Feeling guilty

[rmprn]

I am doing something I didn't ever think I would do. I am quitting my job without giving any notice at all.

I was planning on giving the standard 2 weeks, but my supervisor has been giving me such a hard time for the past month---I work pool, and had to get another job because I wasn't getting enough hours at this hospital, plus I get floated out of my unit more than I would like. Anyway since I have gained employment elsewhere, I obviously don't work as much at the one hospital anymore. And my sup. has made my life miserable ever since. I have not worked in my unit for over a month, she floats me out of turn whenever I am scheduled. And she has messed up my schedule, putting me down to work days that I didn't sign up for. So today while I was working at my "new" job, they were calling me at home as a no show for my other job!! I feel just awful for the staff who had to work short handed (but then I wonder if I was supposed to work in my unit at all since I am perpetually floated,)

I have decided not to go back to work there. If my sup really has it in for me this badly, I am worried about her looking for things to write me up for, report to the board of nursing, etc. IT seems that she has been trying to make me quit, so I guess she will win. And besides I am just miserable there. But still I feel bad about just walking out. Only for the staff, not for her.

I have never been the kind of person who leaves a job without notice.

[RNPATL, DNP, RN]

Obviously you have already made up your mind that this is the action you will take. Given the circumstances, you certainly have a right to feel the way you do. However, consider all aspects of this action before you take it.

Are you required to give any notice given the fact that you work pool and schedule yourself? Also, if you have not worked many hours at your old hospital, it may not be an issue at all.

I would never allow another individual influence my employment decisions. If you are unhappy working there because the supervisor is miserable and you do not like working for her ... that is fine, but make the decision to leave based on your need to have a better job and working conditions that are better for you. As far as giving notice, I would consider the ramifications if you do not give notice, on your individual employment record (regardless of the supervisor). If in 8 years you want to return to this hospital, that "old" supervisor might be gone and the working conditions might be better. It would be nice if your employment record reflected that you gave proper notice and your chances of being rehired are better. Remember, this is about you, not your supervisor. You control your own integrity. Good luck with your final decision.

[bellehill, RN]

It sounds like you aren't working there already so what is the harm in giving a notice? You already have another job lined up so if you decide to just leave it wouldn't hurt your chances of getting a next job but RNPATL gave some good advice...what if you want to go back? How many days in that 2 weeks would you really be working?

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I agree with the above posters. You don't want to burn your bridges.......a few years down the line, you may need that hospital again, either as a reference or as an employer.

Four years ago I left my own hospital staff position; I was burned out and stressed out, and when I put in my notice I swore I would never go back to bedside nursing. However, as miserable as I was, I worked my tail off those last couple of weeks, and when I left, the nurse-manager who had been part of the reason I quit complimented me for the first and only time in the entire 2 years I worked there. She said she knew I'd had a rough time, but that if I ever wanted to come back I was eligible for rehire because I was a good worker.

Three years later, I was again burned out and stressed out from having been in a management position working 60-hour weeks and being on call 24/7. Well, it just so happened that this nurse-manager heard that I was looking for another job, and out of the blue she called me up and asked if I'd like to come back to work at the hospital. I could start on a casual basis, and in a few months she would create an evening position for me if I wanted it.

I wasn't crazy about the idea of doing med/surg again, I have to admit, but I needed to get out of the rut I was in, and the idea of just being a staff nurse again---being able to do my 8 hours and go home---appealed to me. So I said OK.......now here I am 14 months later, working full time and loving it. The same nurse-manager is still in charge, and I'm one of the few nurses she trusts to take care of her father whenever he's in the hospital.....quite a change from the first time I worked there. I was given credit for the time I worked there before, so I'm considered a fourth-year employee rather than a second-year, with the wages and seniority to go along with it.

And that's why I believe in not burning your bridges. :)