quit without notice a year ago

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Hello all..a year ago I quit a hospital without notice, after the 3rd med/surg director in 6 months wanted me to perform duties that were not policy. Each one sited that "it will be policy soon". In order to protect my license I told them I would not do ANYTHING that was not currently approved, written policy. I had a major disagreement with the 3rd director about this stuff, and I ended up calling out sick to avoid her, and then quit once I found another job. Childish, yes, I know. I was a brand new nurse and felt like my license was on the line and no one cared but me. I have received a post card in the mail stating that they were looking for experienced tele RN's...which is what I have been doing since I left this particular facility. I am interested because they pay more then where I currently work. My question is do I apply and take my chances, call HR and find out if I am eligible for rehire, and do you think they would hold last year against me? I am not looking to be bashed for my choices a year ago as an RN for 6 months, I am looking for honest advice. Thanks..

Specializes in ICU.

oh there was a lot of proof of goings on which helped aid in the person being discharged from her job and losing her license, and how she attempted to get not only myself, but every nurse under her, to compromise her license. I can assure you that I have impulse control. I previously worked at this hospital in the capacity of a Surg tech for 11 years, 9 of which were without a single sick day. This is not my first job, nor even my first degree. I have been at my new facility for exactly the amount of time I have not been employed by the other facility, which is 13 months, without an issue. From the glowing reports I get from my peers, as well as perfect scores on my evaluations, I would say it has been seen, and proven, to this point.

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Specializes in ICU.

I agree with you that my name is probably just on their mailing list. I didn't sit here thinking, "oh, they must want me because they sent me a generic flyer". The reason I was interested was because right now money is everything. My husband was left disabled and I need to find a way to feed my kids, pay the mortgage, etc., based on the 2 incomes we previously had, and now we don't. I am also picking up extra shifts at the facility where I work, but there are only so many of those to go around.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

Might try looking at an agency for some extra shifts here and there, I wouldn't go back to the first place if you are happy where you are.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

If you quit without notice, it's very likely that you were tagged as Do Not Rehire. The only way to find out for certain if you are is to call HR and ask them. The fact that you got a recruitment card in the mail doesn't necessarily mean they'll hire you: as another poster said, they may have just run off a mailing list of any nurses they had in their database.

If you are a Do Not Rehire, you could try talking to HR or the manager to see if they are willing to reverse it. It may be possible, especially if you are a very qualified candidate for this position. Honestly though, I doubt they will, especially since there's plenty of candidates that they can choose from and they may be very skeptical taking another chance on you because in their minds, who's to say that you won't walk out on them again?

I'm not going to weigh in on whether what you did was justified as that's a debate for another thread. It definitely wasn't professional on your part...no matter what the circumstances were, the fact remains that you still left without giving notice, and they may very well hold that against you. HR doesn't always see things beyond black and white.

Good luck whatever you decide.

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Specializes in ICU.

Thank you to everyone for your advice, and words of wisdom. I am still torn if I should even bother to call or not. I know what I did was childish and unprofessional, and until recently I had not considered even contacting them. I am very happy where I work, and have heard that a few of my co-workers do home health as a second job. I think I might be better off seeing if I can pick up a couple of patients from them when they are short. Life changes on a whim, unfortunately, ready or not.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
I am very happy where I work, and have heard that a few of my co-workers do home health as a second job. .

In this day and age, if you are happy where you are currently working, I suggest you stay there. Whatever bad politics or administrative incompetence allowed those managers to exist in your first hospital are probably still relevant. Give THEM more time to change before you give up a job that is currently working for you.

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Specializes in OB, ER.

You are working in a place you are happy and you are considering leaving and going to a place you have already been and were unhappy??? A little money is not worth that! Maybe you could see if they would hire you temp so you could pick up a few shifts for extra money but there is no way I would leave a good job right now.

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My 2 cents... stay put. Take it from someone who had to leave a place of employment with 2 hours notice on what is called a "constructive discharge", which is a legal term meaning that any reasonable person would have quit given the circumstances. If you had a not so good situation before, there will always be a question in the back of someone's mind that you might not stick around again, you don't want that. You want a clean slate wherever you go. If you are happy where you are, stay there, but find other opportunities like the ones you've mentioned. Don't wish to go back somewhere you've already been, move forward with your life and opportunities will come to you.

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Specializes in ICU.

Thank you for all of the advice. I appreciate it.

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Specializes in LTC, Psych, M/S.

If they are desperate enough for experienced RN's that they have to send out flyers, they will rehire you. I am also living in a rural rocky mtn state and i've seen some crazy situations in which a RN was fired by a mgr but then rehired by a mgr taking the first mgr's place b/c that mgr was fired. lol. It seems high turnover is the norm. Kudos to everyone who works for respectable employers and has stable mgmt but i guess out here in the wild west quitting the job is all you can do to get out of the abusive situation/save your license and there is no room for a 2 wk notice.

But then, why are they so desperate for help? Perhaps they have chronic problems retaining staff d/t working conditions? If they are a nightmare to work for, a few dollars more an hour isn't worth it.

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DO NOT CALL THEM!

Calling them to ask if you are on a do not hire list will only alert them that you should be on the list even if you are not.

Just apply. If you are not contacted within a reasonable period of time, you can then call and see if you can determine why not.

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Specializes in CVICU.

If you really want to know, I would just call, but then again, I would not go back to that place, it sounds too shady.

What you did WAS NOT CHILDISH 2 week notice or none. If it's not written policy or not in your job description you don't do it. It's your license and you need to protect it.

I would have found another job and done the SAME THING because I'm not going down on that boat.

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