Am I obligated to tell them of my other job?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi all,

I am a junior BSN nursing student. I was recently accepted to a summer nurse externship at a hospital close to home. It offers me 1:1 preceptor time at least 40 hours every two weeks.

I also applied to another large hospital close to home. It offers 1:1 preceptor time as well, with two 12-hour shifts per week.

I already accepted the first job. If by some chance that I am offered the 2nd externship as well, am I obligated to inform them that I already have a job? The scheduling of both jobs is flexible so working both shouldn't be a problem. Working both jobs would be great if possible!

Thank you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Heck no grasshopper!!

Just better be no conflict :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg.

Lucky you !!! you got two job offers!! congratulations!!! good luck with your internships! Hopefully you will like the one better than the other, so you can focus on one job. having 2 jobs from the beginning of this nursing business can wear you out fast... but that is just me.. :p good luck!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I had a boss one time who told me that all I had to do was tell job #1 that I was not available when I would be working job #2 and vice versa. It makes sense.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

externships are different... they are not just jobs! there is a lot of training, skills lab (if your hospital has one), and meetings you attend along with working the floor for 3-12s. so, i do not think you should be enrolled in two externship programs. if you have your externship and another job that does not have the same obligations as an externship, you may not have any problems. i had an externship and pt job while attending nursing school. my pt job did not interfere with the externship and vice versa.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.
externships are different... they are not just jobs! there is a lot of training, skills lab (if your hospital has one), and meetings you attend along with working the floor for 3-12s. so, i do not think you should be enrolled in two externship programs. if you have your externship and another job that does not have the same obligations as an externship, you may not have any problems. i had an externship and pt job while attending nursing school. my pt job did not interfere with the externship and vice versa.

agree with this. also, externships are different from jobs in that they're designed to be learning experiences; taking on two, beyond being rather redundant, is depriving some other student of an opportunity, which seems a bit selfish to me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Agree with this. Also, externships are different from jobs in that they're designed to be learning experiences; taking on two, beyond being rather redundant, is depriving some other student of an opportunity, which seems a bit selfish to me.

I can appreciate that; however, the first one is on a med-surg unit, and the other is on an ICU floor.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg.

Go for it. as long as you can manage it. you never know until you try it first.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Unless you are in desperate need of the money, you will wear yourself out pretty quickly working 44 hrs/week.

Take one, this may be the last time in many years that you will have breathing space.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.

Externships are suppose to be opportunities for learning and I think taking two is unprofessional and greedy. If you tell them they will definitely not approve. They will find out; if I were you I would discuss this with them. You don't realize how small the world is until it bites you in the ... It doesn't matter if ones in med-surg and the others in ICU, you are taking advantage of what is suppose to be learning opportunities for individuals.

If it was just a regular job position you are not obligated to tell them but it's not just a regular job. It's the same thing as taking two new grad internships. You can play with the semantics all you want to justify your position but in the end you know that they would not approve of you taking two learning opportunities intended to help out new nurses/grads. Or maybe not..............ask them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have never thought of myself as being greedy or selfish. The area I am from doesn't seem to have the lack of nursing jobs that other parts of the country have-at least last of INTERN jobs. In my class of 60, I know that most of them have an internship lined up, and have for awhile. The ones that do not are few, but some of them are signing up to work at a disabled childrens' camp. Knowing that, I do not have "guilt" that I might (or might not) be offered two.

I can see why they would be upset so i do plan to tell them both so I can be honest and not burn any bridges for the future. Who knows if I must tell them though to avoid getting my position taken away.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree with some of the others. Search yourself to see which externship would best suit you. Then give another student a chance at the second externship so that he/she will get the experience and learning opportunities as you. Good luck on whatever you decide to do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment