Is Giving 2 Weeks Notice Ancient Practice?

[staple1027]

There are just some jobs that do not work out. If I've been at a job a decent amount of time and plan on including it on my resume, I give two weeks. A couple times in my career I walked into a frying pan, and left within the first week. Shat happens. No notice. A couple of other times I gave 2 weeks only to then be fired on the spot. One job was so miserable, I reported off to the supervisor, left mid shift, then wrote a scathing resignation effective immediatley. I have seen employers in and out of healthcare fire people during their 2 weeks notice, and am wondering if 2 weeks notice has gone out of style like the curly cord wall phone? Of course this all depends if you have a PTO balance that needs to be used or paid, or any other benes in the pot. I have heard that nurses giving 2 weeks are then terminated immediately, and this is becoming more the norm than the anomoly. I think that we can all agree, the 30 year career at one job, then retiring has all but vanished, and now its common game to have a dozen or more jobs, and 1, 2 or even 3 different careers. After 20 years in this field, I have also learned that an employer will never hesitate to abuse the heck out of nurses with unsafe staffing, so long as the nurse allows him or herself to be abused. Any thoughts?

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Given that there's no shortage of nurses willing to fill most nursing positions, you don't want to burn any professional bridges by not giving two weeks (or whatever is required by your HR) notice. Failure to do so will likely:

a. tag you as a Do Not Rehire by this hospital. If they're part of a larger healthcare organization, you may be tagged Do Not Rehire systemwide. Or maybe you'll be lucky and be a Do Not Rehire just at the site you worked at.

b. leave you with a poor reference that future employers will get when they verify your employment because, contrary to popular rumor, HR is NOT limited to providing only dates of employment and rehire status. With some rare exceptions under specific state law, employers can share anything about you that is a fact...such as if you had given short notice

c. make the rounds as nursing is a very small world and you'd be surprised who knows who and where. Or who you might end up interviewing with for that next job.

As far as giving notice and being asked to leave before the notice is up...it happens. Not often--at least not often in my experience, anyway--but it can and does happen. Look at it this way: you were planning to leave anyway. Now you have a little extra downtime before the next job...because naturally, you didn't quit this job without having the next one already lined up, right?

[hawaiicarl, BSN, RN]

Our facility's employee handbook states that we are "at will" employees, no notice required to resign or be dismissed, no cause necessary. One of our long term directors was turfed the week before Xmas 3 months before she was going to retire ...

[cleback]

Regarding having never seen anyone let go without working there 2 weeks: I did see, once, where someone called off their first 2 shifts while on their 2 week notice. That person was let go immediately. In that case, it is better to fill the staffing hole for next week rather than having to scramble 1 hour (or less) before the shift.

I have been. I had expressed my concerns that the prn position was not working out due to frequent cancellations (same place that cancelled me after my arrival, discussed in different thread). The manager took me off the schedule right away. I'm guessing she was miffed, even though I was polite. It happens.

[Julius Seizure]

Our facility's employee handbook states that we are "at will" employees, no notice required to resign or be dismissed, no cause necessary. One of our long term directors was turfed the week before Xmas 3 months before she was going to retire ...

Thats just cruel.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

In 11 years as a nurse:

*Staff nurse position- resigned after 4 1/2 years, gave 4 weeks notice as that was the expectation. People who I worked with who gave less than 4 weeks were given a very hard time.

*Per diem school nurse- just let them know at some point (I don't remember when) that I wouldn't be available for the following school year as my other job was becoming full time

*Pediatric Home Health Clinical Manager- gave 4 weeks because I thought longer notice was expected due to my position and lived to regret it.

*Clinical Liaison- gave exactly 2 weeks. Everyone who left before me, including managers, gave only 2 weeks so I certainly wasn't going to give them longer than that.

I have not personally seen any nurse in any of my positions let go while working out their notice.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

the only nursing job that I left, I had to give 4 weeks/30 days

[djh123]

This is a late second career for me, and I'm half-ancient myself, but it was a shock to me to find out a year or two ago on this forum of companies/hospitals firing someone who'd given a 2-week notice. I don't think that should be LEGAL. I've always given a 2-week notice except on rare occasion in my previous career when I was a contract employee and was laid off.

[remotefuse]

I didnt think much of it, but now, i agree with you. I gave two weeks notice at my last job, and ended up getting called off everyshift during that 2 week period.

[NuGuyNurse2b]

I've given 2 weeks if I didn't like the place, 3 weeks if I did, never did the 4 weeks. That's just absurd. No other industry expects that from their employees; this is just another example of the nursing field where we do things differently that benefits the higher ups and not necessarily help ourselves.

[Medic_Murse, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I usually peel out donoughts in the parking lot with a middle finger in the air. Then, I'm told to get back inside, by the charge nurse because my lunch break is over.

[Neats, BSN]

I get 2 weeks notice usually. Most of the time I can see patterns emerge when a nurse is ready to put their notice in...

Giving 2 weeks notice is nice however if I think the person who will be leaving is toxic to others I just let them know they can leave now. I use to do that often in the beginning of my career, after time I think staff respected me enough to really give me the 2 weeks notice. I appreciate that.

I have walked Administrators, Doctors off the property as well and when I left my first insurance job putting in 4 weeks notice that very same day I was walked out of the building. I am also a rehire to that place as well. It is their policy to walk people out that are going to a competitor, they paid me for the 4 weeks too.

Nowadays you get to give your exit interview. I am not really sure how much those help, that information always went to corporate. I think I would lean towards corporate and graduate, no burning bridges.

[Julius Seizure]

I've given 2 weeks if I didn't like the place, 3 weeks if I did, never did the 4 weeks. That's just absurd. No other industry expects that from their employees; this is just another example of the nursing field where we do things differently that benefits the higher ups and not necessarily help ourselves.

I would disagree with this. Giving at least 2 weeks notice is standard courtesy for most employees in pretty much all industries. More notice may very well be appropriate depending on the size of your company and on how high up on the ladder you are - and that isn't exclusive to healthcare.