Should this new grad decline this job offer?

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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I'm new the boards and this is my first post. I graduated from Medical Assisting school back in January of this year after completing my externship. I know this is a nursing board, but maybe someone can help a girl out. Since graduating, I've been job searching. I've had a couple dream interviews, but was not offered a position.

I had an interview a couple weeks ago for a Medical Assisting position. Everyone was so nice and talked positively about working for this particular company, but I had mixed feelings. I would not be using the majority of the skills I learned in school. All I would be doing is vital signs (automatic BP machine), HT/WT, and measuring limbs. Another con is the job requires travel and I wouldn't get to choose the locations and some are 2 hours away from where I live. The main office is 50 miles away and I would have to go the day before I work to get my site information and patient charts. I worked so hard in school and I would love to be able to use more of my skills. I had a successful interview yesterday for a job I really want, so I sold myself as best I could. If offered this job I would get to use my clinical and admin. skills and have the chance to network, which is great because I want to go NP someday.

Yesterday I was offered the job with the company 50 miles away via e-mail. I know its a job and a foot in the door and I would get experience, but the pay is not great and I don't know if it would be worth it with all the gas I'd be wasting. Plus, I don't want to forget the clinical skills I learned in school, especially because I'm new to the field. So I really don't know what to do. Advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Specializes in ER, Med-surg.

I would wait to see what happens with the other interview. Did they say when they would get back with you? I actually turned down a job because it required me to travel 2 hours one way just for training. I couldn't do it and I can't imagine doing it all the time. Does the first job allow you to put in preferences of which offices you'd like to work in? Can you talk with them and let them know that you'd never be able to go to some of the offices?

Don't reject that first offer right away, you don't know that you'll get another. Good luck to you! I hope you get that second job, it sounds like you really want it!

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WannaBNursey

Thank you for replying to my post. I appreciate your advice. :) When I interviewed for the job I really want, they didn't tell me when they'd get back to me. After I sent them a thank you e-mail they said they will be in contact with me in a week. I even said I'd be willing to come in for a working interview for a week. I really do want this job and it would make me feel like all the hard work I put into school paid off. I'm proud of my clinical skills, too. I am strong in my clinical skills, and I would hate to lose those skill. I'm also worried if I take the traveling job, I'll get too comfortable and be too scared to move on to bigger and better things.

I'm not sure if I can say my preferences of the offices I'm willing to work in. Is it appropriate to ask a few more questions before making my final decision? It might be worth taking the job if I can put my input in and its something to put on my resume, but I still want to wait and see what happens with this other job. How long should I wait to give my final answer to the traveling job? I agree with you that I shouldn't reject the offer right away. Sorry for all the questions. I've only had one other job in my life, which I didn't even really interview for.

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I definitely believe that it would be appropriate to ask the traveling job that you got an offer from additional questions. You want to be able to make an informed decision. As for the job that would require you to travel would you be getting any reimbursements on traveling? Some places will pay you a certain amount on the milage that you would have to drive. Usually it is not enough to cover the cost of gas along with the wear and tear that you would place on your vehicle, but it does help some. I can't remember the exact estimate of what it cost to drive a vehicle, I want to say about $0.25 per mile (have had these types of conversations with my dad in the past).

If you can I would wait on giving the company that you got an offer from a final decision until you are able to hear back from the position that you just interviewed from.

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Specializes in None yet..

That first job is so very important.

If you get into something you hate, you'll be stuck there for at least a year so you don't look like a "jumper" on your resume and then you'll be a year farther along with fewer skills than you have now. Travel is a drag. Twenty-five cents a mile is nowhere close to breaking even on the cost of your vehicle and really, mileage never really compensates for the depreciation, gas and insurance on your vehicle, especially when it's worn out and you're the one who needs to pony up for a new vehicle. I'm assuming you aren't paid for your time. You need to include all your commuting and required travel time into your net hourly wage computation.

Of course I don't know the job market where you are or your personal financial situation but from what you've said, I'd probably either negotiate a better compensation packet and opportunities for advancement from the position offered or put my resources into networking and sharpening my resume-writing and interviewing skills. Are any of your instructors available to talk with? The head of my CNA program was a great resource when I went looking for a job.

Have faith in yourself, your goals and your value. 'cause if you don't, no one else will!

Best of luck to you.

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Thanks for the advice everyone! :) I would be reimbursed for milage. However, I would not be paid at all when I travel the 50 miles to the main office to pick up the charts. How should I go about asking the questions I want answered in a professional manner? I want to know if I get some preference when it comes to the offices I travel to. I know I can't choose the specific locations, but I know the office 2 hours away is just too far. Gas is expensive where I live and my car is old; 20 years old. I also want to know if I can wait a little before making my decision because I want to see what happens with the job I really want; and I can't use those exact words.

The career center at my school is very helpful. They helped me with my resume, I've attended mock interviews, and they've sent my resume out to different offices. I might go in this week depending on what happens with these jobs. I also have the opportunity to take a refresher course if I need to. My question is: could I loose my skills if I take the traveling job? I'm just afraid when I do get a job that utilizes my skills, I will have lost my touch when administering injections, venipunctures, etc.

The job market is not great where I live. My biggest obstacle is I'm a new grad without experience and I'm not bilingual. Luckily the traveling job and the one I really want do not require candidates to be bilingual. I'm still living at my parent's house, so I am supported financially.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

Trust me when I say this, wait for what you want. That is exactly WHY you went to school. Many people graduate college and settle for positions they are not happy with just to have a job, jumpstart their career, pay back bills, student loans, families to support, etc.. Just yesterday I turned down an interview with a Nurse Manager at a hospital that is literally ONE block away from my home because she refused to be flexible on the type of position she was hiring for. I wanted a part-time position because that is my honest availability at this time. She asked the DON and she refused my offer for part-time immediate availability over a potential full-time candidate, I considered the full-time position over a night, slept on it and called the early morning of my interview and told her I couldn't make it work due to scheduling conflicts. Do I regret giving up the possibility? Of course. Will I be happier with getting what I truly want instead? You bet.

The wonderful thing about what you did was you interviewed for your position and they thought you were a successful candidate for employment. If you are not interested in the position, tell them so, and say this is what I am looking for at this time, if you could work with that then I would be happy to accept an offer. If they are still not what you are looking for in a position for whatever the reason may be, then just respectfully decline. You can always call back after a period of time goes by and ask if there are any available positions that you may be eligible to do - or even tell your interviewer to keep you in mind if something better pops up. There are always jobs to be filled, even in the not so good markets. Networking with these employers is good - open the door and show them that you are appreciative of the offer they have extended and let them know you are a candidate that would like to be considered for future employment opportunities. Be proactive with them if you are still interested, check back, e-mail, call, be aggressive and go after what you really want. At the end of the day you can say you truly tried your best for what you really wanted.

I still plan on calling this Nurse Manager in a month or two and see if she may have an opening for a part-time position. Sometimes things changes within facilities, their needs change or they may be willing to be more flexible, have more of a budget and be open to a new pitch. If it is possible, wait for what you want, you owe that much to yourself.

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Specializes in Public Health.

^^^No. This is a sellers market. You may not get a better offer and if or when you are dying for a job you will regret passing it up.

Wait until you hear from the other job before responding. But if you take a look at these boards, you'll realize there are TONS of people searching for months and even YEARS. Do not assume you will get EXACTLY what you want on your first job.

Also, if you want to eventually want to be a nurse, it makes more sense to be a CNA not an MA. More closely resembles what a nurses job entails.

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Thanks everyone! I asked the questions I want answered. It looks l wouldn't get to have a preference in the offices I travel to, which isn't the answer I was hoping for. I know I said I didn't want to turn down a job offer, but to me the wear and tear of my car and not getting to put my skills to good use is not worth it. Some of you may think I'm wrong or stupid and I really did take all your advice into consideration, but this wasn't the job for me and I don't regret my decision. I was very nice and polite when I declined the offer in the hopes of not burning any bridges.

I'm still waiting to hear from the job I really want. They were supposed to let me know during the week, so I will be following up on Monday. I was also given the opportunity for a working interview with another job I interviewed with, so I am waiting to hear from the doctor about when I can start.

I will also be visiting my school next week to see if they can help me in anyway and talk about taking a refresher course or two.

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Specializes in Operating Room.
^^^No. This is a sellers market. You may not get a better offer and if or when you are dying for a job you will regret passing it up.

Wait until you hear from the other job before responding. But if you take a look at these boards, you'll realize there are TONS of people searching for months and even YEARS. Do not assume you will get EXACTLY what you want on your first job.

Also, if you want to eventually want to be a nurse, it makes more sense to be a CNA not an MA. More closely resembles what a nurses job entails.

I think the first line of this post says she has graduated as an MA? Why would a CNA job even be mentioned here??? Also, it may be a sellers market but if you have common sense enough to know what you will and will not settle for in a position it can make you even more MARKETABLE. People want to know that you make GOOD decisions not BAD ones and yes, this also includes selecting a job. There are many people in our field who are new graduates that are literally so thirsty for a job they do just about anything out of working for free to gain employment. This is a terrible marketing strategy and more times than not this can wind up hurting instead of helping your career path in the long run.

The best thing you can do is exactly what you did. Weigh your options, assess how much you would invest in the position (if at all) and make the best decision for your life. Remember it is important to be flexible, and open-minded - you want a decent position that is workable with your lifestyle, not the perfect one. There is absolutely no sense in taking a job that is an extremely bad fit just because they were the first to pick up the phone and extend an offer to you. Know your worth and it will pay off in the long run.

For those who think this is some kind of Egyptian myth I speak of:

Wrong Job Or Job Offer? Do Not Settle. | Tim's Strategy®

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Specializes in Public Health.
I think the first line of this post says she has graduated as an MA? Why would a CNA job even be mentioned here??? Also, it may be a sellers market but if you have common sense enough to know what you will and will not settle for in a position it can make you even more MARKETABLE. People want to know that you make GOOD decisions not BAD ones and yes, this also includes selecting a job. There are many people in our field who are new graduates that are literally so thirsty for a job they do just about anything out of working for free to gain employment. This is a terrible marketing strategy and more times than not this can wind up hurting instead of helping your career path in the long run.

The best thing you can do is exactly what you did. Weigh your options, assess how much you would invest in the position (if at all) and make the best decision for your life. Remember it is important to be flexible, and open-minded - you want a decent position that is workable with your lifestyle, not the perfect one. There is absolutely no sense in taking a job that is an extremely bad fit just because they were the first to pick up the phone and extend an offer to you. Know your worth and it will pay off in the long run.

For those who think this is some kind of Egyptian myth I speak of:

Wrong Job Or Job Offer? Do Not Settle. | Tim's Strategy®

Because OP mentions eventually wanting to be a NP. That requires being an RN first.

And I have a job, a good one. It wasn't my first choice but now I know that you can't know what you need til you get it.

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I think that the OP's original certification of MA is a fine choice if she eventually wants to be a NP. While MA's may not typically work in the hospital setting like CNA's, they do get to see and do many "nursing" duties in their everyday routine. This includes, but is certainly not limited to doing phone triage of patients who may be ill and need to come in to see the physician in a timely manner, assessing and charting vitals, reason for patient visit, setting up for physician exams, possibly setting up trays for minor procedures (biopsies, I&D, sutures, etc), cleaning and autoclaving all the used equipment, calling patients about lab results, refilling/calling in Rx's, taking simple patient histories, giving injections, doing venipuncture, basic bandaging, etc.

There is A LOT of overlapping of tasks that both MA's and RN's do on a daily basis. MA's do a lot of charting on their patient contacts (both in person and over the phone) and are required to keep very detailed (CYA) charting just like a nurse would. Please remember that in many MD/DO offices, the MA is the "nurse" because most doctors do not employ any LVN/LPN/RN's. Also, the "scope of practice" for an MA can increase depending on the state and what the MD/DO is willing to train them to do and oversee, whereas an RN has a more defined scope of practice through the BON.

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