Advice/opinions on which job to take: Oncology/Pulmonary/GYN/Urology/Ped Home Health/

Nurses General Nursing

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I really could use some feedback on the following:

I am a new grad RN and have applied at a few locations and this is what my options are....My first preference is OB which I did my senior practicum in but that isnt an option in WA as a new grad.

I have been offered a position working Fri/Sat/Sun 6pm-6am at a Skilled Nursing Facility in the SubAcute unit. The only down side is I will be on my own and I dont know about that!!! There is one other RN in the house but she is on the Long Term Unit. The unit I would be on is SubAcute and deals with pts that are discharged from the hospital but cant go home yet....pts with heart surgeries, ortho surgeries, all kinds of stuff. Pay is only $22 per hour...and again, the other nurse is on the other unit...not directly with me.

Then I have a Pediatric Home Health Agency. Deals with MS kids, CP kids, and NICU babies discharged still on vents or feeding tubes...slowly weaning off. Pay is only $21 per hr. Down side is I worry bc it is One-on-One care that a hospital (OB) will not feel like I learned to "coorindate" care with multiple pts at once...which is what I hear they are looking for thus the need for a Med/Surg background. But this one I can do whenever I want...minimum of 1 shift per mth and you are oriented with another nurse for each new patient...even if you have been a nurse for 20 yrs.

Then I have 4 units at one hospital.....Urology, GYN, Pulmonary and Oncology. Their med units are separate not all together like we had in nursing school. These are all part of the EEP, early education program. You can be part of it for 1 yr after graduation and it allows you to go to different units, work different shifts, different days...etc to get a feel for what you are looking for. This hospital pays good. $24.78 new grad base pay, plus $2.5 diff for evenings, $3 diff for nights, $3 diff for wknds. So if you did evenings or nights on the weekend...you would make $30 an hr....during the week you would make $27 working evening or nights. Lots of benefits here ... but you have to work at least 36 hrs as a new grad for the first couple mths then you can go to PT which is all I want bc of having 3 kids at home (ages 5, 2 and 3-mth old). Plus they are 8 hr shifts....so to get 36 hrs you gotta work like 5 days. The Urology and GYN units are night shifts 11-730 a.m. which doesnt work as well for me with the kids. The Oncology and Pulmonary units are evenings 3-1130 which is better for me. He will allow me to work every wknd, the Uro/GYN wasnt sure she could do that. (union regs states they cant make you work every wknd, but i want everywk)

Different hospital for the Medical floor...PT position, evenings so 3-1130, 4 days per wk rotating wknds-cant promise every wknd, similar to clinicals...all med stuff together on one floor except oncology and cardiac pts. Smaller hospital. Little farer, about 25 mins, vs 15 to the other hospital. 8 wk orientation on the floor with a nurse. They have the PT or supplemental position open. They also have a supplemental shift which I have to work at least 7 shifts over a 6 week period...but they recommend 3 days a week bc of a new grad, I could mark my own days---including every wknd. Pay is about the same as other hospital.

Because of the union here I am finding it hard to find 12 hour shifts or every wknd shifts. Ideally I would LOVE to work Fr/Sa/Su 12 hr shifts or Sa/Sun 12's....or even 8 hrs on those 3 days...bc everywhere wants me to have FT...and 3 x 8 isnt full time in their book.

Any suggestions/feedback/input on which floor of the hospital or which location to work at in general, hospital/assisted subacute floor/home health???

I want to be in OB, L/D and PostPartum so what is my best route?????

Thanks so much and sorry so long.

Oh....I also applied and have an interview set up for Monday for the Nursing Pool at the hospital that offers the EEP. They accept new grads to the nursing pool....they go to all 7 medical floors including telemetry. This floor offers 12 hour shifts and the position is for nights.....not sure if she will let me do f/s/s or s/s/m, etc. Feedback on this option as well pls.

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Try to take a position where there are a lot of experienced people that can guide you. Believe me you will need advice from time to time.

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Okay, it gets harder now.

I just got a call back from another hospital across the border, so it is about 45-60 minute drive. They offer an RN residency program and one department included is OB. I talked to the director and he felt like I have a good shot being that I have taken extra classes on my own, such as Fetal Heart Monitoring and High Risk OB, etc to further educate myself.

The next application cycle is April/May for starting the end of June.

So what do I do now? I dont feel right about taking a job at either of the other hospitals and having them orient me for 6-8 weeks if I am going to apply in 5 mths. What if I get it...I would take it for sure. But at the same time...what if I dont make it? If I turn down the current jobs and am honest about why I am doing so, bc of the RN Residency (I have been very upfront with HR at both hospitals that my goal is OB)...and then I dont make it...then I have wasted another 5 months with not working.

Will they consider me for another position at that point??? Will there be any positions open at that point???

I am soo confused I could cry.

I dont want to burn any bridges either by taking and then leaving....or by not taking and then wanting it later.

I would be required to work for 2 yrs at this hospital after the residency program. In all reality after 2 yrs I would like to get closer to home so I dont want to burn bridges.

ADVICE???

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Specializes in NICU.

Can you do the HH thing until the residency at the hospital becomes available? I say go for what your gut says. If it's telling you L&D, then try for it. You'll be playing the what if game if not.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

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That is what I think I should do too. I know they are super flexiable and so that may be my best option.

Any others wanna chim in?

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Any feedback on Residency Programs? This one is 6 mths long...after that time I have to sign for 2 yrs with the hospital.

My heart is telling me to go for it or I will always wonder if I could have made it. I really want OB and this is the only for sure way of getting it (if I make the program) vs going through a few yrs of med/surg to *possibly* get there.

Any other feedback/recommendations/opinions would be great.

Thx

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

I would avoid the ones you will be alone at, and the home health ones. The options at the hospital, where you have people around, seem best, to me anyway.

From you choices, GYN seems to lead into OB better than the rest of them. If OB is your long term goal, GYN seems like the best short term goal.

I have a personal interest in oncology, that'd be what I took. But I dont want to get into OB so I'm different.

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