Published May 13, 2011
westieluv
948 Posts
Okay, so I just got a call from the local hospital that I interviewed with for a job as a contingent float nurse and they want to hire me!!! Yay!!! It pays $7/hr. more than I am making at this LTC facility and the shift differential adds another $1.50. I feel so blessed to have been offered the job, and since most of my experience is in Med/Surg hospital nursing, I will take it for sure.
Now, for the hard part. I have never been terribly assertive to begin with, and I am going to have to give my two weeks' notice to the facility where I'm working now. I'm not sure how to word it, or even how to submit it. Should I email the DON? Call the lady who does the schedule? Call the DON (my last choice, for obvious reasons)? Even though they have not treated me particularly well and have taken advantage of me on occasion (letting me know an hour before my shift started that I was going to have the entire floor by myself) and probably consider me nothing more than a cog in their machine, I am still grateful that they offered me employment when they did and I feel somewhat guilty about quitting.
Can anyone suggest a nice way to say that I'm quitting? Does it sound appropriate to thank them for the employment but that the majority of my experience lies in hospital nursing and that the hospital is much closer to my house, what with the cost of gas and all? Should I mention any of the things that bothered me about this facility and air any issues that I felt were not resolved, or just not mention any of that? In a way, I think it would come across like sour grapes, but OTOH, I think that they need to know why yet another nurse is quitting after only five months at their facility.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated. :)
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
No need to go into great detail. Examples have been given here many times. Make it short and sweet and make certain to give the last day of work. Don't go into well this, but that. They don't want to hear how your new job is going to be so much better for you. Do it in writing and address it to the DON. If you don't feel up to talking to her about it, put it in an envelope and put it on her desk.
Double-Helix, BSN, RN
3,377 Posts
Short and simple. Does your facility do an exit interview (basically, an interview when you leave to find out why)? If so, that would be the place to bring up your issues. You can also schedule a time to speak with the DON before your notice is up, but I would leave it out of the resignation.
Something as simple as
Dear DON, Date
Thank you for the past five months of employment. I feel that it has been a significant time of growth and development for my career. At this time, I have been offered another position that better suits my employment needs. This letter is my official two-week notice, effective immediately. My final date of employment will be (two weeks from addressed date). Again, I appreciate the opportunity to work of this facility. Please don't hesitiate to contact me if I can be of any assistance during this process.
Sincerely,
Name
MyMystudentRN
176 Posts
Yes u should thank them for the experience you did receive from them with the short time u were with them. You sed ull have the floor by urself at times, well i believe that makes u that more focused, organized, and have excellent time management skills. Submit it through email that way you have the proof that u actually sent a 2weeks notice (n keep the email, u jus never kno how ppl r these days...jus n case). tell them point blank that you believe u obtained enough experienced with them but feel u need more of a challenge which lies in a hospital setting. dont go out with a bang insulting/degrading them b/c it may bite u n the end if u listed them as a reference. jus let them kno if u would suggest nething that may help them in the future it would b ...and tell them w.e it is u feel...hope that helps =)
smily nurse, BSN, RN
155 Posts
SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN
3,376 Posts
congrats!!!
write no more than 1 or 2 sentences in your letter of resignation. seriously, you do not have to give an explanation. if you want to discuss it in-person to your nm or don then do so at that time. also, i agree with the others.... thank them for your employment and state your last day and that this is your two week notice.
i print off several copies and drop them off to hr, my don, my nm, and the secretary of the don. this way there is no one person that can say that i did not give proper notice and be validated. if you prefer to send the letters to all of the above electronically, it is "ok". gl!
systoly
1,756 Posts
You have an opportunity to advance your career. (No employer can reasonably argue with this)
While philosophies on resignations and exit interviews vary, here's my dime (inflation )
I'd hand deliver my resignation to the person who hired me or now holds that position. If that person is not available (vacation, etc.) give it to the fill in or the next up the chain.
Of course you express gratitude for your previous job. Same with the exit interview. Even though it's voluntary, do participate, but resist the temptation to vent and be vague, but positive. Remember, the exit interview is a tool designed to benefit the facility, not you. If your management team has been receptive and open to constructive criticism in the past, by all means, point out problem areas.
Thank you all for your advice. I didn't see a search function on this forum to look up previous posts about this topic, so sorry if I am asking something that has been addressed here before.
The facility where I work now has a huge turnover rate, so I think that I am making a bigger deal out of this than I need to. I'm sure that the DON will probably just read my resignation letter and think, "Uh-oh, another one!", or something to that effect. Still, I am a person who feels strongly about fulfilling a commitment, so quitting anything is hard for me.
Thanks again, I will submit my notice, following the guidelines that all of you helped me with, as soon as my dh gets home from work and we can really talk it over.
CharlieTaco
51 Posts
This isn't very complicated. If they needed to fire you without reason or for budget purposes, they would do it in a second. Just say you have found a better employment opportunity and you are giving your 2 weeks notice. Thats it. They didn't do you a favor by hiring you. They hired you cause you came cheap and they could make more money by overworking you for little pay. Take the hospital job and be happy, congrats.
That's sticking it to them.
rn4ever?
686 Posts
Don't burn bridges. The world of nursing is not very big. You might bump into your DON or a former co-worker in another facility. There's no use to air your grievances and grudges when you exit. Just talk to her directly and tell her that you are quitting and giving her your two-weeks' notice because you have found employment elsewhere and although you learned a lot from working there, it's time to learn more and move on. You don't need to reveal where you are going. Just politely say so. Then, you can e-mail her that same day so that you have evidence that you gave appropriate notice. Call and e-mail your scheduler too.
wife&mommyRN
238 Posts
I have to agree with everyone else on this forum, you don't want to burn bridges, but again you really don;t have to go into great detail. You want to remain professional bc you may need to return one day, so always leave on good terms even to places that didnt treat u so great. I recently turnd in notice for a job so I will PM u what I wrote. I would email ur supervisor and speak to them in person. I never told my former employer why I was quitting/ where I was going I figured if they wanted to know they would ask, and they never did and truthfully I didnt want them knowing where I was going. You'd b surprised @ the type of management that will try to sabotage you furthering yourself.
Best of Luck :)