contract

dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I · Jun 7, 2011

Realize up front that the contract is not written in a way to help you (to put it mildly). Ask if you can take the contract home or to your own lawyer and I bet the job offer dries up. Find some employees and talk to them to find out what kind of employer they are.

In my book, contract and huge sign on bonuses are red flags for places that keep help by treating them right. Of course, your milage may vary. Best wishes and good luck.

Turd Ferguson · Jun 7, 2011

Depends on what kind of facility it is. I signed a 2 year contract to enter a new grad residency program at a large facility, it was explained to me that it was going to cost them about $100,000 to fully train and orient me- makes sense that they want to hold onto me for a while after investing so much. Where I signed, you sign a contract with the facility, not the unit. If I end up being miserable on the unit I start on, I can transfer within the facility and not have a breach of contract... seems fair enough to me.

STL2008, RN · Jun 7, 2011

I know I've heard mixed reviews about the hospital. Some people I know won't step foot in that hospital. I went to school with some people that work there who also have no complaints. Another thing its 25miles farther away from my house.

NaKcl, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2011

"My issue is what if I end up hating this job, "

you never know until you try it.

In the worst case, you can give the money back.

If you are feeling unsure about this new job, may be you need to look for different job.

aredenyf · Jun 7, 2011

I dont know if its true. we ask our instructor during our nclex-rn review 2 weeks ago regarding contract law discussion and ask him if there is 2 years contract and we signed and later on decided to leave, if do we need to pay them..

He answered, even if u signed the contract and even if you read and know evrything about the contract and signed it and later on decided to resigned. They dont have the right to hold you. It is like treating you like a slave when you signed a contract.

For me, go and look for the contract law of your state to make sure.

germanshep · Jun 7, 2011

I have heard mixed results on this topic. Some facilities hold you to the terms of the contract, others do not. Like a previous poster said, the state laws vary.

More and more facilities are making new grads sign contracts. I think it is awful!!! I can only think of a few other professions that make an employee sign a contract (other than accepting a signing bonus). I understand training is costly, but so is training in other professions. I do not think employees should be forced to stay in a job that they do not like. Life is too short.

I personally would ask to shadow the unit to get a feel before you sign or go in street clothes to the unit and observe as an outsider.

Two years is great experience and you could go anywhere after BUT it is also a long time to be miserable. Take the contract home with you and do not feel pressured into signing anything on the spot or before you had time to look it over. I heard some facilities state that you have to repay them if you resign or get fired.

nursedolphin · Jun 7, 2011

I went through this....just look for my previous post. I received some nice posts but overall, I had mean posts. I signed a contract and HATED the job after a few weeks. A lot of posts asked how I could hate a job after a few weeks. It was intuition, I knew I would not like it. My contract stated I had to stay for 12 months after the completion of my internship-which was 3 months. So basically I had to stay for 15 months. I talked to HR first to see what the implications were. At first, they gave me a go-around for a few days. I talked to my manager and she was an advocate for me. She totally understood not liking a job and being forced to stay. I am so grateful for her and was sooo lucky to have her because she was able to tell HR not to charge me $10,000 and got that in writing. If I had to stay, I would be happy to work for her, just not the unit.

Looking back, I would NEVER sign a contract again. I think that the nursing profession thinks they can treat people like garbage because nurses are so replaceable. We really need a voice saying this is so unacceptable. Obviously, facilities do not care about nurses as human beings with feelings, just forced slave workers held to a contract. It is so one sided.

Whispera, MSN, RN · Jun 7, 2011

I think it's reasonable for a facility to expect some loyalty from their employees, since it costs lots of money to orient a person. One place I worked had a contract if a person took the sign on bonus or if she got scholarship money. Most places also have the 60 to 90 day probation period where a person can quit or be asked to quit if things don't work out on either side. The other contract wouldn't be valid if the quitting happened in the probation period.

My experience is that employers won't pursue legal action if you leave, in spite of any contract. They know things happen.

I think it's important to examine a place fully before signing on, especially if there is a contract and if there are big sign-ons or negative talk in the community about it. Definitely talk to people who work where you'd be working.

Also, lots of professions sign "non-compete" contracts where they agree not to work within so many miles, for so many months, if they leave an employer. This is true for some lawyers, architects, accountants, and doctors "owned" by facilities. I know two doctors who had signed such a contract and took a year away from medicine as their contract ticked-out. Besides the investement of money a facility might have in a nurse, some of this competition stuff might be involved in a nursing contract too.

cindyloowho · Jun 7, 2011

Employers have a right to decide who they want to hire and employees have a right to decide where they want to work. Slavery was outlawed a long time ago. I think signing a contract to stay just because they put time and money into training you is crap. Now a contract to be retained after recieving a sign on bonus is another thing...but just for employment is wrong, IMHO.

I got hired on as a new grad in an extensive training new grad program, but am going to be leaving there just 6 months after I started. I have found something that suits me better and so be it. That's part of the pitfalls of being a business...training and development eats up a good portion of your budget.

But this facility does not make you sign a contract because they really do have a relatively low turnover rate of new grads, so getting into that legal hassle is probably not worth it for them. I would be weary of a facility that makes you sign a contract, because that says to me that they must have a big problem with turnover and this is their attempt to curb it...rather than fix the problem at the root. Best of luck!

optimist · Jun 7, 2011

I too was faced with this dilemma right out of school. I wanted to work there because of the great experience and reputation but was hesitant to sign the 3yr/$3000 contract. Well I did and my intuition was right~I hated it! after 6 months I submitted my resignation and recieved very harsh words from the manager regarding my payment of said money. They sent me a bill which I never paid and 2 years later I havent heard another word from them.