Resignation & New-Grad Internship Contract Question

Altra, BSN, RN · Jun 19, 2013

Read your contract, as it probably specifies exactly what happens in this situation.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jun 19, 2013

your contract should specify. Call HR for further edification

calivianya, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2013

With a lot of these kinds of contracts you won't have to pay back the full amount, just part of it based on how much of your time is left. Hopefully you'll only have to pay half of the $8000 back if you've already done a full year!

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Jun 20, 2013

The contract should be specific. If it is not, ask HR for guidance. Perhaps there's some sort of penalty for breaking the contract other than monetary pay out. If you have sick time, vacation, PTO--you could attempt to negotiate the amount of the contract with the time you have accumulated.

As a complete aside, usually a 4 week notice is needed. That is a huge risk to take should you need to find another job. And could be a huge benefit to you in the long run to give a month.

The first year of nursing is always the hardest. But sometimes life gets in the way. I would really think about if one more year, and the completion of the contract, is going to benefit you more in the long run. Nursing positions are very difficult to come by. And to have the year you put in be for little due to a potential "no re-hire" from HR may not be to your benefit.

PaxRN · Jun 20, 2013

When I signed a contract they made it clear that it was to the day or else I had to repay the full amount. I recently had to go from full time to part time due to family needs and they were willing to work with me. I do know one nurse that went to a prn position within the hospital and though they threatened to make her repay, they never made her. Can you change units/hours to satisfy your contract?

kguill975, MSN, APRN, NP · Jun 20, 2013

The contract should be specific. If it is not, ask HR for guidance. Perhaps there's some sort of penalty for breaking the contract other than monetary pay out. If you have sick time, vacation, PTO--you could attempt to negotiate the amount of the contract with the time you have accumulated.
As a complete aside, usually a 4 week notice is needed. That is a huge risk to take should you need to find another job. And could be a huge benefit to you in the long run to give a month.
The first year of nursing is always the hardest. But sometimes life gets in the way. I would really think about if one more year, and the completion of the contract, is going to benefit you more in the long run. Nursing positions are very difficult to come by. And to have the year you put in be for little due to a potential "no re-hire" from HR may not be to your benefit.

I've been a nurse in several places, and I've never seen the 4 week notice turn out well. Although, it's thoughtful, it sometimes gives your manager 4 weeks to assign you to the "sickest" patients, with no regard. If your hospital's resignation policy says 2 weeks notice is satisfactory, then just give 2 weeks. It's a tough enough decision without dragging out the inevitable for another 2 weeks.

bendyprissy · Jun 20, 2013

The contract does state repayment is required on a prorated basis but it does not mention taking your last check or PTO; however, just found out a previous RN with a contract there had her last check and PTO taken but she did not attempt to work with them initially. I knew about the repayment when I signed the contract and intend on speaking with HR immediately after handing in my notice to my NM to hopefully set up a repayment schedule without check comfiscation. Just wanted to know if anyone had experience with this.

Two weeks is required of floor nurses and four weeks of charge nurses at our hospital.

My entire goal is to be rehireable because you never know when you may need to cross that bridge again. While I realize the first year is the hardest, this unit is poorly run by management and is therefore unsafe. I was waiting to get my experience in order to work for a safer company. I have already been offered a position at a Magnet hospital that I have not heard any complaints about and look forward to my new direction. I realize there are challenges everywhere but I have to change before I quit this profession.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 21, 2013

I would discuss this with HR first for the best resolution and ask their opinion....even if yoiu woirk out a good resolution it doesn't mean they won't retaliate and make you a do not re-hire...you signed a contract and you are breaking it...they will not be happy. Sometimes you need to burn that bridge to survive.

Good luck!

dishes, BSN, RN · Jun 21, 2013

One thing I have always wondered about is how can these contracts be enforced legally? Have any American nurses gone to court over one of these contracts? In Canada, labour laws supercede contract laws, if a nurse broke an employment contract such as the one described by the OP, they would not be legally required to repay the employer. Employees have the legal right to quit a job and are not legally required to pay employers for the work they did at the job, so if a case like this went to court, the employer would lose.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2013

One thing I have always wondered about is how can these contracts be enforced legally? Have any American nurses gone to court over one of these contracts? In Canada, labour laws supercede contract laws, if a nurse broke an employment contract such as the one described by the OP, they would not be legally required to repay the employer. Employees have the legal right to quit a job and are not legally required to pay employers for the work they did at the job, so if a case like this went to court, the employer would lose.

Here's the deal. In the US, many nurses who sign contracts receive 'sign-on bonuses,' which are basically lump sums paid in exchange for working for a certain employer for a specified amount of time.

If a nurse in the US is receiving a $10,000 sign-on bonus in exchange for working at ABC Hospital for two years, the $10,000 is not considered payment for services that the nurse has rendered. It is considered a bonus, an extra, an enticement that must be repaid if the nurse fails to live up to his/her agreement to work at ABC Hospital for the entire two years.

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · Jun 23, 2013

Back in the day, we did go after the nurses who broke the 3 year contract and we always won a judgement against them. As for collecting, I have no idea how that went if they weren't just intimidated by the court into repaying. I don't know if the hospital bothered to put liens against property, etc. I wasn't privy to that information. I do know that not every hospital in our area (research triangle NC) went after collections. Our sign-on bonus was substantial, and we expected people to keep up their end of the bargain so we made examples of the few people who did not. It sounds as if you already know what you are going to do, so I'd just ask the best way to go about it.