The healthcare profession is progressive in nature, and your current employer could be appointed as your employer in the future once again, or be required to provide you with the reference that you need to secure future employment opportunities. Therefore, when you decide to resign from your current job as a nurse, it is always a good practice to send in a professional and well-composed nurse resignation letter for notifying your employer of your intent to leave and giving him/her ample time to deal with the transition phase.
This article will provide you with a comprehensive guide on resigning as a nurse, how to write the nurse resignation letter, and valuable tips to help you draft a letter that will help strengthen your professional relationship with your employer.
What is a Nurse Resignation Letter?
A nurse resignation letter is a written notice letting the healthcare facility administration know about your plans to leave your current position. Writing the letter is not the only step you take while leaving your nursing job. It is a great idea to let your superiors know about your plans to leave formally. Besides, depending on your current position, you should try to leave as much notice time period at hand as needed to enable a smooth transition process for the hospital or medical facility a well as yourself.
You may need to address your nurse resignation letter to your immediate manager, human resource representative, or your employer almost 6-8 weeks prior to your leaving, but this may vary depending on the demands of your current job and your company’s policies.
How to Resign as a Nurse
Resigning from your current post may be a necessary step when you need to accept a new position or you want to pursue a completely different career path. Perhaps, you might have gotten a better offer at a different medical facility, or you intend to take a break until you find another job opportunity where you can relocate and settle permanently, or you want to quit solely for personal reasons.
Regardless of your reason for resigning, your goal is to not leave a bad impression and therefore break professional ties with your current employer but create and maintain a good impression long after your departure by writing a nurse resignation letter.
Here is how to resign from your position as a nurse gracefully:
Gather your emotions
Resigning from a nursing position can be very difficult, especially if you have had a positive working experience at your current workplace. Thus, before you inform your superiors of your intent to leave, take your time to deliberate the consequences of such a decision, evaluate your reasons for wanting to quit, and anticipate any potential challenges you’ll face after this step.
Consult with the management
As soon as you decide to leave the organization, notify your immediate supervisor before breaking the news to your colleagues. It is standard practice to do so in person. However, telephone notice should only suffice if a face-to-face meeting is impossible. This is considered the most respectful and courteous way to begin your resignation process.
Give notice
Check your employee handbook to determine how much notice you need to give. The notice period to provide usually varies with the different organizations and depends on your position or length of service within the hospital. If your employee handbook does not state the notice period to give, be sure to check with the human resources department in your workplace.
Write a resignation letter
Once you have given the management a verbal notice, submit a formal written nurse resignation letter. The letter should be addressed to the relevant person that is your immediate supervisor in most cases. You should then send a copy of the letter to your department director, if applicable, and the human resources department. Additionally, date the letter the same day as your verbal resignation and sign it to avoid causing confusion about your plans.
Writing a Nurse Resignation Letter
A practical nurse resignation letter should be brief and straightforward. You should only include essential information, focus only on your job’s positive aspects, and write the letter like any professional correspondence.
Here is the basic structure of a practical nurse resignation letter:
Letterhead
Begin your letter with a formal letterhead that includes your name, title/position in the organization, contact information, and address. The nurse resignation letterhead will also contain the current date and the recipient’s personal information. Typically, the recipient’s information includes the supervisor’s name, title, and the facility’s address.
Salutation/introduction
Next, write a formal salutation addressed to the recipient of the letter using their correct name and title to set the tone for the rest of your letter and create some form of rapport. Afterward, provide a short and straightforward introductory paragraph summarizing the purpose of the nurse resignation letter. The information in the introductory paragraph includes a statement indicating your intent to resign and the effective resignation date. In most cases, a two-week notice to quit is considered sufficient time. Be sure to meet the organization’s basic resignation requirement to ensure you exit the organization on good terms.
Body of the letter
The body paragraph of the nurse resignation letter is usually short. It includes a brief explanation of why you are leaving the job, what you have learned from your current position, favorable outcomes, and an offer to help your employer with the transition.
Providing a specific reason for leaving your post as a nurse is entirely optional but consider providing a more general reason if you decide to include it. Do not detail your reasons too much and avoid including any negative statements regarding your colleagues or the employer. Instead, emphasize only the positive aspects of your job and show appreciation for the numerous opportunities and learning experiences you have gained during your tenure in the position. Besides, thank your supervisors and co-workers for their help and support in making your working environment conducive.
Finally, offer to help your employer with the transition process. Although this is optional, it is a nice gesture that will help strengthen your relationship with the employer. For example, you can state in the letter that you are willing and available to help train the nurse who will replace you or ask the employer to let you know how you can help them during the notice period.
Important: The nurse resignation letter is not the appropriate document to criticise, complain or seek revenge. Thus resist any temptation to do so because the letter will become part of your permanent employment record.
Conclusion
The conclusion is your chance to thank the employer for the job opportunity and the experience they have facilitated for you during your time in the company. It should also include an appropriate sign-off phrases such as sincerely, regards, thank you, etc., followed by your name and signature.
Template & Sample
Given below are the template and samples you can use to write your letter:
Template
[Employee’s name]
[Employee’s title/job position]
[Employee’s address and contact information]
Date]
[Receiver’s name]
[Receiver’s title]
[Medical Facility’s name]
[Medical Facility’s address]
Dear [Receiver’s full name]
This resignation letter is to formally notify you of my intent to resign from my position as a [state your job position] at [provide the hospital’s name], effective on [write your intended final working day]. As per the hospital’s policy on the resignation notice period, this is a [ state the notice period, e.g., two weeks, four weeks, six weeks, etc.].
Working at [mention the hospital’s name] has been a gratifying experience, and I have had the pleasure of working with world-class experts in the medical industry. Each day has been a learning experience, presenting different challenges and obstacles that my colleagues and I were able to find solutions to, which has helped me become the nurse I am today. My mentor’s advice and continuous guidance have enabled me to develop the skills and expertise needed to move on to the next chapter in my career, and for that, I will forever be indebted to you.
I understand the challenges that my resignation may cause to the normal functioning of the [mention the department/ward you are currently working in]. However, I am available and willing to help you and the team smoothly transition. Kindly inform me how I can help you during the notice period.
Thank you for your understanding of this matter and for allowing me the opportunity to work in an environment that is often hectic yet incredibly rewarding. I wish all my team members and the entire hospital staff the best in their future endeavors.
Sincerely,
[Employee’s typed name and title]
[Employee’s signature]
Sample
December 4, 20xx
Smith Doe
Hospital Administrator
Mercy Corps Hospital
400 Pharmacy Lane
Arizona, AR 56432
Dear Mr. Doe,
Please accept this letter as my formal resignation as a nurse at Mercy Corps Hospital. My last day of employment will be December 16, 20xx, considering the mandatory two weeks’ notice. I will be proceeding for my graduate studies in a month.
In the past 12 years, I have learned a lot in this hospital besides using my skills and talent to serve the patients. My colleagues and the administration have been quite supportive and understanding.
I’m grateful to you all for the opportunity to work in this hospital. Please let me know if you need my assistance in finding and training a suitable replacement for my position.
Once more, thank, and I wish you all the best at Mercy Corps Hospital
Sincerely,
Chris Dan
Staff Nurse
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Sample (Email Format)
Subject: Resignation- Mike Brown
Dear Ms. Daniela,
I write this letter to inform you of my decision to resign from my position as the Nursing coordinator at Seniors Retirement Home, effective on November 30, 20XX.
I have had a rewarding career in his institution for the past seventeen years, but unfortunately, my family will be relocating to Europe in the coming month.
I will miss the patients and the fantastic team of coworkers for the support, cooperation, and love they have shown over the years. Although this was not an easy decision to make, I’m consoled by the fact that I offered my best for all the years I have worked at Seniors Retirement Home.
In the meantime, let me know how it can be of help to ensure a smooth transition. I wish the best to all staff and seniors.
Respectfully yours,
Barbara Thomas
Free Samples
Download free templates given below:
Resignation Letter Writing Tips
You must follow proper resignation etiquette and leave on good terms when resigning from your job. Always resist the temptation to depart the company without notice or sufficient notice. It is also advisable to refrain from disrespecting your employer or making other disparaging comments-either verbally or in your formal resignation letter.
The following are valuable tips to consider ensuring that you move forward with a clean and impressive employment record.
For resignation letter
If you decide to submit a written hard copy of your nurse resignation letter, consider the following valuable tips to make it effective:
Keep it brief
Resignation letters ought to be brief and straightforward. You should only include the most critical information and avoid being too detailed when explaining why you want to leave the organization. Keep the document to a single page’s length and make the word count 500-600 words only.
Follow the business letter format
While writing the nurse resignation letter, you must follow the business letter format. This involves using a font style and size that is easy to read and professional. The appropriate font style is either Calibri Body, Arial Black, or Times New Roman. The letter’s font size should be between 10 and 12 for readability purposes, and the text should be single-spaced. Besides, align the text to the left and use 1-inch margins throughout to make it seem professional.
Grammatical and punctuation error-free
Before submitting your nurse resignation letter to the respective recipient, proofread it to ensure that it is grammatically correct and error-free. The letter will be kept in your personal file as a permanent record; thus, you should make sure the written information is accurate and portrays you as a professional employee.
Sign the letter
It is also crucial to sign the letter before submitting it to the management. You can sign it electronically or print a typed copy and sign it manually. Signing the letter is essential because it makes your intention to leave clear, without causing any confusion about your plans.
For resignation email
Given that you decide to resign via email instead of a printed copy, similar principles of writing will apply. Still, it would be best to consider the following additional tips to resign from your position gracefully:
Informative subject
Include a clear and informative subject line that immediately informs the recipient of the letter in the email. This ensures that your email does not end up in the receiver’s spam folder or is not ignored altogether.
Use of standard resignation elements
It is standard practice to skip the letterhead part when creating a resignation email. However, the format and content of the rest of the email should generally be the same as that of a hard copy resignation letter.
Check your format
Before sending the email, consider sending the final email to your address first to ensure the formatting and the electronic signature are formatted as desired.
Attach a copy of the letter
Finally, it is also vital that you attach a copy of your formal resignation letter either in MS Word or PDF format to make it easier for the recipient to print or save your document electronically for future reference.
Conclusion
A nurse resignation letter is an important document that notifies your employer about your intent to leave your current place of employment, your reason for leaving, and the intended departure date. Regardless of your reason for wanting to exit the organization, your letter should be professionally written and formatted, and the tone used should be positive.
In addition, it would help to give sufficient notice to allow your colleagues and the employer enough time to adjust to the loss, and a copy of the letter should be given to your immediate supervisor, the HR department, and the hospital administrators.Thus resigning courteously and professionally might help leave a lasting impression and keep a positive employment record.
