Living without notice???

[andromeda1981]

Hello everyone!!!

I am a new nurse. I have been in orientation in a surgical floor for 5 weeks. I got a better job offer from an ICU floor in another hospital and I am living. The already did the background check and called the references. However I wont get the mail informing me that everything is OK with the address and information about the orientation( the first 7 weeks in in a classroom) until next week. That means that I will be able to give only one week notice max and even probably less than that since I should start on April 10. My manager is really nice, and the only reason I am living is that I want to be a critical care nurse, that is my dream and a possibility I can't let go, but I don't hate my actual job or have any other problem whatsoever. The issue is that even though I am still in orientation and have another two weeks to go, I don't want to go without notice, on the other hand I don't want to give notice until the new job is a fact. What would you do guys?

Thank you so much in advance!!!

[llg, PhD, RN]

I would talk with you new employer and be honest. Ask them if they can make you an official offer in writing ASAP so that you can feel sufficiently secure to resign your current job. Point out that giving you less than 2 weeks between your official offer and your start date forces you to treat your current employer unethically -- and that you are the type of person who wants to treat your employer in an ethical, professional manner. Don't just talk to the HR person, talk with your new Manager. Since she wants to hire you and wants you to be the type of employer who behaves ethically, she might help you.

If not, you have a painful decision to make -- once faced by many people who start new jobs while still pursuing other jobs. Neither choice is appealing. You can either give less than 2 weeks notice and burn your bridges with that first hospital (& be prepared to not work there again for a long time) ... or you can stay in your current job and hope to get another chance at the 2nd hospital in a couple of years.

I would probably choose to burn my bridges -- and prepare myself to "face the music" if the ICU job doesn't work out. Know you won't be able to go back to hospital #1 for quite a long while. Is there a 3rd hospital in town that you could go to if needed? If not, are you prepared to move?

[Tippyrn]

When they fire you they don't give you a 2 week notice.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

Most employers will understand, and appreciate, that you want to give your current employer proper notice before leaving. If you speak to your new employer, you might explain that a tight deadline like that leaves you unable to give an adequate notice at your current job. They may change your start date, because they would not want for you to do them like that.

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

I would personally stay with the first job. They've already taken a chance on you, they've provided you with 5 weeks of training, and working on a surgical floor for a year or two is going to help you with any future ICU job. Even though the new job is critical care and that's your dream, you're taking a huge risk by not giving your current employer a two weeks notice. What if you don't like the critical care job and want to go back to the surgical job? You will have just burned a bridge with a perfectly good hospital (or maybe hospital system). But that's just me.

[cuppa_tea]

Rule of thumb for me: ALWAYS give a 2 week notice. You never know who will be your next boss or if you need to fall back on a former job. It's the professional thing to do. It's considerate of your co-workers and it shows maturity. I agree with the others. Talk with job #2 and they should understand the 2 weeks rule. It's the right thing to do. You need to guard your reputation as a dependable nurse. Jumping ship without notice is not the way to build a solid reputation. Just my thoughts.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

OP: The word is 'leaving'.