Resigning

[Sinah]

What are your thoughts on quitting a position without giving two weeks notice? I have never done this before; but I feel that my license is at risk! I've tried talking to my manager, but then felt like I was being hazed after speaking up. I have witnessed unsafe staff ratios, and unlicensed techs push meds! It's unprofessional to just up and quit, but they're working under my license. What would you do?

[Sinah]

Ruby, I am not a new grad, and my decision had nothing to do with staffing shortages, but witnessing unlicensed workers giving medication via IV push! Either way I gave notice, and was offered a different position within the same company but different facility. Thanks for the responses.

[Sinah]

As nurses, I am sure that we've all been in situations where we've felt that more staff was needed on the unit for patient safety; but how many of us have seen an aide give IV medications? Sorry, I have not, but that was a deal breaker for me....

[Future FNP 14]

Sinah, you are obligated to report this to the state. You can do this anonymous. It's the law, and ethical.

[DidiRN]

I'm guessing you may be in dialysis, where unlicensed techs push Heparin. Not sure if it's ok in all 50 states, but in mine they are allowed to. At least for a year until they can pass the licensing exam for a dialysis technician. The big two companies won't keep them if they don't pass the exam within a year, so it may be company policy or state requirement, I'm not sure.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Ruby, I am not a new grad, and my decision had nothing to do with staffing shortages, but witnessing unlicensed workers giving medication via IV push! Either way I gave notice, and was offered a different position within the same company but different facility. Thanks for the responses.

Sorry. I looked at the wrong profile.

[GinginRN]

The place you were working at apparently only cared for the almighty dollar, instead of patient safety. I would have left too. Imagine working on a short staffed shift, and having some type of critical event occur. Do you believe the company would back the RN? In most cases not. I have witnessed this in the past, with the company attempting to go after the nurse's license. It's more economical to obtain employment elsewhere, than having to hire an attorney to represent one in front of the nursing board.

[ceccia]

Nevertheless, it's a popular "reason" given by new grads for quitting their jobs without notice, or for quitting after just a few months.

I doubt your license is really at risk. Do the right thing. Give notice.

"the right thing" for whom? When I quit a job without notice after a month, it was technically due to understaffing. They purposely understaffed and then pushed us to falsify documentation (i.e. make up vital signs, write down that we did hourly checks and turned people in bed instead of actually doing it because "obviously you don't have time to actually do XYZ", etc.) instead of THEM doing the RIGHT THING and hiring an adequate amount of staff! I am not okay with lying and making things up, and I didn't trust anyone in management at that place. If they are dishonest enough to tell us to lie and then give us a hard time if we refuse, they would probably also be the type to "misplace" a resignation letter and fire an employee for some BS made-up reason if they attempted to resign. So yeah, I quit without notice and that was the right thing to do.