Is it ever okay to quit a nursing job without notice?

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Once in a great while, even the most ethical and professional employee can run right smack into a situation in which s/he suddenly realizes, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that s/he cannot take one more day on that unit or that floor, and th-th-th-th-that's all folks, I'm outta here. No two weeks notice, no formalities---just turning away and never looking back.

It happened to me at my last hospital job. I'd been coming to terms with the idea of leaving anyway, being totally burned out from three years on Med/Surg and having developed something of a persecution complex at the hands of one assistant department manager in particular. But one day when I came in to work and was promptly called into this manager's office for yet another minor infraction of some obscure department policy, a tiny but very sure voice inside my head said: "Are you crazy?? Get the heck OUT of here!!!" I clocked out, turned in my badge, emptied my locker, told the staffing office that I was taking my last two weeks' FMLA leave, and left the building.

While I don't recommend this course of action to anyone, desperate times call for desperate measures. Ironically enough, not only did it not cost me in terms of marketability, I was even able to draw unemployment benefits because of the extreme stress that had caused me to quit my job.

Now, as a manager myself, I pay attention to signs that my staff is burning out.......I've given leaves of absence, changed schedules, gone to upper management to increase staffing, even worked the floor myself to give someone a break. It doesn't always work. But it's always worth trying---sometimes all an employee needs is to know that their feelings matter and that their manager sees them as a human being, not a machine. I think there'd be a lot fewer people who suddenly walk off the job, call in and quit, or just never show up for work again.

[linzz]

Most of the time, it is right to give two weeks notice, however, I also think that sometimes a nurse can be put in a very bad situation where there is real reason to be concerned for liability and in this situation, if you need to get out very quickly, at least a few days notice would be needed unless your board of nursing states otherwise. In a perfect world, a nurse would know right off the bat what they are getting into.

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

I quit a job after two shifts. I called from home and said I would not be back. So, I guess I gave one day notice.

I also quit a job at the end of my shift after several weeks orientation.

In both cases, the units were very disfunctional, pts didn't have a chance of getting good care, and mgmt didn't give a crap.

Not very professional of me, I know.

But, the situations were intolerable to me, and I chose not to tolerate them any longer.

[acerila]

Only if you feel you are personally in danger. Otherwise quitting without notice seems just unfair to your coworkers because they are going to be picking up the slack.

[Ms Kylee]

It depends.. if your license is in danger, punch out at the end of the shift and don't look back. I quit a job without notice once to take a temp to perm.. only the temp to perm didn't work out after a week, so I basically shot myself in the butt... I will never do that again. I'll work out a 2 week notice unless it gets so unbearable I can't stay... OTOH, it's amazing how good you feel when you've turned in your 2 weeks and know you don't have to put up with that stuff anymore.

[sharann, BSN, RN]

You know something? We are told that we are "at will" employees and the "hospital reserves the right to.....at any time with no warning...". So THEY can fire YOU without any notice and have security escort you out, but you cannot leave them? Of course you can! This 2 weeks notice thing is nothing but a courtesy. Most people leave a bad or toxic environment in nursing(or any job) mainly due to a lack of courtesy and decency on the employers part.

If you will get physically ill thinking of working even one more second in that place, leave.

BTW, my ex-manager just broke her contract and gave no notice. Guess what, she will have a new job soon I am sure of this.

[snowfreeze, BSN, RN]

I have not needed to leave a nursing job without notice so far but if I felt my license or person was in jeopardy I would quit at the end of a shift without notice.

I did quit one position in housekeeping at a 4 year college in my earlier years, felt threatened at the time and quit part way through a shift. I was very upset at the time, yelled my opinion and intentions across a room to my boss, threw the keys to him like I was pitching the majors and bad aim, hit him in the groin. Oh well, I guess I got my point across.

I don't put that job on any resume as it isn't related to nursing and it was 31 years ago.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

I voted that you should only do it when you think that your license is in danger from poor working conditions. But, I think leaving suddenly does have its place. Just because you give a two weeks notice doesn't mean that your boss won't try to screw you over anyway. This happened to me last summer when I quit. I gave 3 weeks notice, wrote a nice letter taking the high road and they still were PO'd. I was a new nurse of just about a year and how dare I quit. This hospital was having bad financial issues, we didn't get our yearly raise but the administration got all their Xmas bonuses, and lots of lateral violence was starting to overtake the unit.

I found out through a friend that still worked there that they had every intention of "getting even". Legally, yes, they are not supoosed to talk trash about you but there's ways around that. Thankfully, I ended up in a great position for more pay but only after I let it be known in an indirect way that I would pursue legal action if they kept up the nonsense.

I agree with the person that said that these hospitals will toss your butt out in the street if they want to. I believe that some situations merit quitting without notice.

The hilarious thing is that soon after I left, 5 or 6 other people left also. So it wasn't just me who smelled impending doom!

[Xbox Live Addict]

Most nurses are "at-will" employees in "at-willl" employment states. As a previous poster said, the employer can suspend and fire you, technically, on any whim.

However, I think most nurses do not want to quit without notice. In fact, most workers/professionals, regardless of the field, do not want to quit without notice. My father, who was a career Navy man and civil servant, told me to never quit without notice, because it can come back to haunt you on down the road. It's all a part of the good old Protestant work ethic that pervades the US.

That said, there are unfortunately situations in nursing where few would fault someone for quitting without notice: mainly, those situations where you feel like you are putting your license at risk just walking in the door, and those situations where you are under actual physical threat and management has not addressed the safety issues. I myself have been there. However, I have never simply laid the keys on the desk to the oncoming nurse walking in the door and said, "It's all yours. I'm never coming back," which I have seen all too many nurses do.

I would generally never quit a job, in any case, until I already had another job lined up.

[Valanda]

I quit with only 2 days notice and I'd do it again for the same reason if faced with the same problem.

I am not Christian, so most of the holidays do not matter to me. I placed on my application that I will work every holiday except Thanksgiving.

I was hired in December. I worked 16 hours on Christmas. I worked every single holiday through the year. When the schedule came out for November, I was off on Thanksgiving.

On November 16th, a revised schedule was posted, and I was scheduled to work 16 hours on Thanksgiving! I immediately went to the DON and told her I could not work that day. She insisted that I must. I quit on the spot.

My family makes a huge deal out of Thanksgiving. We are descended from 2 different Mayflower pilgrims. We re-enact the whole scene the best we know how. We even dress up and only serve food that we have grown or raised ourselves. I spend all spring, summer, and fall getting ready for this. It's like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a family reunion all rolled into one.

Sorry, but I do make it very clear that I cannot and will not work on Thanksgiving.

[OC_An Khe]

It does depend on the situation, whether you are an at will employee or not, or you work in a right to work state.

[bollweevil]

You could just go out on sick leave or a family emergency leave. Give your notice then get a cooperative doctor to say you can't return to work or full duty for 2-3 weeks. Your employer is NOT entitled to know the exact reason, only that your doctor has ordered it. This approach might help some.