Employment Contracts

The Little Greek · Apr 18, 2008

At Memorial Hermann in Houston if you get hired into one of the internship programs and don't complete it, you will have to pay back some of the costs incurred by the hospital to hire and train you. Yes, there is a contract involved and to the best of my knowledge they do enforce it. I know a nurse who was unable to complete her contract because she moved and she had to meet with HR about how she would pay it back.

I had to sign a contract for receiving a sign-on bonus. I had to commit to one year of full time employment. I'm not sure how strictly those are enforced.

RN1989 · Apr 18, 2008

Texas is an at-will state. You can quit and they can fire you for any reason at any time. I have never seen any type of employment contract for a nurse UNLESS the nurse was receiving relocation money, sign on bonus money, or assist with schooling. In those situations each employer has their own rules about the contracts. I have seen facilities go after nurses who left prior to the contract ending period. The nurses were reported to various credit bureaus and harassed until they repaid the money they owed the facility. If you are not asking/receiving money from an employer, then it is highly unlikely you would ever get a contract from a facility as that is considered akin to union activity which TX employers despise. TX employers do not like making contracts with nurses unless they stand to benefit a lot from them.