Quit Without Notice

Dear Nurse Beth,

In the past I worked at a nursing home and I quit without two weeks notice because the facility was an unsafe work environment and damaging my health. The same company owns hospitals in my town and now I'm concerned that as a future RN I won't be hired there because I quit without two weeks notice because my physical health was being endangered. In addition, now I work at a hospital, and I have been there for 5 months; however, I am considering quitting because I feel like school is getting too hard for me to work and be a student at the same time. If I quit and give two weeks notice will this hurt my job prospects in the future?

Dear Quit Without Notice,

Quitting without notice may have landed you a "Do Not Re-Hire" status with the facility and the company if they share HR functions. Within a system, HR or a recruiter at one facility can easily call a previous manager at another facility for a reference.

If you quit the job you are at now after giving two weeks notice, it will not necessarily hurt your job prospects, but it will still show as a short tenure since you've only been there 5 months. Can you go part-time? If the

hospital you are working in is one where you want to be employed later as an RN, it is to your advantage to stay on and build working relationships.

Put yourself in the place of a future employer. Some day when you are interviewed, you may be asked:

"You held jobs for a very short time, and quit without notice. Tell us why we should hire you"

In the future, pick your jobs carefully and apply to reputable facilities with safe work environments. Evaluate how much is on your plate and your capacity so you do not make commitments you cannot keep. Good luck in your studies.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!