Got an offer in sub-acute, how to politely decline the offer?

Nurses New Nurse

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I interviewed at a sub-acute rehab facility and was called by the nurse recruiter to inform me the nurse manager would like to offer me the position. I asked for 24 hrs to mull it over.

I don't want to work in sub-acute and I have interviews lined up in a hospital (where I would actually like to work).

What would be the best way to go about declining the offer to the sub-acute facility? Any sample wording would be very much appreciated!

Thanks!

"No, thank you."

Thank you for your thorough response.

You don't have to go into a lot of detail; you don't have to justify to them why you're not taking the job, you don't have to make a speech, you don't have to tell them what you're going to be doing instead (in fact, don't do any of that). You just politely decline.

You don't have to go into a lot of detail; you don't have to justify to them why you're not taking the job, you don't have to make a speech, you don't have to tell them what you're going to be doing instead (in fact, don't do any of that). You just politely decline.

Thanks. I just know the nurse recruiter is going to (politely) ask why I'm declining the offer - I'm just unsure what is the nicest way to say "because I'm holding out for something better".

Specializes in Psych, HIV/AIDS.

I would just let her know that you were hoping for something more challenging; and you have decided to decline her offer. If she persists, be assertive and repeat what you just said.

Good luck.

"I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity offered to me, however I must regretfully decline the offer".....could be a great starter as you are showing appreciation for taking the chance in hiring you but you are unable to accept

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Perhaps my view goes against the grain, but due to your location (NYC), I would have accepted the subacute position. There's no guarantee you'll be offered any of the hospital positions for which you plan to interview.

NYC has one of the most competitive nursing job markets in the country. I'd play it safe by accepting the subacute position, then resigning in a few months if I am offered one of the hospital positions.

If this job vacancy is in an area with a saturated market, the recruiter will have many interested applicants and will be contacting one of them as soon as you decline the offer. I bet the recruiter started thinking about the next candidate the moment you said you needed 24 hoours to think about the offer.

I'd play it safe by accepting the subacute position, then resigning in a few months if I am offered one of the hospital positions.

Resigning after only a few months is not an option as during the interview the nurse manager asked me to promise her that I'd stay for 2 years if I got hired.

Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

You could say something like "Thank you for the offer, but I've decided to explore a different opportunity."

I would also be hesitant to turn down the offer without another one already in place. But, that's neither here nor there, since it isn't what you asked about.

I would just let her know that you were hoping for something more challenging; and you have decided to decline her offer. If she persists, be assertive and repeat what you just said.

Good luck.

After they took the time to interview her, they probably won't appreciate her turning down their offer, no matter what the reason.

And what if she doesn't get another offer?

More challenging for a new grad? Any job is probably going to be challenging for a new grad.

OP - you could say you have been thinking things over and you need more time to make your decision, and you would understand if they filled the position. That still won't really satisfy them, but it's the best I can think of right now. I hope you get a job you really want.

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