be pretty sure they will send you to collections, and it would likely cost you more than the "discounted" penalty to retain a lawyer to try to fight it. I am so sorry you had such a bad experience, I hope you landed on your feet in a supportive place. ? 

Specializes in Dialysis.
6 hours ago, JKL33 said:

I do agree that people should have the contract looked over by a lawyer, and that it is best to be prepared to stay or prepared to pay. I just don't happen to think young adults just trying to enter the profession are fundamentally negligent for not having foreknowledge of how shady things can be.

I agree with this mostly, but a simple search of this site and many groups on FB, reddit, and a few others show what a crap heap the HCA organization is. Whether new grad or seasoned nurse, you should always investigate any prospective employer to find out as much as you can. I was told this in nursing school a gazillion years ago, and I know I see it advised when people ask for interview help. Yes, people get sucked in by crappy organizations, I have, and know it happens to many. At the end of the day, it was my own fault for not investigating the employer prior to employment 

Specializes in Hospital.

Thanks for your comments, JKL. The other issue is the monopoly in the region. Not everyone can afford to relocate so your options are limited in avoiding these contracts and you have limited options as a new graduate without experience. 

Specializes in Hospital.

HCA has this penalty in place without scholarships or bonuses. I've also received long orientations without having to worry about paying a penalty for leaving

On 1/4/2022 at 5:11 PM, Sue Demonas said:

The town had two military bases nearby, and before initiating the contract, the hospital lost many new grads when the military spouse was transferred to another base before the terms of the contract were met. Why did the hospital system implement contracts for the new grads who received the scholarships?

So if people are going to need to relocate according to the nature of the situation you've described, how does making an employee sign a contract prevent that? Did a lot of employees say, "oh, well, I owe these people money so I guess I won't go to the new base with you, sweetie?" No. All this does is transfer the cost of training employees to the employee. In doing so, it also conveniently mitigates the employer's loss no matter why people might leave (including things like toxic work atmosphere and poor treatment).

You're saying that they offered "scholarships" -- not really. Maybe they should've decided to forego pretending to give out scholarships since they knew that by the nature of their proximity to a military base, people are going to come and go. The not-really-scholarships are almost the perfectly nefarious plan to shift training costs if you think about it.

The costs of training a new grad have been reviewed here before. They seem generally exaggerated, and previous more detailed discussions and comments have come to similar conclusion. It's also worth remembering that hiring new grads who need extensive training is a choice. All of this started when huge corporations decided new grads would be the perfect way to not have to pay for experienced nurses. But they don't want to pay for new grads, either. If they could have nurses without having to pay anything at all, that would be ideal. But that is not our issue--it's THEIRS.

That's the bottom line.

It is ridiculous to think that entry-level employees should concern themselves with the staffing costs of a multi-million or billion dollar corporation.

 

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

A friend of mine was a military spouse and her contract had a military waiver. When her spouse got new orders for another location, she was released from her contract. 

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
6 hours ago, Flighting Nurse said:

The manager wants me to transfer to another Unit. I tried to apply for other units. Unfortunately, I didn't get hired. 

What does the contract say is your obligation if you are fired? 

19 hours ago, Lunah said:

What does the contract say is your obligation if you are fired? 

Either I quit or I get fired, I need to pay back the training fee ($10K) and the sign-on bonus. If everyone can avoid this kind of contract, I would say don't ever sign it. 

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
On 3/3/2022 at 1:29 AM, Flighting Nurse said:

Either I quit or I get fired, I need to pay back the training fee ($10K) and the sign-on bonus. If everyone can avoid this kind of contract, I would say don't ever sign it. 

Can't say I am surprised. It is worth it to read the fine print. So sorry! ?

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