Accepting the first job offer as a new grad

[SaltySarcasticSally, LPN, RN]

Thoughts?

I recently interviewed for a new grad residency, just graduated last week, have yet to take NCLEX. It's one of the few places in my area that interview before passing boards but I didn't expect to get a call so soon. I should hear in the next two weeks if I get an offer.

I am not taking boards till the end of May and if I passed that's when I planned on doing apps, etc.

This residency is not my dream unit, but I realize that's not feasible as a new grad, but it is a floor that relates to where I would like to end up. It has a very supportive new grad program and the managers I interviewed with were realistic and had a team dynamic I would fit in with.

I guess I am just nervous if they do offer about accepting when I haven't interviewed anywhere else. I have an associates and most hospitals around here are only hiring BSN into their critical care residencies so I have doubt I could even go on the unit I want to be on at all before I obtain BSN.

[NuGuyNurse2b]

Not sure how it is in your area, but around my neck of the woods, ADN's don't typically get picked for hospital jobs. They will always go for the BSN candidate because it helps their magnet status. I have only an ADN and my first job was at a psych facility. It was the only one I could get. 6 months later I bounced from there and into a local hospital with some help from people I knew. So if you're in a saturated market like mine, and you have this bird in your proverbial hand, I would take it.

[SaltySarcasticSally, LPN, RN]

We have been lucky in our area lately, the tide started to turn about two years ago and there is a very tiny shortage of nurses. There are many for profit nursing schools in my region, for some reason they have a bad rep, so coming from the community college we have a bit more wiggle room but you are right, it's not wise to be so picky I end up nowhere.