new grad contract

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I will be graduating this May and I have a dilemma. I started interviewing for a job at a hospital with a nurse residency program. I went up to the hospital and met and interviewed with the nurse managers and their clinical coordinators of two floors at the hospital. I love the hospital and really love the area as well. I think it is a perfect fit. I was offered two different jobs at the hospital and decided to take the one I really wanted. The problem is that a day after I accepted the position, HR called and told me that I would have to sign a two year agreement to stay at the hospital, with nothing in it for me besides the nurse residency program, no sign on bonus or tuition reimbursement involved. She told me that other hospitals around the country that have a program like this have their new grads sign contracts as well and that it is new for the hospital to do this. I really want to work here and have every intention of staying at the hospital for at least two years if not more. But what bothers me most is I was not told any of this and had accepted the job. Do you think they would wave it since it is so new? Should I start looking for another place to work?

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Specializes in Surgical Telemetry.

I'm not surprised to hear this at all. I've never heard of a contract with nothing in it for the employee but it is a way for the hospital to get their money's worth out of you. By that I mean the money they invest to train you once you are an employee. On average it costs a hospital about $60,000 for every nurse they hire and orient. That's a lot of money when you think about the large numbers of people a hospital hires, especially new grads. They are simply protecting their investment.

But what I would like to know is if they are not offering anything in return for completing the contract what would stop you from breaking it. I mean at my hospital they offer a sign-on bonus and if you break your contract you must pay it back. But if they don't give you anything there's nothing to really force you to stay.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

I would recommend making an appointment with the recruiter to pick up the contract and discuss your questions and concerns. Let her know that you intend to have an attorney review it and ask if you may have a week to review the contract and return it.

A reputable facility will have no problem with this. A non-reputable one will, and that may help you make your decision.

Above all, do not sign a contract (ever) without legal advice.

Best to you!

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I like the way they spring it on you AFTER you accept...they should have been up front about it. But doesn't surprise me.

Review the contract for the fine details. Working two years is not that long, esp. if you get good vibes about the job.

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I know there are hospitals here that have a "bond"...if you leave before the end fo the two year contract, you have to pay them back x amount of dollars. No thank you! I am starting at a large hospital in the Pediatric ER, and I can come and go as I please. There is no sign on bonus, but I dont really want one if it means I am bound to them for the next couple of years.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

my hospital has a rn residency program too. we do not have to sign a contract that states that we will stay x amount of years. if i were in your shoes and i knew that i was going to stay, i would have no trouble signing the contract. the only time such a contract would be a problem for me would be in the case where i know i might be moving on soon or the hospital has a bad reputation.

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The "no-tuition reimbursement" part would bother me. Is this common for new grad programs? I plan to start my RN to BSN as soon as I get my license. I'm prepared to pay out of pocket if I have to, but a little assistance would be nice.

I just got an email from my community college career center about a hospital that's doing onsite recruiting and it says tuition reimb in 90 days. Would this be for experienced nurses only?? Why then announce it on a community college campus where just about everyone they talk to will be a nursing student??

BTW I'm pre-nursing so not in the nursing program yet - but just curious.

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Blinks 14- The thing would stop me from breaking the contract is that I would have to pay them back 15,000 dollars! Thanks for your input.

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Specializes in ICU.

I think it's a little slimy that they didn't tell you about the contract up front, but I will offer this: to find a hospital where you really want to work, that will hire you straight out of school, that you intend to stay at for two years anyway (which you will need to do for the experience before you move on anyway) is worth considering.

If you've already ruled out the other hospitals in your area as places where you want to work, if you've already been hired and that's where you want to be, the contract is pretty much irrelevant--sign it if that's what you have to do to keep your job, and you want to keep that job.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
I would recommend making an appointment with the recruiter to pick up the contract and discuss your questions and concerns. Let her know that you intend to have an attorney review it and ask if you may have a week to review the contract and return it.

A reputable facility will have no problem with this. A non-reputable one will, and that may help you make your decision.

Above all, do not sign a contract (ever) without legal advice.

Best to you!

I actually don't recommend actually telling the recruiter that she plans to have an attorney to look over the contract.

To me, that would get the OP off on the wrong foot and her job offer may suddenly go away since she hasn't signed anything yet.

There is no reason why she can't get an attorney to look it over on her own. She can simply ask for a blank copy to review at home before she signs.

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Blinks 14- The thing would stop me from breaking the contract is that I would have to pay them back 15,000 dollars! Thanks for your input.

What?! That sounds a little extreme. However, given the state of our economy and the large number of people who don't have jobs, I'd still consider taking the job. The first two years go by very fast!

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