don't burn bridges!

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Ok...So here is a lesson for everyone. Don't just "quit" a job. It WILL come back to haunt you!

Here is my story. I have worked at the same place for a few years. I left to try another facility. I worked at this other facilty for ONE day, hated it. The place, the tension from the staff, the director, everything. I know it was just one day, but it was apparent that it was a negative place. So, anyway after a couple of weeks off I went back to my old facility. Now a year later, GUESS WHO IS GOING TO BE MY NEW DNS IN A WEEK?? She is absolutely going to remember me...How should I handle this???

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Switch to night shift immediately and lay low, quickly in the facility and quickly out. Don't come to the office for anything. Don't be seen on the premises if you can help it. If you are on night shift, chances are high that she won't bother with you.

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Neuro-surgery/Med-Surgical/.

I have quit 2 jobs without notice and it has yet to come back to haunt me (this was over years ago). I don't even bother putting it on my resume, as it was during the 90 day probationary period. And have had no problems landing jobs.

If you only worked at the awful facility for literally one day, what are the chances she is going to remember you? And I would wonder why she quit that place too? hmmmmmm

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While you are at it, best to do some thinking along the lines of how long is it going to take for your present facility to go down hill, now that this person is in charge? Might want to dust off the resume and start looking around sooner rather than later.

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I have a couple of problems..1. the facility is super small, under 50 beds. 2. I work second shift so our shifts over lap.

I live in a small state with many nursing homes...everyone bounces from one to another. When I first started nursing school, my clinical instructor said, " Always watch what you do and say because your co-worker today might be your DNS tomorrow." :uhoh3:

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While you are at it, best to do some thinking along the lines of how long is it going to take for your present facility to go down hill, now that this person is in charge? Might want to dust off the resume and start looking around sooner rather than later.

I am worried about this too !

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Switch to night shift immediately and lay low, quickly in the facility and quickly out. Don't come to the office for anything. Don't be seen on the premises if you can help it. If you are on night shift, chances are high that she won't bother with you.

Seriously?! Change your entire life and live in fear because of a one-day misadventure? I'm thinking this must be a joke answer...

Just say hello the first day. Be pleasant but not overly chatty if you encounter her. Prepare a stock answer that you've memorized in case she brings up the issue. Something along the lines of...."yes, I remember. I'm so sorry that that situation didn't work out." Then move on.

Keep in mind that she obviously has left that facility also. She may not want to think about it any more than you do.

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Seriously?! Change your entire life and live in fear because of a one-day misadventure? I'm thinking this must be a joke answer...

Just say hello the first day. Be pleasant but not overly chatty if you encounter her. Prepare a stock answer that you've memorized in case she brings up the issue. Something along the lines of...."yes, I remember. I'm so sorry that that situation didn't work out." Then move on.

Keep in mind that she obviously has left that facility also. She may not want to think about it any more than you do.

I think you are right. I did return to where I came from.

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LOL...if I thought I could lay low, that is exactly what I'd do.

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It always cracks me up how managers can help create the most unpleasant, toxic, unsafe working environments and then we say, only a crazy person would work here, we are the ones with the problem. You didn't burn any bridges. At best, the job wasn't a good fit for you and you did the right thing by not wasting their time. At worst, you escaped a loony bin.

Don't worry about it. If she brings it up just say, "mmm, yes, I do remember that." If you are a good worker I doubt she'll want to get rid of you.

I think it's part of the codependent, enabling part of the nursing profession that makes us worry overly much about quitting jobs. Trust me, it happens in other professions all the time.

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Specializes in MSP, Informatics.

Just be the professional. Chances are this other nurse will look at you the first day, and think....OMG, she is going to know what a horrible place I ran before!

Or she won't remember you at all.

Don't sweat it. You are the one that is solid there. Maybe this DNS knew how bad the other place was, but could not make a difference, so just went with the flow. She may be a lot different at a different place.

Don't jump ship just yet.

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Oh boy that really stinks. I would hope that working one day would not have burnt you onto her memory, especially if they have a reasonable turnover. Don't raise the issue and hope that her new job overwhelms her so much she gets dizzy spells and faces start to merge together and all look the same.

I had a friend in the commercial arena who quit his job to go to a really small company and he was... shall we say less than gracious in his departure. He didn't exactly moon them with "I QUIT" written across his buttocks, but it wasn't far from it. Less than 3 months later his old company bought the small company so he ended up back where he started. Life sucks so badly sometimes.

Best of luck!

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