Leaving Job While on Orientation

wooh, BSN, RN · Sep 28, 2013

Give notice. They'll likely tell you to go ahead and leave. But still give notice.

amoLucia · Sep 28, 2013

Make sure you have a CONFIRMED new position before you go about making resignation plans. If you do obtain another position, it is the professional, expected thing to do that you give written notice accd'g to their policy. You don't want to burn any bridges!

Some folk here will say you don't owe the employer anything, esp in an at-will state. That may be true. But they can murder you with a poor reference! The gen'l rule of thumb is that employers DO NOT give out any info other than dates of employment, and MAYBE, salary.

Well, that's USUALLY true; but they can give out more info if they choose. The phrase 'left without notice 'can sink a battleship' or 'put nails in your coffin'. (Cliches, I know.) Just be careful; it's a competitive job market out there.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Sep 28, 2013

I agree. Make sure you have a job offer in hand and everything is set to go before giving notice.

I would be clear that your family needs to come first, and that you need to have kid friendly hours.

But that may not make a difference and perhaps could mean "not eligible for re-hire".

Is it feasible to do per diem at your current place of employment?

It could mean more money for you, as well as a weekend a month or something like that.

Good luck with your interviews, and hope it all works out for you.

RNitis · Sep 29, 2013

i never really understood this. Every time someone starts a new job, comes an orientation period, where the hiring manager will usually add "we'll see how orientation goes, then go from there". But in my experience, I've done orientation, where they threw me out on the floor after only 2 days of orientation, the third day, I was on my own (I know, most nurses can do that, but I just started working as an RN at a different per diem position, so I definitely don't have my routine down pat, yet! It's only been a couple months). When I realized I was unable to be free to them the entire week for a promise of 16 hours, I decided it would be best we cut our ties before I was off orientation. (I know, earlier I said I was off orientation, but I really wasn't. What had happened was they were short staffed, so they threw me on my own). For more reasons than one, I had decided it just didn't fit in my life at the moment (with young children still in elementary school and that I would have to quit my first shift job PLUS my other per diem position to be available to them). I spoke with them about how it just isn't working out in my life with my other positions, I got "well, will you still give your 2 weeks notice?"..I stated, "I don't understand why you would work me two more weeks on my own shifts, if I'm not even off orientation, yet!", "so you'll be resigning?", I suppose so, but I thought "we would see how orientation goes, then go from there"...oh, right, that means its all about your organization, not about whether or not its a good fit in my life! How could I be so naive to think they would actually consider me a person and the fact that I have a life too, how silly of me to assume that!!

starmickey03, MSN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

I will definitely not be leaving without having a job offer elsewhere. I was just wondering how I would go about the situation if I am actually offered a position after my interviews this week.

I technically have three weeks of orientation left, so if I'm lucky enough to be offered a position I would never even begin working on my own. I agree that they'll likely tell me to just leave. It wouldn't make sense to continue paying me when I am basically just shadowing another nurse. And I say "shadowing" because the patient load is really the other nurses.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

Give notice. You don't want to burn bridges so do the right thing.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 29, 2013

Look up old job's policy for resignation and find out how much notice you have to give (if there is no specific amount indicated, the standby is 2 weeks).

Make sure that new job knows that you need to give old job notice.

AFTER you sign the job offer for new job, then go to old job and give notice.

I know some posters here think that employers aren't entitled to notice as employers wouldn't give notice to you if you were being fired. I suppose that's true...but the reality is that it's not 2004 anymore, where you could walk into a hospital and walk out with four job offers. The game is a little different now: employers have the upper hand and they know it.

There's no guarantee that they won't be miffed at you and tell you not to bother working your notice and/or tag you a Do Not Rehire. But you want to leave on the best terms possible. You never know if you will find yourself with hat in hand applying for another job again. And nursing is a very small world: you'd be surprised who knows who and where.

Good luck whatever happens.

OCNRN63, RN · Sep 29, 2013

i never really understood this. Every time someone starts a new job, comes an orientation period, where the hiring manager will usually add "we'll see how orientation goes, then go from there". But in my experience, I've done orientation, where they threw me out on the floor after only 2 days of orientation, the third day, I was on my own (I know, most nurses can do that, but I just started working as an RN at a different per diem position, so I definitely don't have my routine down pat, yet! It's only been a couple months). When I realized I was unable to be free to them the entire week for a promise of 16 hours, I decided it would be best we cut our ties before I was off orientation. (I know, earlier I said I was off orientation, but I really wasn't. What had happened was they were short staffed, so they threw me on my own). For more reasons than one, I had decided it just didn't fit in my life at the moment (with young children still in elementary school and that I would have to quit my first shift job PLUS my other per diem position to be available to them). I spoke with them about how it just isn't working out in my life with my other positions, I got "well, will you still give your 2 weeks notice?"..I stated, "I don't understand why you would work me two more weeks on my own shifts, if I'm not even off orientation, yet!", "so you'll be resigning?", I suppose so, but I thought "we would see how orientation goes, then go from there"...oh, right, that means its all about your organization, not about whether or not its a good fit in my life! How could I be so naive to think they would actually consider me a person and the fact that I have a life too, how silly of me to assume that!!

Well, it really is all about their organization and not about you. It's nice if an employer takes your needs into consideration, but they don't have to (and usually don't). That's how businesses work. If they took the individual needs of each employee into consideration, there would be chaos.

starmickey03, MSN, RN · Oct 1, 2013

Well I had the first interview yesterday and they would like to hire me. I'll be shadowing tomorrow to see how things work. I also have the other interview tomorrow morning. I'll wait and see how that tuns out before I make any decisions.

NurseEm3 · Aug 10, 2018

I'm currently in the same boat. Still on moved 1000 miles to a new state. Thought I would try the ER, and I HATE it. I'm currently on orientation but nearing the end. I have an interview for the ICU that I'm hoping to get an offer from. Did you give the 2 weeks notice? Did they have to stop coming in?

ViviRN · Aug 11, 2018

Hey I'm in a similar situation!

I like what I do but I hate the hours & the co workers haven't been very welcoming.

Are you giving notice?

I am fearful of being black listed.