I'm panicking! Now I can't resign!

[perfexion, ASN, RN]

After much soul searching I decided to quit my cushy staff job to pursue travel nursing. I wrote a very thoughtful letter of resignation and slipped it under my boss' door. I read online that it's not thoughtful to resign via email. My last day is October 1st and my first assignment starts on October 7th, (my flight to my assignment leaves on the 4th). I have been waiting for my boss to contact me about something, anything by now! I decided to reach out to her, and after a dozen unreturned phone calls and emails, I just found out she's been out for 3 weeks so she never got my letter (I work night shift so I go weeks without seeing my boss). She's scheduled to return on Monday but by then it'll be too late for a proper notice. What do I do now?

[livefully]

I would go up higher in the chain of command as well as give a dated, signed copy to HR. Leave a message on her phone and email her a copy with explanation that it's not ideal, but it's the best you can do.

I am a newbie to health care, so take this advice in that vein.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Hindsight being 20- 20 , putting something as important as a resignation under a door... was not the best way to communicate.

Notify HR STAT, explain the reason your resignation "appears" to be late.

Happy trails to you. Where is your assignment?

[Kyrshamarks, BSN, RN]

In this modern day and age, Email is a correct way to do an official contact for things like resignations. many places prefer it this way because it takes no file cabinet to store electronic messages, there is traceablity to it as well as proof of when something was communicated by the header info. Hospitals have you apply for the job online, why should it be different when you leave a job?

[perfexion, ASN, RN]

Hindsight being 20- 20 , putting something as important as a resignation under a door... was not the best way to communicate.

Notify HR STAT, explain the reason your resignation "appears" to be late.

Happy trails to you. Where is your assignment?

That's usually how the night shift communicates with the manager. We either tape things to her door or slide something under the door if it's private. And she communicates back by taping a notice to the board or putting a letter in our locker. If I had known she wasn't around I wouldn't have even tried to put anything under her door. My Assignment Is in upstate NY.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

What is the worst thing...they won't hire you back. However in the future I would not "officially"" resign without a way to date stamp the resignation...and I would not consider myself resigned without official confirmation of my last date. All you can do now is call HR and hope your letter with the date is still in her office.

I find it unusual that you manager didn't leave someone in charge in her absence and that you had no idea she was gone. I have worked nights for many years and I always knew when the boss was gone even without ever seeing him/her.

[Mulan]

Also, for future reference, when resigning give one copy of your letter to the nurse manager and another copy to HR at the same time.

Some managers conveniently lose, misplace or forget things.

[Mulan]

I find it unusual that you manager didn't leave someone in charge in her absence and that you had no idea she was gone. I have worked nights for many years and I always knew when the boss was gone even without ever seeing him/her.

I worked PRN nights and had no idea the manager was gone. I had slipped something under her door and then had to give it again to her assistant.

I thought it was interesting that apparently she didn't trust her assistant enough to give her access to her office to retrieve anything that was slipped under the door.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Hospitals have you apply for the job online, why should it be different when you leave a job?

I don't see any reason not to offer one's resignation via email, but I never thought of the above. Very well stated!

[perfexion, ASN, RN]

I don't think it would've made a difference if I sent an email. She still wouldn't have received it until next week.

[nurse4ever08]

Always give a copy to supervisor and to HR no matter what the profession is. Always date and sign the letter.

[westieluv]

As long as you have a copy of the letter and it's dated, I don't see why you can't still be done when you need to be. It wasn't your fault that she wasn't in her office for all that time and didn't have anyone going in and checking on things for her. If that is the way that communication is done where you work, then she should have arranged for someone to check it regularly.

I don't think I've ever had a manager who didn't have someone covering her responsibilities while she was away. Must be fun to come back to three weeks worth of stuff!