I have had a traumatic summer. I graduated May from nursing school, am 34 y/o with a 13 year old son and a son who will be 12 in January. My husband is military and we have moved a lot. I am on the east coast with no family members here. Financially I can't afford to move back to the west coast or anywhere now. I am living on credit. My kids had to start a new school due to my seperation and moving this summer out of base housing. I have 3 job offers and I don't know what to do. I have an associates degree in Behavioral Sciences, and when I was 18 wanted to become a social worker or a nurse. I didn't feel smart enough to become a nurse at that age, so i chose Social Work. I love medical issues and learning about them, finding more out about them, helping patients. I know as a floor nurse, I won't have a lot of time to "be there" for the patient, especially as a new nurse who is struggling to get her organization and skills up to par. Financially I need a job NOW. However, with 2 boys and being a single mother who's father is inactive and completely unwilling to help or be civil, I can only depend on myself for the care and responsibility of these children. Therefore, 12 hour shifts are not very conducive to my life right now or my childrens. I am being offered (very likely) a position at the state hospital working in the youth acute unit for ages 12-17. The nurse recruiter was interviewing for an opening in the adult acute unit but when I began talking about my love for empowering young people and young women and educating them and teaching them and feeling that they are an age group that has so many decisions being thrown their way, ect ect and how much I loved teaching Birth control when I was overseas, she immediately kept asking me, "would you consider working full-time?" She told me I would be perfect for this unit and told me they come in with a lot of STD's and other issues that I wouldn't believe. I told her I would believe it, that these things are things people learn to hide or be silent about. My point is, the 3 positions I am being offered are as such: A Neuro-Med Center for MR and spinal cord injuries (longterm facility) that is state run and great hours (8 hour shifts), The psych position I just mentioned which is great hours (730-330 each day) and a nurse residency program at the local hospital where I would be inevitably stuck wherever I was needed at my completion (with contemplation/consideration given to my preference out of the available openings). However that position would entail 12 hour shifts. I don't think I can handle coming home to my children at 8pm and leaving in the work before they are even up yet and putting that responsibilityon them right now after all the other changes occuring in our family and lives, not to mention their age. I will likely NOT stay in this area for the rest of my life, and I am concerned about future job opportunities as a nurse if I were to choose the psych nursing position. Does anyone have any opinion on this or advice? I think I would be an excellent psych nurse, but I need to know I can do other types of nursing at some point as well. How difficult would that be? Right now this position does seem perfect for me and I think it would be. My other interests are Hospice nursing and of course the all time popular postpartem/labor/delivery. Thank you very much. I will add that the people who work at the Neuro Med Center and the psych hospital tend to stay there for years, and I have heard many good things about the Neuro Med Center. Most of my fellow students are scared of the psych nursing though. I think I would enjoy either place, but I know working with that age group is my passion (the 12-17 y/o).
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