experience or money?? Need opinions please!

First off, I want to say congrats on becoming a new nurse and welcome to the world of nursing Here are my thoughts. If you really want/need the higher pay than take the weekend position. Get comfortable with that, and maybe then you can see about cross training to the surgical floor and picking up a few shifts here and there to get more experience. Or if money isn't as big of an issue you could go to the surgical floor. One other thought that just occured is to ask when you have the interview for the surgical floor when they think there is going to be a weekend position opening up and if you can get on a waiting list. I hope this helps. Either way I wish you the best. Let me know what you decide
Kimberly

No amount of money is going to make you happy if you don't like the job. Go for the job that you think is more exciting and will make you happier.

You are looking at this with too black or white thinking. Do you know what I mean by that? You may have been an Aid on a medical/renal floor but that is far different than actually being the nurse with that population of patients. You will certainly gain invaluable experience along with the extra money working with this population. Med/surg is a great place to become well-rounded in your skills. You will become skilled in managing diabetes (and all its complications), renal failure, pre and post dialysis, NG tubes, GI bleeds, Liver failure, pneumonia, COPD, CHF etc. to name a few.

A surgical floor is a different focus. You will be doing a lot of pain management, nausea management and watching for post-op complications. You will be doing the early ambulation with your patients, deep breathing and coughing etc. You will be doing a lot of bladder scanning after foley catheters are pulled. You will be managing the recovery from surgery. (obviously)

Which of these do you think gives you the best experience? I can't answer that for you and everyone who posts will have a different opinion. I will say though, that to think that you won't get good experience in a Medicine unit is not true. A lot of people feel that is the very best place for a new grad to start. You have to make your own decision.

The truth is that I think you could make either of these areas a successful place to start.

Good luck!

What are your longterm career and personal goals? How do each of these jobs fit into those goals? Make a list of pros and cons of each job - $, schedule, types of patients, coworkers - all these can be pros and cons. Do some soul searching and praying before you make a decision. Good luck on finding your path!

I will likely offer you the same advice, go for the job that sounds more appealing to you, it is only money. If you have worked medicine awhile, maybe a move to surgery is good for the longterm resume as well, it is always beneficial to have worked both types of areas before moving to a specialized area or critical care area. And nights on weekends, yuck, you need to have a social life as well whether single or married and doesn't sound like you will if these are your regular shifts. But in the end it it whatever your gut tells you is a good move! Good luck in your decision whatever it may be.