When it rains, it pours. Job decisions.

[elizabethmeiereRN]

Last fall I graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. Since I am originally from California, I moved back to get married and start my nursing career. After 6 months of applying to everything and anything nursing related I got offered a job as an Epic Implementation Technician with Providence Little Company of Mary in San Pedro. I am very excited about this job because after 6 months I would most likely (not guaranteed) be accepted into the nurse residency program from 1 of 6 hospitals within Providence Southern California. I started on Monday and on Tuesday I got offered an interview at an Ambulatory surgical center in Beverly Hils. I will have an interview tomorrow and I think I will probably be offered a job since I was highly recommended by a physician I used to work with. So here are the pros and cons for both jobs:

Epic imp tech

PROS

-great pay

-working in OB which is where I want to be

-amazing healthcare system

-I would be working in a hospital

CONS

-non-nursing but working with nurses

-45 min to 1 hr commute

-not guaranteed full 36 hours/week- nights and weekends

-temporary, so not benefits

- not guaranteed a nursing job once completed in 6 month

-bailing on a commitment

Surgery Center OR nurse

PROS

-1.5 miles away from where I currently live

-M-F no weekends or holidays

-RN position

-benefits upon hire

CONS

-not OB

-not a hospital job

-less pay

-no preceptor or transition period

I am so grateful for two wonderful and amazing opportunities, but I am not sure which one I should take. I know I want to end up in OB/ L&D so I am not sure which job would be most beneficial.

What would you do?

[patiently-waiting]

I would take the sure thing job. No guarantee that you will get the job after your temp position runs out. If your ok with starting at square one if the offer from the hospital doesn't come through then go for that one. Honestly working in a hospital isnt all that it cracks up to be.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Rn experience is what you need. No brainer :)

[Stephalump]

Take the OR job. You're a nurse - work as a nurse :)

[mama.RN]

RN job

[KnitWitch, ASN, RN]

OR RN job, no contest.

Working as an OR RN (even in a surgical center as opposed to a hospital) will be a better knowledge base and learning experience than an Epic implementation tech. Trust me. You can take that OR experience (try to get at least one solid year in) anywhere, but the Epic position will pretty much shunt you only into informatics jobs. If that's what you want, by all means stick with Epic. But if you actually want to do some hands on, people-focused nursing, go to the OR and suck up knowledge and experience like a sponge.

[elizabethmeiereRN]

Thanks for all the advice! I took the OR job and I am super excited to start next week.