Need help.....quitting job

Nurses General Nursing

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I accepted a job offer in May, about 2 weeks prior to graduation. It's a fast-paced pediatric emergency room, 12-hour shifts, 7p-7a, work 7 nights straight, then off 7 nights. It's a one-hour commute for me, so I spend 2 hours per day driving. One week after graduation, I found out that I am pregnant (surprise!) and it has been very rough so far! I've had to call in sick several times, and I just don't think I can handle it anymore. I never would have accepted this job if I had known about the pregnancy. My boss and co-workers have not been very understanding, and I recently got a pretty bad evaluation. In addition to the pregnancy, I also found out on June 7 that I have a tumor in my chest. So I feel like I am stuck in this job, because I can't afford to lose the health insurance, due to my pre-existing conditions. I work for the state and have fairly good benefits. 3 days ago, I applied for another state position, as a public school nurse. I should find out this week if I get it (keeping my fingers crossed) Definitely not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but I can handle it while my health is not good, and while my kids are little. I've got the rest of my life to do exciting stuff! So, my question is about my resignation, if I get the other job. How should I go about it? I am still in my 90-day orientation period. Should I tell my boss about the new job, and give a 2-week notice? Or should I say I am quitting due to my health, and give a shorter notice? I don't count in the staffing "numbers" yet, so it is not going to leave them short-handed....they will just have to start the orientation process over with someone new. I know I cannot count on a good reference from them, due to my sickness/call-ins. Please give me advice about quitting this position. Thanks alot!

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Specializes in vascular, med surg, home health , rehab,.

7 straight 12 hour nights? Dear god, unless youi sleep there forget it thats brutal. Plus the commute. After 18 years, take some advice: the place will keep on ticking whether your there or not. Do whats best for you; Your health, your family, your sanity. Believe me, they could lay you off tomorrow and never think twice about the hardship it causes you. Give notice if you can 2 weeks is the norm, but if you can't, then don't kill yourself to do it. Quit and move on. No-one could ever hold it against you given the situation. Hope all turns out well for you.

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7 straight 12 hour nights? Dear god, unless youi sleep there forget it thats brutal. Plus the commute. After 18 years, take some advice: the place will keep on ticking whether your there or not. Do whats best for you; Your health, your family, your sanity. Believe me, they could lay you off tomorrow and never think twice about the hardship it causes you. Give notice if you can 2 weeks is the norm, but if you can't, then don't kill yourself to do it. Quit and move on. No-one could ever hold it against you given the situation. Hope all turns out well for you.

Good advice.:balloons:

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If you go to another position with benefits, or COBRA your coverage, they cannot deny you for pre-existing conditions. It's only if you've had a break in coverage that they will deny you for an equal period.

When I was a student, researching available positions, I thought 7 on, 7 off sounded really good. I'd probably have jumped off a bridge if I'd actually done it. I think two in a row is a stretch...

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7 straight 12 hour nights? Dear god, unless youi sleep there forget it thats brutal. Plus the commute. After 18 years, take some advice: the place will keep on ticking whether your there or not. Do whats best for you; Your health, your family, your sanity. Believe me, they could lay you off tomorrow and never think twice about the hardship it causes you. Give notice if you can 2 weeks is the norm, but if you can't, then don't kill yourself to do it. Quit and move on. No-one could ever hold it against you given the situation. Hope all turns out well for you.

VERY good advice! Please get out of that toxic routine as soon as possible! You are risking both your own life and that of your unborn child every time you drive home when you are so fatigued that you can scarcely see straight.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

Oh gosh, I feel for you. Your personal insurance worries are part of what's so wrong with healthcare in this country.

I worked for a county facility in CA many moons ago and I remember there being something about being able to transfer my senority, pay status, benefits, everything to another county hospital within CA.

You said you work for the state? I wonder if there s something like that available to you? Another state facility closer to your home? Maybe that's what you're trying to do with the school nurse job?

Good luck and be well.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

And by the way, all you need to give is your 2 week notice. Don't feel guilty about it. It's your well-being.

Unless of course you're under a contract that involved a monetary sign-on bonus. You would have to pay back the sign-on.

I can't believe they allow you to do 7 in a row.

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See if your physician will advise you not to work for a period of time due to the tumor (I'm so sorry!) and the pregnancy (congratulations!).

Then take leave based on that.

Usually hospitals will be very forgiving--but they need bodies and will be OK if you go.

Then you aren't stuck with the 2 week thing.

I usually encourage people to be more honorable than I am suggesting here--but these are extenuating circumstances. You need not to be working, pronto. You must take care of yourself and your baby.

Good luck....

Oh, and about the sign-on bonus? Had a good friend who got a med surg internship. Reinjured a formerly healed fracture of her tibial head with all the bending and twisting involved in patient care. Doctor told her not to work for three weeks then come back; she still wasn't healed enough to risk reinjury. She got a letter to that effect, took it to her hospital, got another job (less physicially taxing, in a cardiologist's office) a week or so later (no twisting or unusual bending of her tibia there!), and she's happy. The internship hospital never asked for her sign-on bonus back, and she did not have to pay back anything for her internship (had she completed it and then left the hospital, she had agreed to pay them something like $5,000).

So it can be done. Get a letter from your doctor. (Hospitals don't want the possiblity of a lawsuit because they forced someone to work when it was detrimental to their health.)

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

My take on this is since you are going from one government job to another (hospital to possible school nurse) - you just need to tell your supervisor and let her decide if they want two weeks notice. Since you are still on orientation and "don't count in the numbers" I would bet they would just let you go. Good luck and take care of yourself and the baby.

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Specializes in ICU, CCU, Trauma, neuro, Geriatrics.

My first nursing job was 7 on 7 off, but I did 6 hours shifts monday thru friday then a 12 on sat and sun then 7 off. I had to do one 6 hour shift once every 4 weeks on top of that and got full time benefits and paid 40 hours a week. I liked it, had a new kid (pregnant during my first year of nursing) and had two other children also. 6 hour shifts dont wear you out, 12's do.

Move on to another better position and leave with good terms if possible but if the job does not allow that then dont worry about it. I would probably not even list the first position on my resume as you did not even finish the orientation period.

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First off 7 12-hr shifts in a row is ludicrous! That is just bad for your health in my opinion....and especially not what you should be doing pregnant. I would tell them that you just cannot do that kind of job while pregnant, it is just too much to handle. I quit a job during an orientation period. I did write in my resignation that I was giving 2 weeks notice, but they just let me go right then. No sense in training someone who is leaving! Now get the heck out of that place!

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SEVEN STRAIGHT 12's??????????????????? I WOULD BE DEAD!! I can barely handle 3 or 4 in a row. After 3 I'm about ready to die. But I'm in my early 40's and have a bunch of kids at home.

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