Letter of Resignation

[itsdebraanne, ASN, RN]

Dang. the nurses at my work play dirty. omg

I'd been having a terrible week at work this past week. I'm an RN at a nursing home. There were signs that show I may be terminated any day. So i wrote up a resignation letter that I planned on giving to my DON on Friday 3/21. I find out at the beginning of my shift she wasn't in that day and she doesn't work over the weekend. The next step was to give it to my Supervisor but she took a short day, so I gave it to my weekend supervisor. Monday morning was hell. Like I had meetings with families that threw me off my routine and I was killing myself to try and catch up. At the end of the shift Monday, my DON wanted to speak with me. I'd bene struggling at work lately and she decides now to terminate me. I brought up the letter of resignation that I gave to my supervisor in her absence. My DON said, "what if i was out for a week? if i were you, i wouldn't have trusted something as serious as this with anyone but the DON." so im freaking out in her office like, "im a new new nurse. this is literally my FIRST job, you hired me straight out of school with no real experience. i don't know these things. I thought giving it to the supervisor in your absence was enough!" She just kept saying I'm sorry it doesn't matter. you are terminated as of today.

I sat there kinda shocked.. and she tried to make me feel better by saying she'll try to talk to the administrator if he'll turn my termination into a resignation because i wrote and dated my letter of resignation before the date of my termination.

I just dont know what to do now.. i have applied to other nursing home and rehab centers but i hope this doesn't hinder my chances of being hired...

My employee handbook says "the advance notice is to be submitted in writing to immediate Supervisor, DON, or Administrator, and will be able to replace you without undue inconvenience to our residents and your fellow associates." I did what was written in the handbook.

why doesn't my resignation matter?

my work has some shady staff.

[Emergent, RN]

Sorry about your troubles.

Just an FYI, many job applications will ask 'Have you ever resigned in lieu of termination?'. Your honest answer here would be yes.

[anonymurse]

Depends on her subjective take on how solid those 'signs' were.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I don't understand. If you planned to give a letter of resignation to your DON on March 21, how is it that your resignation predates your termination? Or were you saying that your effective date of resignation would be March 21?

[roser13, ASN, RN]

I don't understand. If you planned to give a letter of resignation to your DON on March 21, how is it that your resignation predates your termination? Or were you saying that your effective date of resignation would be March 21?

Im thinking that OP meant to give a date of 2/21, since that was last Friday.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

"I gave it to my weekend supervisor".

That needs to be documented by the weekend supervisor. If not .. you are playing the "I was fired".. "No, I quit" game.

However this plays out...

Why were you fired?

[nursetaminator]

Just an FYI, many job applications will ask 'Have you ever resigned in lieu of termination?'. Your honest answer here would be yes.

Have to disagree. Though the "signs" or "feelings" were there, the OP had no notice she was being terminated until she was pulled into the office but the resignation had already been turned in to an appropriate supervisor. In my experience the "resigned in lieu of termination" is you're pulled into the office and given the chance to resign instead of be fired. Where I worked previously as a supervisor that's how we handled situations when we needed to part ways with an employee. The only time we actually fired anyone was when something very very bad happened due to gross negligence.

IMHO for future applications I would feel comfortable in answering "No" to the questions of having been fired or resigned in lieu of termination. It appears proper notice was given per P&P. And basically it comes down to the OP's word against the former employer.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Have to disagree. Though the "signs" or "feelings" were there, the OP had no notice she was being terminated until she was pulled into the office but the resignation had already been turned in to an appropriate supervisor. In my experience the "resigned in lieu of termination" is you're pulled into the office and given the chance to resign instead of be fired. Where I worked previously as a supervisor that's how we handled situations when we needed to part ways with an employee. The only time we actually fired anyone was when something very very bad happened due to gross negligence.

IMHO for future applications I would feel comfortable in answering "No" to the questions of having been fired or resigned in lieu of termination. It appears proper notice was given per P&P. And basically it comes down to the OP's word against the former employer.

If the letter of resignation wasn't properly documented as being received and if it wasn't tendered through the proper channels, it doesn't exist. Therefore, she was fired. You're right, it's the OP's word against the employer. It's unlikely they'd give her a good reference.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Let 'em fire you, not resign. That way they have to pay your unemployment. Yes, they do.

[mtngrl, ASN, RN]

Let 'em fire you, not resign. That way they have to pay your unemployment. Yes, they do.

I thought unemployment was only for when you got "laid off". You can get it when you're fired, too?

[krisiepoo]

I thought unemployment was only for when you got "laid off". You can get it when you're fired, too?

yup, I've gotten it when I was fired years ago... they can fight it, of course.

[nursetaminator]

Love it how they let you work your full shift on Monday then fired you at the end of the day. Doesn't sound like a place I'd want to work.