Quitting Nursing: How to Navigate a Resignation Conversation

• You have thought over the decision, evaluated your next steps, and finally reached the conclusion to leave your current nursing job. 

• But, where do you go from here? What do you say to your chief nursing officer (CNO) or supervisor?  

• Whether it is a complete professional change or just switching specialties, quitting nursing is hard enough as is, and we want to help you navigate this situation as best you can.  Let’s dive in on how to begin an effective resignation conversation!
  

1. Plan a One-on-One Meeting with Your CNO or Supervisor

Employment experts at Indeed highlight that you should request this meeting to be held in person.  

Why? It upholds professionalism and allows for a more organic dialogue to flow between the two of you.  

As we have witnessed over the past year, COVID-19 has resulted in a vast array of virtual conferencing platforms, so if you are unable to request this meeting in person, virtual hosting will work.  

We understand that planning one-on-one meetings can cause high stress and anxiety, so management efficiency organization, Fellow, offers a few tips on how you can ease your pre-meeting nerves: 

1. Expect, accept, and do it anyway 
2. Practice your one-on-one meeting skills 
3. Prepare 
4. Get in the right state of mind 
5. Call in help if needed 

2. Compose a Resignation Letter

When it comes to quitting nursing, having a resignation letter on hand prior to your meeting with your CNO or supervisor is extremely important.  

A few things to note in your resignation letter:

• Keep it brief,

• Outline what you have gained through the experience,

• Conclude with a ‘Thank you for the opportunity’ and address it to your CNO or supervisor.

These may all seem obvious, but it truly can and will make a difference in you leaving on good or bad terms. Keep in mind that you may need to use this employer as a reference one day.

Allow your resignation letter to serve as an outline for your resignation conversation and be sure to keep an extra copy for yourself! Ensure that you bring your resignation letter with you to serve as documentation once the meeting has ended. 

3. Begin the Conversation: Key Points to Mention

This is the moment you have been waiting for, and although some nerves may still be present, you feel confident in your decision and are ready to begin the process of quitting nursing (or your current position, that is).  

• Provide an explanation

What you decide to disclose to your supervisor or CNO is completely up to you. This could be from your future job plans to your exact reasoning for leaving.  

It is essential that you avoid using any inflammatory language during this explanation, as you do not want to leave on bad terms.  

However, if you are leaving due to safety concerns, it would be beneficial to your previous coworkers as well as management for your supervisor or CNO to have this information, so be sure to include this if you are comfortable in doing so.  

• Offer to assist with transitioning or training your replacement

With burnout and turnover rates reaching all-time highs and patient care suffering as a result, it is vital that new nurses are being trained properly.  

Offering to train or transition a new nurse who will be filling your position upon your exit will prove to your employer that you are taking the initiative to leave on as good of terms as possible.  

Of course, if they are unhappy with your decision, it is common for them to decline the offer, however, it does not hurt for you to ask in the first place.  

In the event that you do train or transition a new employee, do not speak negatively about the facility, as this will reflect poorly on you and jeopardize your chances of being rehired in the future.  

• Give your last date

If you take anything from this post, please be certain that you not only establish an ending date in your resignation letter, but also in your resignation conversation. 

It is best practice to always give at least two weeks’ notice of your last day when quitting nursing (or any job, really).  

• Thank your CNO or supervisor

Despite any personal feelings for or against your supervisor or CNO, it is in your best interest to thank them for the opportunity of employment.  

Also, try to briefly touch on what you learned or gained through this work experience.

Including these few tidbits will help seal the deal to ending on good terms with your management team in the event that you need to use them as a reference for a new job or be rehired in the future! 

Read More