Peds LTC, Peds Psych, Which one?

Specialties Pediatric

Published

Specializes in Pediatrics.

Please forgive me if this a long post.

I am a recent grad (6/2010), where the only job I was able to get initally was a SNF/LTC which I hate and have been desperate to get away from.

About a month ago I was hired to work in a LTC facilicy for medically fragile children, it is part of a large hospital system. It is not for profit as most of the funding for the facility comes from a foundation set up to fund it. The staff is great, you can tell everyone is there for the kids, so kind and caring. I have been on orientation on the acute part of the building kids with trachs, J/G-tubes, frequent seziures. During my orientation I have been learning a lot and really enjoying my job.

I was only hired to work on-call :crying2: I would love full time and have been told that part time and full time positions do open up.

So in addition to the peds job I recently went on an interview for a pediatric psych facility, it went well and today I had a second interview with their lead nurse of the acute locked unit. Which happened to be a former nursing school classmate of mine, so again the interview went really well. They have a couple positions open, 1 is almost full time (30hrs a week) evening shift, the others are on-call. The age range is 5yrs-14yrs

When I was at the second interview with former classmate, she stressed that I needed to be sure that this is what I want that with the full time position I should be commited to at least a year, which I am sure I could do but.....

I have never worked psych, only as a CNA in an ED where they would come in, in the very acute stage of their disease and I have never done peds psych, so I would I know if I would love it.

While I have not been offered a job with them yet, I need to let the nursing manager know which job I want to be considered for either the full time swing shift or the on-call position. I am thinking that because I know the lead nurse and she gave a character reference for me and my just have the job, but then again you never know.

My delimma is should I pursue the full time position in psych? While I am hopping that a benefited part time or full time position will open up at the LTC peds facility. Then what if a part-time or full time position open up in the LTC peds site and I am already commited to a full time spot at the psych facility, I would not want to bail on them after it was stressed to me that I really need to be commited to them as the way the team works and the kids are there for months to years and you need to be able to build trust.

I have thought about pursuing the on-call position, but then I would be working 2 on-call jobs, and I am a single parent and my long term goal has been to buy a house for my kids to have a home rather than an apartment, I don't think I could get approved for a home loan with 2 on-call jobs.

I am just not sure which job I should pursue and and say yes please consider me for the full time or the on-call position?

Either way I would still be PRN at the LTC peds job, and I am desperate to get out of my full time adult SNF job,

What would you do?:confused:

Oh pay is comparable - the LTCpeds is $26 hr, but has a lot of differetials with OT at anything over 8hrs, the psych is $30 not sure about any differnetials

Thanks for reading my long rambling post

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