Quitting my first job!

Nurses Career Support

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I have been working on a stressful floor for the last year and a half of nursing, and out of the blue got a call from an office I'd applied to a couple months back and had my interview for a home health position. They had me do a ride along so that I could see if it was still something I was interested in pursuing and if they were interested in pursuing me after a couple days of shadowing. I got a call on Friday from the manager and she says she plans to call my references on Monday and by Friday should have an official offer, but she says that as long as that checks out, I have the job! I'm so excited...but now the hard part.

I need to quit my current job. We schedule weeks out so the schedule is already made through March, but I'm supposed to start my new job by the first of March. I'm nervous to put in my two weeks notice, which is what I'm doing after the official offer is made, but I know it needs to get done. So how do I navigate this? I think my supervisor and colleagues will be pretty surprised, as I've kept very quiet about my intentions to leave. I am not sure if I need to do something in writing as well as in person, and I work currently Friday/Saturday/Sunday so I won't see my Boss until Friday and if I don't catch her before she leaves I may not be able to give a full two weeks notice (I don't want to work the Sunday before my first shift!) So basically, is there anything besides a letter that's common courtesy? I would offer to stay to train a replacement but it's a state hospital and even getting the position posted and filled could take months, and I don't want to promise anywhere near that much time. Any suggestions for broaching this? A compounded issue is that we have a very low nurse retention rate on this floor because of multiple reasons, and last time someone quit they said my boss looked like she was going to cry and I know I'm going to feel bad for leaving but I really, really need to do this for my health.

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Never quit a job or put in notice until you have a new offer in writing in your hand. Then you need to give your current employer a full 2 weeks notice (at least) in writing. Just tell your new job you can start the following week after you work your full notice. Some places require more than 2 weeks so check your manual.

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Congrats. Its no worry. YOu write a nice short letter of resignation and give 2 weeks notice and specify what day will be your last. After that day, the schedule at your old place is no longer your worry....

Again, best of luck and CONGRATS!!

Cheers!!

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Never quit a job or put in notice until you have a new offer in writing in your hand. Then you need to give your current employer a full 2 weeks notice (at least) in writing. Just tell your new job you can start the following week after you work your full notice. Some places require more than 2 weeks so check your manual.

They can "require" more than two weeks all they want. However, 2 weeks is the norm and they can snort and cry all they want.....they can hope for or suggest more than 2 weeks but there is no legal way that they can "require" it......

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Don't allow the schedule issues to delay your resignation. Not only should it be in writing delivered safely to your supervisor's office, but you could also send an email advising her of the delivery of the letter. You definitely don't want your departure to be a cause of hard feelings feelings and/or a delay due to notice not having been properly delivered and received.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

Make sure you take a copy of the letter to HR (have them date stamp it as received and make a copy for you) and keep a copy for yourself. Sometimes managers can be sneaky and claim they never received the notification. My old manager pulled this stunt on me but I had proof otherwise which left her no leg to stand on.

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Specializes in Pedi.
They can "require" more than two weeks all they want. However, 2 weeks is the norm and they can snort and cry all they want.....they can hope for or suggest more than 2 weeks but there is no legal way that they can "require" it......

Giving notice is not law, it's a courtesy. There is no law that says "employers cannot request/require more than 2 weeks notice." If you are an at-will employee with no contract you can give as little or as much notice as you want but giving less than your employer requests can leave you marked "ineligible for rehire". That's never a good position to be in and it's never a good idea to burn bridges so the best thing to do is give the amount of notice the company expects unless it's impossible to do so.

OP, once you have an offer from the new job, approach your manager (resignation letter in hand) and ask to speak with her. Tell her you have accepted another position and are submitting your resignation for your current one- effective on X date. Then hand her the letter and be done with it. The schedule is not your problem.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

PPs are providing excellent advice re: making sure your exit is graceful and professional.

In your resignation letter, be sure to point out all the positives. "It is with very mixed feelings that I . . . " "I appreciate the opportunity to learn so much from you and my co-workers" and of course "I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but I have already made a commitment to begin my new job on ______"

They (HR) may also want you to complete an exit interview. This is sometimes conducted by a 3rd party, especially if they are trying to get the real story about why people are leaving. If you are asked to do so, be sure to determine whether your confidentiality will be guaranteed. Otherwise, you may not want to be completely truthful.

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Thanks so much to you all! Don't worry, I won't quit until I have a written offer, its just that the verbal.offer has gotten me thinking about the next steps. I have talked to a couple other of my coworkers that quit and it seems like it is pretty straightforward. Just a letter or email they said will suffice, as long as it is in writing. My biggest issue is timing but I'm hoping my new job will be okay putting off my orientation for a week so I can successfully switch sleep schedules prior to starting my new job. I cannot wait to quit, I am so excited about this new opportunity. I haven't told anyone but the coworkers I need for references, so I'm a little concerned about people's reactions, but I suppose that can't be helped.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Actually, you need to check your policy manual re: resignation protocol. My place of employment requires 4 weeks notice. Sometimes, 2 weeks is not the norm.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Agree with joanna73 ... there is no law dictating how much notice employers can "require" when you separate from your job. However, unless you live in a state where state law dictates otherwise, you may need to meet the employer's policy requirements in order to retain benefits such as eligibility for rehire and payment for vacation/sick/PTO time accrued up until your last day of employment.

OP -- your employer has a human resources policy manual, whether in a binder or online on the facility's intranet. Find it. It will have all the info you need on the procedure to follow to separate from your job.

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