How To Write A Nursing Resignation Letter

Leaving a nursing job almost always means putting it in writing. A resignation letter is a short, formal document, but it goes in your personnel file and follows you through references and future networking. Get it right and you leave with your reputation intact.

Turnover is part of the profession. The NSI National Health Care Retention Report tracks it every year: hospital RN turnover peaked at about 27% during the pandemic in 2021 and has since dropped back to 16.4% in 2024. Whether you are switching units, switching employers, or leaving bedside nursing entirely, you notify your employer formally, and you do it without burning bridges.

Before You Write

Give as much notice as you can. Two weeks is the floor. Many nurses give four to six weeks so the unit has time to hire and train a replacement. More notice protects the relationships you will lean on later.

Check your contract before you commit to a date. If you accepted tuition reimbursement or a sign-on bonus tied to a service commitment, you may owe money back if you leave early.

It also helps to write from a distance. Picture yourself 10 years out, when today's frustrations have faded. What will you wish you had, or had not, said? Write from that version of yourself. Caretakers tend to feel guilty putting themselves first, and that guilt has no place in a resignation letter.

Talk to your manager before the letter lands. Many organizations have a set resignation process: documents to update, specific people who need a copy. Knowing the process ahead of time keeps the exit clean.

What to Include

A resignation letter is straightforward. Include:

• The date you wrote it
• Your contact information (name, title, address)
• The organization's information and the name of the person it is addressed to
• A clear opening line stating that this is your resignation
• Your last day of work
• Your signature

You can add a brief reason for leaving and a line of gratitude about your time there. That ends things on a positive note even if the job did not go the way you hoped.

Example

James Thomas, RN 1151 Broadway Street Tecumseh, Nebraska 68450

January 5, 2023

Grace Paris, RN, BSN, MSN Unit Manager, ICU Johnson County Hospital 202 High Street Tecumseh, Nebraska 68450

Dear Ms. Paris,

This letter is my formal resignation from my position as a staff nurse in the ICU at Johnson County Hospital. My last day of work will be February 3, 2023.

Working in the ICU has been rewarding. I learned a great deal about working with a team and picked up leadership skills from the way you ran our unit. Thank you for the opportunity.

If it would help, I am glad to assist in training my replacement. You can reach me at JThomas@yyyy.com or 555-555-5555.

Respectfully,

James Thomas, RN

cc: Human Resources

Three Things to Keep in Mind

You have nothing to feel guilty about. Moving to a role that fits your skills is not a betrayal. It opens your old position for someone who might thrive in it, and it grows your own career. Leave the guilt at the door.

Make it easy to read. Keep it short and use a standard font. For a printed letter, use a serif font like Times New Roman. For email, a sans serif like Arial or Calibri at size 12 reads cleanly. Proofread it. This document represents your professionalism, so make sure it is correct and complete.

Sending it by email. Keep the content the same, but write a clear subject line so it gets opened, for example "James Thomas, Notice of Resignation." You can skip the contact header at the top, but attach a PDF copy so your employer can print or file it.