buying out contract

[yamacraw]

Hi all, I have a question, a colleague who was working at the facility that I work at decided to "buy out" her contract, stated she was tired of "working like a horse." The contract was for 2 years and she had worked for ten months. Is there likely to be any ramifications? She has already started working elsewhere and says she is much happier. Any take on this?

[letina]

Had the facility incurred any expense on her behalf? Is she a foreign-educated nurse come to the US by being 'sponsored' for immigration? If so, the facility will probably expect to be re-imbursed for some of the $$'s they have paid for Attorney's fees etc. She should refer to her contract, see what the penalties are.

[yamacraw]

apparently she was brought over by an agency that does sponsorship for certain hospitals. She is waiting to hear from the hospital HR dept and seems quite willing to pay a prorated amount for the time she had left. She and her family all have gotten their green cards already, but I wondered if there was a chance of her being reported to immigration and being deported as she did not complete her contract. Thanks for all information

[suzanne4, RN]

Most of these contracts have a stipulation in them, that if for any reason the nurse is unable to fulfill the contract, whether cancelling on their own, or because the facility cancels them, there is a fee involved. And it is usually about $20,000US and is usually not pro-rated for time worked. Your friend needs to take a close look at the contract and speak to an attorney as soon as possible.

The original agency can send her a bill for the fee and request that it be paid within ten days..................and she would be responsible for it.

This is another reason why I tell everyone to pay close attention to the contracts that they are signing. They are a legally binding piece of paper.