Can a hospital make you repay the cost of training you if you quit?

happy2learn · Jul 10, 2010

If you signed a contract then you should be required to pay! You made a promise of employment and now you are breaking it. They have every right to ask for it back.

cabanaboy · Jul 10, 2010

They can make you repay if you signed a contract that stated you would. The only way to know if they are not going to make you pay is to not pay it. Then they will either decide to sue you, or they won't. Someone mentioned that HCA didn't make someone they know pay. However, that doesn't they couldn't have or that they still won't try.

Contracts usually have conditions that both sides must meet for it to be valid. If in the contract there are conditions that they didn't meet, then the contract would be void. Even then, they still may try to sue you. The court would hear from both sides and then decide whether the contract is good or not and if you owe them money.

MJB2010 · Jul 10, 2010

Did you READ the contract you signed? You should already know the answer. Ask for a copy of what you signed. If you leave, you prob will have to pay. Maybe you can transfer to a diff dept or something if your not happy with your current position to finish out your contract. Why are you leaving?

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Jul 10, 2010

Another thing to think about when backing out of a contract is your are going to pay more than what you got. If you get a say $4,000 bonus it is taxed and taxed at a higher % so you really only take close to half of the bonus. But if you quit before the contract is up you still have to pay the $4,000; not the $2,000 you actually got.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 10, 2010

What is the specialty that requires this contract?

The particular department is the OR. They will take someone with no OR experience and give them a 6-month training program ... but they require a contract to assure that they get something in return for that big investment. The preceptored parts of our ICU internships are only 3-4 months long.

Zookeeper3 · Jul 10, 2010

They did not pay to put me through a nursing program, I was already employed at the hospital for 2 years then decided to transfer to a different dept within the hospital and they make you re-sign the same contract you signed when hired as an outsider or new grad.

Friend, no one MADE YOU RE-SIGN any contract. You entered in this contract of your own free will. I'd assume it is binding, as you would expect their end to be. This is becoming common place. New grads signing contracts and then wanting out, and thinking it doesn't apply to their "special' situation...... which is WHY hospitals are very hesitant to hire new grads. They are looking for more experiences workers with solid proven work ethics who do not attempt to escape contracts.

I know this is harsh. There is no 'nice' way to say what occurs when new grads want out, without the obligation of their signiture. As an interview RN for my unit, it is a very difficult sell to HR to talk them into hiring a new grad into my unit because they have been burnt so many times before. Unfortunately, it's a disservice to your name, your employer and your fellow new grads. Please consider this before choosing to contract break. My facility, and I am sure others, will uphold their end and get restitution and that can get ugly, including a bad reference and no rehire status, not to mention the fianances.

Zookeeper3 · Jul 10, 2010

its usually pro-rated and in installments.

\

I agree, but only if the contract specifically states this. The hospital can keep your pay checks and paid time off as well as ruin your credit and summon you to court to pay restitution. Simply not worth it, and NEVER believe the grapevine.

happy2learn · Jul 10, 2010

but how do they physically make you pay? Do you get a bill? Do you get served with some kind of legal mumbo jumbo.

It's a little more than "mumbo jumbo." It can get quite serious. They will send you the bill, which you won't pay, so they will send it to collections. Then they will sue you. They will get a judgment against you. If you don't pay the judgment, they can get your wages garnished.

Oh, and they will ruin your credit.

So, yes, they can make you pay. A contract is a legally binding agreement, it will hold up in court.

Yeah, maybe some people aren't paying because maybe they haven't gotten to the garnishment part, or maybe it never gets to that point.

The question is......How do you think it will look to a future employer when they pull your credit and see a judgment on there by your previous employer? :eek:

shiccy · Jul 10, 2010

My hospital, if transferring, requires you to stay for 2 months, but NEVER to pay back (unless the aforementioned "tuition reimbursement" happened)