Adult vs. Pediatric Job Offer?!

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Hello everyone! Long time lurker, first time poster ?

I will be graduating with my BSN through an accelerated post-bac program this May (yay!). I have been applying to jobs since the beginning of the year, and was offered a position in a new grad residency program that starts early August. The offer is at a magnet hospital that is a 511-bed community-based, acute care teaching facility, in an adult cardiac stepdown unit. I got the offer 1.5 months ago, and finally got the official contract about two weeks ago, but for some reason I've been really hesitant to sign it. 

 

Ultimately, I know that I want to work in pediatrics. I've always worked with kids, my first degree led me to a career working with kids, and I knew that if I became a nurse I'd be a pediatric nurse. However, I had applied to MANY new graduate pediatric nursing positions to no avail, so I had started to accept that "any experience is better than no experience" and was excited about my cardiac stepdown offer. 

 

About a week or two ago I told myself that I was going to apply to any children's hospital positions that remotely appealed to me, and even if I got an offer in a city or state that I didn't have an interest in, I could work anywhere for 1-2 years to gain experience working with children. WELL, I just interviewed at a children's hospital that is a 222-bed, not-for-profit pediatric medical center, in a big city that I never thought of moving to. It is not magnet recognized, but it is working toward it, and I got 2 offers on two different units. 

 

SO, long long story short. Would it be better to accept an offer at a children's hospital working w/ a population that I am interested in, in a city I've never been to, and for a hospital that isn't magnet. OR would it be better to accept an offer at a university hospital working w/ an adult population, in a city that I've been to before, at a magnet hospital. I'd stay for 2 years at either location, but I just don't know if location/hospital is better than experience/patient population and I need HELP please.

 

Thank you so so so so much in advance!!

xoxoxo

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Also wanted to add: the pay is basically the same (give or take .50 cents), the benefits are basically the same, the PTO includes a few more days at the magnet hospital, but everything else is the same. 

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Specializes in NICU.

If you want to work in Pediatrics, then take one of the Peds jobs. At the end of two years you will have two years Pediatrics experience at a Children's hospital vs two years of Adult experience and no pediatric experience. You will be in a much better position applying for your next position. 

As for moving to a new city/state, you are now an adult and it is time to put on your big girl panties and venture out of your comfort zone. 

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LOL hey thanks for the info! 

I'm almost 29 haha. Have lived in many different cities, as well as France. I am not worried about venturing out (I've been in Miami for the past year for my ABSN w/o knowing a soul), I just wasn't sure if it was better to go with a lesser known Children's Hospital in a city I know nothing about, or a Magnet University hospital in a city I enjoy. 

 

I am aware it is a *simple* dilemma and easy decision. The unknowns of nursing and experience are what are giving me stress I suppose. 

 

Thank you for the tough love though! I need it LOL.

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