Monetary Consequences for Quitting a Job In Your Contract?

[Bumashes, MSN, APRN, NP]

Hi All!

I was recently asked if it is normal to have monetary consequences for quitting your job written into your work contract. Such as, "If you don't finish out a 90 day notice, then you will owe us X amount of dollars per day that you don't finish it out."

Now, I have had something similar in one job contract before, but I don't know that this is the actual norm for contractual agreements for NPs. Anyone have any input? Thanks!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Hmmm - you mean you have a contract that they repay your loans if you work for them for x-amount of years?

I've never heard of anyone quitting in the first 90 days. To me, it would have to be a horrid reason to leave that quickly.

[TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN]

I don't think the OP is talking about repaying loans. My guess is that this practice has hired people on before, trained them, and then had them quit with little to no notice leaving the practice overwhelmed trying to absorb their patient load. While I have not seen this myself, I don't think it's completely uncommon, particularly when hiring new graduates. It takes a lot of time and effort in training a new grad NP and it sounds as if they have been burned and want to make sure their next person does not quit without adequate leave to move on to grasses greener!

Personally, I wouldn't sign a contract for three month notice with or without penalties for less notice. It's just too long. The reality is that once you quit they will want you out of there asap and it's unlikely they will keep you around a minute longer than they have to. Also, while as professionals, we want to give sufficient notice so as not to disrupt the practice unduly, contracts that stipulate penalties such as this one may not even be legally enforceable depending on the state you are working in.

[harmonizer]

90 day notice is just to long! I will not sign it. I never had this put into my contract. 30 days is reasonable.

[Bumashes, MSN, APRN, NP]

This is very interesting to hear. My first NP job required a 90 day notice. My current job requires 60 days. And my part time job requires 60 days. This is all in South Mississippi where there is a glut of new grad NPs. But the concern isn't really the length of the notice required, the concern is that if you don't complete all of the required days of notice, then you will owe them X amount of money for each day not worked.