Quitting PRN job after two months due to a dream job offer

Nurses Career Support

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Specializes in ICU.

Is two months too soon to quit a PRN position? Will future employers look at this negatively if I give two weeks notice? I just got offered an ICU position at a trauma center. This is pretty much my dream job. I'm SUPER excited. It will give me the experience that I need for grad school. They're going to train me, and the first month of my training will require me to be there 5 days a week because of the class component. I also want to be as flexible as possible with this job.

The PRN position requires 6 shifts/month on the night shift, which I think will pretty much be impossible during my orientation at the FT job. I took the PRN job for the pay (600 a shift-good for the area of CA I live in) and to just get more experience. I am the only male on the unit, and I feel like I don't really fit in with the culture there (although everyone is very nice). One of the charge RNs frequently asks me why I work on such a girly unit (kind of an awkward question for me haha). I plan on staying per diem at my VA job since it requires only two shifts a month and I get to keep my benefits and keep my foot in the door in case things don't work out with grad school. I wouldn't mind working this new job and the VA for the long term since It would afford me two pensions.

Will future employers look at me as a job hopper? I've been with my current full-time employer for 4 years (one year in a non-RN role), and an agency (which I haven't worked for the past two months) for about two years. I'm just scared that leaving after two months will look bad. Do you think this hospital will DNR me? I don't want to be DNRd because their sister hospital has a CVICU that I would possibly like to work in since it looks good on a CRNA application.

Should I put in my two week notice in order to focus on becoming a good ICU nurse? Or should I just suck it up and have no life and work every day while being in orientation at my other job?

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Ordinarily I'd vote for sucking it up for the couple of weeks, because you are young enough to do it :) and because, no matter what you think, you may need that PRN job later. But since you are already well-ensconced in a Plan B (the VA prn job), I'd say, "Go for it!"

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Specializes in L&D.

I don't have an answer for you but am in a similar position.

I started a PRN job Nov 10th and it's nights which isn't working for me.

So I started applying for other things. Got a one day a week clinical instructor job that starts in Jan and interviewed Friday for my dream job - NICU, PRN, day shift and they would train me. Like you said I'm guessing orientation would be intense and not sure I could keep up with the teaching AND my current PRN job in L&D at the same time.

Plus I hate night shift and that's where their needs are mostly.

IF I get the NICU job I'd guess it wouldn't start till Feb or maybe even March.

So maybe I could put in 3-4 months before quitting.

I'm still on orientation there for another week so they haven't even gotten any mileage out of me yet!

I feel bad letting people down.

But if I get the NICU job, and the L&D job won't let me do days, I think I'll quit.

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Specializes in L&D.

Oh and to make my situation more complicated - for the clinical instructor job I will be going to the L&D floor where I currently work PRN and may quit soon.

So I have to leave on good terms!

I think I will though. The manager seems understanding. When I told her nights wasn't working she was sympathetic but I got the impression she wouldn't be surprised if I quit.

I think they've lost a lot of staff lately who just can't handle nights.

I know they'd be disappointed but I have to do what's best for my career, mental health and family (I have a 2 year old)

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Is two months too soon to quit a PRN position?

There's never a need to resign from any PRN position. Just stop signing up for shifts. When the scheduler or unit manager calls, tell them you do not know what your availability will be, and therefore, you cannot sign up for future shifts at this time.

Once an arbitrary number of days passes without you having worked a shift at the PRN job (usually 30 to 60 days), your status as an employee will autoterminate by default, which looks better than resigning after two months. In nursing, autotermination of a PRN employee is neutral and a very normal occurrence that will not count against you.

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Specializes in L&D.
There's never a need to resign from any PRN position. Just stop signing up for shifts. When the scheduler or unit manager calls, tell them you do not know what your availability will be, and therefore, you cannot sign up for future shifts at this time.

Once an arbitrary number of days passes without you having worked a shift at the PRN job (usually 30 to 60 days), your status as an employee will autoterminate by default, which looks better than resigning after two months. In nursing, autotermination of a PRN employee is neutral and a very normal occurrence that will not count against you.

Really?? While, I like the idea of avoiding an awkward quitting conversation, I feel like that would looked down by a manager and if you want to leave on good terms better to be honest and leave them enough notice.

Curious what others have to say about that...

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If you have only worked there a couple of months why even include it on your resume? I once took a job as a case manager that ended up being so awful I left after less than a month. I do not even include it in my work history and potential employers know nothing about it. Work out a proper notice and take that dream job! Good luck!

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Specializes in ICU.

I wish I could auto-terminate this position, but they require that I schedule 6 shifts with them three weeks prior to the shift start date. Can't employers refuse to hire you if you don't put a job on your resume and they find out via a background check? I don't want to leave on bad terms with this place, but I'm thinking that it just wasn't good timing and that I would be a fool if I didn't pursue this new job.

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Specializes in ICU.

Yup...pretty much got dumped on last night. No teamwork.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Really?? While, I like the idea of avoiding an awkward quitting conversation, I feel like that would looked down by a manager and if you want to leave on good terms better to be honest and leave them enough notice.
After having been in this industry for a decade, I can say with certainty that PRN employees do not need to provide a notice of resignation. Autotermination is definitely the worry-free way to go.

In addition, managers would rather deal with a straightforward autotermination (read: no legal ramifications) than grant someone a Do Not Rehire (DNR) status or involuntarily terminate one's employment, both of which have legal risks associated without the appropriate documentation to back them up.

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