Do I have to honor my contract?

[iliket3]

Hello all,

I recently moved to Tucson specifically for a job in an ICU as a new grad. I started my new position (orientation) on June 13th. It was my first job out of school but I graduated in May 2004. Due to a decline in jobs as a new grad in my area and the fact that we had to sell our house, it took us a year to get out here. They (those hiring me) knew all of this. After going thru the ICU classes for a week and a half and then working on the floor for almost 2 weeks; there was a meeting for new grads along with our educator. We were all asked about our comfort level on the floor. Well as you can imagine, a few of us (including me) said we would like more practice at just the basics, then we would feel comfortable with the hard core material. Saying that alone landed me (the next day!) in cardiac/med/tele floor. I have been orienting to this new floor for almost 2 months now. I was the only one out of that meeting that ended up where I'm at. I get to go back to ICU in January where I start all over.

Now let me clarify a few things. I'm no dummy. I go home and study what I need to learn in order to become better at what I do. In that particular meeting, the educator clearly stated she wanted complete honesty about where we were at because she is a new educator - new in this position. I gave her honesty about where I was at but that didn't mean I wanted to move to another unit temporarily. Heck no. And the thing about the unit I'm on now - no cardiac drips, hardly any IV meds, no lines (central, PICC, art). This hospital has a few cardiac floors. What I'm learning is organization and that's it.

Well, finally my question is this. I signed a contract that said I was being hired into ICU and that I must work at this hospital for 2 years. They didn't honor their contract so do I have to stay for 2 years? Obviously I'm still a little upset about the situation I'm in but everyone that I tell this to says to "grow a backbone - you got screwed!" Is this true? I'm in a new town - don't know a soul - I don't want to "bite the hand that feeds me" or burn any bridges. I don't plan on quitting right now but maybe only staying for 1 year and then look somewhere else. What does everyone think?

Thanks for you input

[babynurselsa, RN]

Schedule a meeting with the educator and your manager. Speak with them about getting back into the ICU. Tell them what you told us here.

Look at your contract closely, Does it specify that your contract with this hospital is strictly in the ICU?

If YOU break your contract you will be responsible for repayment of any sign-on bonus, tuition reimbursement or whatever it was that was given in exchange for 2 years of service.

[jmgrn65, RN]

IMO learn what you can on the med-surg floor, organization is good to learn. You said they were sending you back in Jan. Look at as a learning experience. I think that they are trying to help you. Not all people are ready to go to an ICU start out of school, the time will go by quickly. 2 years isn't really that long. if you really want out talk to a lawyer, first or human resourses.

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Do you mind if I ask which hospital this is? I also want to go directly into ICU as a new grad, and this place doesn't necessarily sound like a place I want to go to.

On another note, welcome to Tucson!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

You've let 2 months go by already, so my guess would be that the educator assumes this situation you are in is what you wanted and are satisfied with the change.

I'm not defending what your educator did, but I think I have an idea where she's coming from. You did tell her you wanted more practice with the basics so that you would feel comfortable with the "hard core material". The best place to get practice with the basics is on a general medical unit. The unit she put you on also has telemetry which in many places means you have to be able to look at the telemetry and know what kind of a rhythm you're looking at. Treatment of arrhythmias is based on this very basic skill for a future ICU nurse. You will get a chance to hone IV skills even though you don't have a lot of IVs. Cardiac patients don't usually receive a lot of IV fluids, but they need a patent IV access (saline lock) for emergencies. You won't be able to push all those wonderful life saving medications in ICU if you don't know how to deal with the very basic skill of maintaining a patent IV access. There is a lot of basic nursing that goes into attending to a cardiac drip--> monitoring V.S., assessing for cardiac symptoms, watching the EKG, making sure your IV site (or central line) is patent. Nothing throws a code blue into more chaos than a blown IV site and everyone has to wait for a patent line, peripheral or central, to be established before any boluses of life saving medication can be given. By knowing the basics down pat, you will be able to concentrate on the more advanced life saving measures when you get to ICU. Don't underestimate the value of learning to be organized. When you have a patient about to go into cardiac arrest, a GI bleeder who's puking blood and has an H&H so low that you're desperately waiting for the physician to call you back with orders and admitting calls you with an admission who has to be transferred out of the ER and into the unit NOW, you will be glad that you are well-organized and able to prioritize which task to attend to first.

I think that you instinctively understood the seriousness of the care being given in ICU and realized that a good understanding of basic nursing procedures and care is very important. I was once a nursing manager and member of a new grad orientation program. The one thing I would have done differently from your educator is to sit down and discuss the plan for your training and get your approval. I think it was an awesome self-evaluation you made and I think that in the years to come you are probably going to be one terrific, careful nurse. Your honesty is a character trait that is highly prized. It's hard to go from new grad to ICU nurse. Makes me wonder if there were others in your orienting class that didn't have the good sense to admit to being overwhelmed by their situation.

[iliket3]

Well I certainly appreciate everyone's input. I actually went to HR today to see what my options are. I'm supposed to schedule a meeting with employee relations. I don't know if I want to take it that far. I do look at everything as a learning opportunity and I am in no way going to badmouth this particular hospital. All of these orientation programs for new grads are wonderful compared to what I came from. If I was able to get a job where I lived in MN, there were no orientation programs to speak of. I'd be "thrown to the wolves" so to speak. So I value the time and energy they are putting into me as a new grad. I'm trying to get over the angst of why they did this to me and me only. Every new orientee in that room said they were nervous and scared. One other nurse even said the exact same thing about "basics" as I did.

But, I also look at this as a "2 for 1." I'm learning to work in 2 units vs just ICU. I will be able to float to cardiac/med/tele unit in the future.

Obviously, I'm still torn and contemplating which attitude I should take about this. I think they hurt my feelings and made me feel a little incompetent and that's what I need to get over. Two years in the scheme of things truly isn't that long and certainly not long in the world of nursing. In a nutshell, it was the way they (educator/mgr) handled telling me that "I HAD to go over to this unit for 6 months - sorry, but you have no choice." If they had offered it to me, there's an 80% chance that I would have said sure, I'll do it. That'll be good for me. Well, thanks everyone for listening. And thank you for the advice.

[iliket3]

Just to answer other's questions....

My contract specifically says ICU.

I have had at least 3 meetings with educator/mgr.

A weird thing....everytime I see ICU educator and mgr like at lunch, they come up and hug me and act like we're highschool buds. And they smile and say, "ooohhhhh....how ya doing? We miss you..." Kind of like they're kissing butt. Anyway, I take it for what it is....at least they're being nice in the moment.

Thank you again everyone.

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Either way, it's good to see someone from Tucson on these boards! Most people here are from PHX area.

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

A contract means that two parties made an agreement. If the same two parties agree, the contract can be set aside. Call Human Resources and see what it would take. They don't want a discontent on the floor. You might owe them money for bonuses received, etc.

[Kabin]

Some good advice in this thread. As long as the postion is easily filled, I'd also think they would work with you.

I'm still in school so I don't have any direct experience to share, but my ethics teacher told the class that breaking a nursing contract can cost you your license. I don't know if that's only the case in AZ, but I'd guess it makes sense when lives are in the balance.

[jsteine1]

Some good advice in this thread. As long as the postion is easily filled, I'd also think they would work with you.

I'm still in school so I don't have any direct experience to share, but my ethics teacher told the class that breaking a nursing contract can cost you your license. I don't know if that's only the case in AZ, but I'd guess it makes sense when lives are in the balance.

Breaking a nursing contract can cost you your license in any state but only if the "injured Party" is willing to go through all it takes to schedule a hearing on the matter with the state board of nursing. It takes a lot of time and money sometimes, because you have to travel to the city where the state board is to testify at the hearing. as well as the effort to document and provide the backup to warrant a license suspension or revocation hearing. Few employers will do that in a case where no patient was harmed.

[CHATSDALE]

i think that the problem was that they saw that you had to 'sit out' a year between grad and employment and then they put you where you are now...next time they get all buddy buddy with you let them know that you expect to be back..before jan is possible but not to expect this to extend beyond tha date

stand up for your self and learn everything you can where you are..things will work out

unless you have had some good feelers about employment elsewhere work with these people..goodluck