Advice on job offers?

[tkeoki]

I'm graduating with my BSN soon and have a few pending job offers. I'm having trouble figuring out what area of nursing I want to focus on. I've enjoyed all my clinicals. Any advice and pro/cons of the following choices would be appreciated.

So far, my options are

1) Case management at a pediatric clinic.

• 75% paperwork--medicare/private insurance, etc.
  
• Not sure what kind of career track this would lead to.
  
• I like the steady hours
  
• I like the idea of getting in to admin/management. Just not sure if I'd get enough clinical experience.
  

2) Float nurse at Large Clinic.

• Not sure how this would compare to hospital experience. Better/Worse?
  
• Was told I'd pretty much have my choice of departments w/in the clinic with in a year if I didn't want to stay floating.
  
• steady hours also
  

3) Med/Surg at local hospital.

• 3 month training program.
  
• It's a small hospital
  
• 5 minute drive from home
  
• Most people say Med/Surg for a year is good place to start
  
• probably least favorite 'job', but I'm looking at total career.
  

Any experience/advice for this new grad?

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Job #3 gives you the most career options down the road...and considering the location, orientation and the fact that hospital jobs for new grads are few and far between, that's quite a gift you have had dropped in your lap. That being said, med-surg--or hospital nursing for that matter--is not everyone's cup of tea.

Of the other two, Job #2 will give you more clincial experience than Job #1, plus it sounds like you'll get a wide range of that experience. Job #1 sounds like it'd be the most limiting to your career...this doesn't mean you couldn't get into another field of nursing though! It just might be hard to do it. But again, you may find that you'd rather be in management/administration.

Good luck whatever you decide!

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

Have you had clinical experience before? are you an LPN going to BSN? I ask because I am going to be a new grad in 6weeks and the only job you listed that shows like it would wokr would be the med-surg job.

Dosn't case managment require having some clinical skills to base some of your judgment off of?

The float pool should also require clinical expereince as you would be going to different units working with various types of patients

Those 2 jobs scare me as a new grad, I would want a job that offers training and has resources, expereinced nurses to go to, to seek help when needed.

I would go to the job that offers the most support, training for a new grad

[goodstudentnowRN]

Job #3 is the best choice...Go for it girl!

[NurslingRN]

my vote is for job #3!

[tkeoki]

My previous experience consists of

-working as a Licensed Massage Therapist with chiropractors.

-several years of structured foster care with health challenged children, ie autism, etc.

-retail manager

I have a 4 month old baby, (yeah, this last year of school was hectic. I just barely passed one class by a single point--I though for sure I was going to need to retake the class) so the work hours are important. Luckily, my husband works from home and has flexible hours.

[tkeoki]

I also thought case management would need more clinical experience, but was assured I'd get the appropriate training/'hand-holding'.

The foster care we did, we worked closely with the treatment team for each child, so although it wasn't in a nurses role. I feel pretty confident I have a good base of hands-on experience dealing with many of the same issues that this clinic works with.

Thanks for your feedback.

[TNgirl2010]

Wow, you are blessed to have that many choices!! Jealous! :) Personally, I would take the Med/Surg job for the bedside nursing experience, since you will see a little bit of everything. But that's just me..you should go with your heart! Good luck to you!

[Vanfnp]

#1 sounds booooring, like a job you'd take at the end of a career, not at the beginning. Hospital work would give you the greatest experience for your nursing career but with that small baby at home you need to figure out which of the two jobs would work best with the needs of your growing family. Nice that your husband has a job from home. Sounds like you are the envy of the new grads-either job 2 or 3 sound great, I myself am partial to hospital nursing. Best of luck to you.....

[JulieCVICURN, BSN, RN]

If you want decent hours with holidays off, take the clinic or the case management job. If you want serious, quick clinical experience, take the med-surg job. In my experience, though, it's not easy to get a cushy job at a clinic, so I wouldn't be quick to turn that down.