I accepted a position at Hospital A as New Grad RN in an IMC unit in early February. There was no contract involved. I have already completed all the necessary paperwork and am set to start July 2017.
I had originally turned down another job offer at Hospital B in a Level 1 Trauma ICU because that organization required a 2-year contract, however, they paid $2 extra an hour and had a larger shift differential. Despite the larger pay I turned this offer down because I am weary of contracts, especially considering that I will be a new grad in a high acuity and high-stress unit. The uncertainty of locking myself down for 2 years in a specialty such as this is a little concerning to me. If there was no contract then I would have gone for this offer but I chose Hospital A instead.
Fast forward to April. Several students in my cohort have secured employment in Hospital A but the only caveat is that they are now required to sign a two-year contract with a $10,000 penalty for breaking the contract. One of the students informed me that per HR all new grads will be required to sign the contract and that they are in the process of contacting all new hires from January on forward. There is no pay increase attached to these new contracts. I have yet to receive any information from HR about this but I have confirmed this information from several credible sources. Additionally, the previous new hires were never informed of any new changes so all this is new to us.
As a precautionary step, I reached out to my old contacts at Hospital B and they are willing to offer me a position on a Trauma floor with the same stipulations as before (it pays not to burn bridges). I did this because I am planning to contact HR at Hospital A to determine if I must sign a contract. If I am required to sign a contract then I would prefer a pay increase to match Hospital B. If they are unwilling to do this then I will not be able to accept their new contract and will take the offer at Hospital B.
Here is my dilemma: I really like Hospital A but am upset that I was never informed of this new change and will be required to do something I did not want to do in the 1st place. If I will have no choice but to make a contract then I feel like my best option will be to go with Hospital B because of their increase in pay. Hospital B is also a good facility but I much prefer A. I am not the type of person that breaks agreements so this is stressing me out a bit.
Is this a good way to approach this issue or should I just stick with Hospital A since I already signed on with them in February? Any advice would be of great help.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I have been surprised at how many hospitals require contracts on new grads, I had never heard of it until the last few years. I can understand the reasoning from the hospitals end, but I am thankful I didn't have to as a new grad. I signed one contract for a very generous sign on bonus and generous moving expenses and I regretted it. Mostly because I didn't like feeling like I was stuck. If you're going to be pressured into a contract regardless, definitely go to the better deal and where you feel like you'll be happier. I would imagine as a new grad and especially in a CC area the time will fly.
More and more hospitals are requiring contracts for new grads. The boom in new grads getting that "1 YEAR" and leaving to go back to school for the "better" paying jobs ie: CRNA and APRN that they are now having new grads sign a contract to get back the money they invested in training them.
Believe it or not it is expensive to train new grads and new nurses. Hospitals are losing money hand over fist in the new "1 year" and gone new grads.
I would be careful about working anywhere that makes you sign a contract. Nine times out of ten, the facilities that make you sign contracts have a hard time retaining staff. But out of the two offered, I would take the one that is offering higher pay.
More and more hospitals are requiring contracts for new grads. The boom in new grads getting that "1 YEAR" and leaving to go back to school for the "better" paying jobs ie: CRNA and APRN that they are now having new grads sign a contract to get back the money they invested in training them.
Believe it or not it is expensive to train new grads and new nurses. Hospitals are losing money hand over fist in the new "1 year" and gone new grads.
That's why I said I understand the reasoning, my first job they talked about in orientation how expensive it is to train a new grad and told us on average how much it costs. So I get it. I just had never heard of contracts for new grads being required until a few years ago at one of the hospitals I was working at. One of the new grads was complaining about being stuck in her contract and when we got to talking about it she was telling me how the hospitals end of the deal was her having a job. I had never heard of it prior. The same hospital is the one I had a contract at (not as a new grad) and only one I will ever do.
But I got a 10,000 sign on bonus and 5,000 moving expenses that included a month in an all inclusive extended stay hotel that was really nice.
I can definitely understand the hospitals motives for it though.
You are doing exactly what I would do. I understand the fear of signing a contract. I did too as a new grad (stayed almost 4 years when my contract was for 2). If u do end up signing one read to see if u can work at least prn at another hospital, some say you can't.
You have to understand the reason hospitals have new grads sign contracts. Depending on the hospital, some orientation periods that can last 8 months. For that time period, they are paying you (a staff member that cannot take a full assignment) and paying your preceptor extra to teach you. Its over $20k for just your orientation. They just don't want to train you, then have you apply to another hospital for a raise, because you now have experience.
As far as working in a level 1 trauma ICU, I understand the stress can be a lot. Most contracts that I've seen/ heard of say that you have to work for the hospital, not the department, so you can possibly ask for a transfer if it's too stressful.
Specializes in CrItical Care, Street Medicine/PHM, School nurse.
I finally get to mingle with the interwebs world again now that I am done with NCLEX!! Well, I kept the job with hospital A because they decided to honor my original offer. It was what I wanted so it worked out great in the end! I start Monday and am so excited about this. The hospital is now exclusively contract based for all its future fulltime nurses. I'm glad I was able to avoid that but now wonder for how long. Oh well, I'm happy just to be able to start my professional nursing career!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Sounds like the other hospital caught wind of the contract and decided that they didn't want to train new grads for an expensive price tag and have the potential to lose out on their investments either.
Not saying this is ideal but I would look at it from the hospital's point of view as your point of view is geared at protecting you as they only want to protect themselves.
Either way...if they are both decent places to work then I would be very thankful to even have a job offer.
Choose the hospital you prefer -- and not just because of the pay difference, either. I've found that these things tend to equal out. Hospital B may be paying more now, but hospital A may increase their pay if they find they need to do so to attract job candidates. Decide where you want to work the next two years, and sign the contract.
The contracts are necessary because so many new grads in the past few years get hired, cost the hospital thousands of dollars in orientation and then jump ship for "greener grass" or a "better opportunity" in a few months. It takes about two years to become a competent nurse, so job hopping new grads is a major problem. There are many threads about the topic.
Make the choice that you think will be best overall -- pay, working conditions, commute, colleagues, anything else you can consider. And prepare to be there for two years.
The first year of nursing is stressful, and it seems that most new grads hate their first jobs a few months in. After a year or two, when they're competent, they suddenly realize that they like their jobs after all. In order to get through that first year, you have to GO t though it. Realize that it's a big adjustment and you will likely hate your job for a time no matter which job you choose.
The Mass. Nurses' Association did a study back in the nineties on the cost of hiring/orienting nurses (not limited to new grads). If I remember correctly, acute med-surg nurses cost roughly $45,000 to orient fully. Critical care came in around $68,000. I'm sure costs are considerably higher now.
The contracts are necessary because so many new grads in the past few years get hired, cost the hospital thousands of dollars in orientation and then jump ship for "greener grass" or a "better opportunity" in a few months. It takes about two years to become a competent nurse, so job hopping new grads is a major problem. There are many threads about the topic.
Perhaps it's unlikely that all of these multiple individual ship-jumping, greener-grass-seeking new grads suffer from moral failure; perhaps there is an underlying problem in healthcare these days that is under the control and purview of the ones actually holding the cards, so-to-speak?
They absolutely made their own bed, and STILL hold the power to essentially force everyone else who loves acute care to lie in it.
IMO it's fairly twisted to blame a hospital's losses in this area on the side of the equation that actually holds NO power other than the ability to stay or leave.
Two years seems like a long time, but it goes ridiculously quickly when you're a new nurse. Your on orientation for several months, it's a year before you feel somewhat comfortable, and two years before you feel confident.
Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN
20,908 Posts
More and more hospitals are requiring contracts for new grads. The boom in new grads getting that "1 YEAR" and leaving to go back to school for the "better" paying jobs ie: CRNA and APRN that they are now having new grads sign a contract to get back the money they invested in training them.
Believe it or not it is expensive to train new grads and new nurses. Hospitals are losing money hand over fist in the new "1 year" and gone new grads.