Over at the Network 54 CNA Forum a CNA brought forth an issue that must be addressed. This is about giving proper notice when an employee decides to quit their job.

NO MATTER what, a CNA must give a two week notice in order to be considered for re-hire status. Also, it’s the right thing to do. Think about it. If an aide is scheduled to work many shifts but suddenly quits, it leaves ALL those shifts open and often unfilled. Who suffers? The residents, patients, clients fist and foremost. Then the aides left behind to do the extra work. Management has to fill the position and do all the human resource things associated with this: Background checks, abuse registry check, hiring, orientation, mentor-ship if there is any, and on the job training.

In any line of work, it is considered absolutely vital to give at least two weeks notice of intention to leave a position. If one holds a college degree, usually this is a four week or one month notice.

In the Network 54 thread, the aide uses the excuse she was sick and couldn’t manage to work- which is a reasonable issue but would have been better handled a different way. She should have gone to her doctor and got a note excusing her from work for several days. We cannot expect to just ask for time off with no notice and get it. The DON refused to grant the aides request.
The aide quit her job..and then when she felt better she tried to go back to work at the nursing home. She was told she wasn’t eligible for re-hire, because she walked off her job. Her action had a consequence.

While I sympathize for this aide, I also resent that she felt it was appropriate to simply quit. And leave her co workers the brunt of the work, probably many unfilled shifts of hours open and most importantly, left the residents in jeopardy of poor care. Had she brought in a doctors note we would have seen the same thing, perhaps. But at least we would know she was truly ill (which I don’t doubt) and management would have kept her on staff; she would have returned to work and spared us all the time and effort of training new hires and all that.

Giving proper notice for leaving a job is just the right thing to do. When it isn’t done, there are many who pay the price.