Sorry for all of my posts recently, I'm just struggling at the moment. I recently made a post about how much I disliked my current med/surg hospital job and wanted to quit. I have been in that job for a year and a half so feel I gave it a good chance. I tend to work night shifts weeks on end and it isn't sustainable for me anymore. I am looking into a position that allows me to have more regular hours. For over a month now I have been checking job postings every day and applying for any clinic position I felt was a decent fit. I have applied for 14 different positions and had three interviews. However, I am starting to feel really discouraged and am wondering if it is something with me or if I'm actually picking up some legitimate concerns for these postings.
The first position I interviewed for was a clinic for an independent company. The hours were good but during the interview, the manager stated the salary which honestly had me baulking. The price he listed was the lowest salary I have ever seen listed for an RN. It was $4.5 less per hour than I make now at the hospital as a newer grad, $2 less than at my community position. I ended up politely turning that one down.
The second was another clinic position in the community. Although it was listed as a clinic position, the hiring manager mentioned two or more times how I would make such a great community nurse doing home visits. I tried to as gently as I could mention I was just interested in the clinic, to which the manager stated that I would normally work in the clinic "but if the clinic is fully staffed that day we would need one of the clinic nurses to go out into the community." This wasn't at all listed in the job description. They also stated I would need to be available on call during some nights (1-2 a month) to answer phones about patient concerns and if I couldn't address it over the phone would have to drive out to see them in person. I am not sure if all of this is the norm for community nursing clinic positions, perhaps someone could shed some light. It also made $2 less an hour than my hospital job with little room for growth. I ended up turning down that position as well.
The third position was for a hospital clinic. The hours were listed as 8 hours Mon-Fri on the posting. As we were interviewing the manager told me that although the posting said 8 hours, I was expected to be available for 10 hours should the need be there. Another hospital clinic is being renovated as well, so they have been moved into the clinic listed. So there is double the number of staff with double the patients in a very small space. I am thankful to the manager for being so open, but it is giving me a bit of pause now too. I have heard people warning about the 8-hour shifts that then frequently transition into 10-hour shifts day after day week after week and the problems with being paid appropriately if the posting is listed as 8 hours.
I told my parents about my struggles and they feel that I'm being overly picky. My mom mentioned that no job is perfect. While I do understand this, I am nervous about what I perceive to be possible red flags. When I do transition over I want it to be for a job I see myself staying for years, hence why I am maybe being picky. My parents can also tell how miserable I am at my current job which is making me feel miserable about my life. They want me to find somewhere else asap now even if it is temporary. I guess I'm just concerned that I can't find any job that feels like it would be a decent fit. I'm honestly starting to wonder if I made a terrible mistake becoming a nurse since my health has declined so rapidly since starting my career. Any advice would be appreciated. Does it seem like I am honestly being picky? Or are there actual red flags in these interviews?
