Placed on Administrative Leave

Lorie Brown RN, MN, JD · Aug 31, 2018

Something happened at work and now I'm being placed on administrative leave. What does this mean?

I am sorry to hear this. Most employers place employees on administrative leave when they want to investigate a situation. The problem that you have is that, if the investigation results in termination, which unfortunately in my experience, often does, but it does depend on the facts. You will want to resign before you get fired. If you are fired, you will have to report this on all of your future jobs. You cannot leave out this position on any job applications. Many nurses feel that they love their job or that there are no other job openings where they live. However, it again is better to resign than to be terminated. If on future job applications it asks if you are terminated in lieu of resignation, you may need to answer "yes" to that as well.

Also, if you are placed on administrative leave, it is considered the same as a suspension and it will have to be reported on your license renewal if your state requires you to do so even if you resign. I hope this helps you to understand the concept of administrative leave and what to do about it.