Am I selling myself short?

[peds4now, RN]

:uhoh3:I've been struggling with this for months and it won't go away. I figure other new grads will understand. Please give me your take on my dilemma.

Background: I have a big family with lots of responsibilities and lots of financial stress. We REALLY need me to start working as an RN finally and make money. I also want to do Peds/PICU/NICU as my specialty, but studying for the NCLEX I remembered adults have lots of interesting probs too.

Problem: I can either take a low paying (~$6/hr. less than other hospitals in town) Versant training program job in PEDS on a peds med/surg floor (i.e., not my ideal of PICU, but still PEDS) in a children's hospital or pursue a straight adult med/surg job at a better paying hospital with much better benefits and free RN to BSN to MSN. The higher paying job is 10 minutes from home and the Peds job is about 30-40 minutes from home. Both jobs would be night. We're talking $58,000 versus $69,000 the first year, and substandard benefits at the lower-paying job.

I love the atmosphere at the children's hospital and figure I only get the chance to be trained as a new grad once, so I sometimes want to go with the 5-month in-depth training. I also figured that career-wise it is better to start out in your specialty than to start in adult med/surg. BUT, A LITTLE VOICE KEEPS SAYING WHY ARE YOU SELLING YOURSELF SHORT $$ AND BENEFIT WISE? I'm a top student in my class, why would I take the lower-paying job? Am I falling into the "women who love too much" trap of being a super caregiver but not looking out for #1? The other hospital helps my career too with higher pay and free education. I've worked so hard to be an RN and part of why I'm doing it is to dig my family out of financial peril and make a better future for us, maybe I should put Peds on hold and go for the traditional 6-8 week adult med/surg orientation and job? Plus, the idea of working so close to home is attractive. Then again, I don't actually have the adult med-surg job offer, I'd have to pursue it and put myself in the job market again.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

I know no one can decide for me (DARN!), but please give me your honest input. I can't seem to come to peace with things.

[Medwynn]

That is a delimma.

From what it sounds like, your love is for pediatrics. But at the same time the closer hospital pays better and has the free education? being closer to the kids and being paid more. Plus that opportunity to get the free education is great. hmm that's hard.

Does this closer hospital have a pediatrics unit? maybe an internal transfer in a year??

But it's up to you and i hope you make the right decision.

[hoglover]

Being that I dont even have a job yet Im not sure how much my input will help, but you know I've always heard that if you are HAPPY at your job you will be better at it and it will be better for you in all aspects! If you love pediatrics then the children would probably greatly benefit from your care, your stress level would be lower, and all around you would enjoy or heck let me go out on a limb and say maybe even look forward to going to work! GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DECISION:lol2:

[happybunny1970]

One aspect of Nursing that is really fabulous is the diversity available to anyone with that moniker: RN. You have the opportunity for countless lateral moves from specialty to specialty, and generally don't have to take a cut in pay to move from one to another.

That said, consider this: When I decided to become a nurse 9 years ago, I swore I would work in L&D and nothing else, ever. Then classes started and I fell in love with Cardio. I actually started out in an OR, and from there landed in Cardiac Stepdown/ICU. I never would have expected to be where I am when I first had that dream.

The only reason that I point this out is that you could get into this Peds training program and then find that it's not exactly what you were expecting. But job satisfaction speaks bigger than dollar signs -- have you toured the unit? Spoken with some of the staff there? I think THAT should be your next move. Just a quick little reality check to see if this is what is going to give you that job satisfaction. If it is exactly what you're looking for, take it and don't look back -- actually, whatever your decision is, don't look back and say 'what if...?'

Your first year is going to be stressful and exciting and wonderful and difficult and lots of other things where ever you start. To satisfy your curiosity, if nothing else, go ahead and apply for the other job and check out that unit as well. Comparing the two units will help you to make your best decision -- remember, ANY paycheck you take home is going to be more than you're getting today.

Good luck!

[Rme4life]

to me the fact that you are hesitating on the peds job means take the other job and stop feeling guilty about taking the job that pays more. LISTEN to your little voice. Trust yourself, i think you really do know what the right thing is for you. if you make the pro con list and you still just can't make up your mind, you could flip a coin, pray, ask a close friend for their opinion, ask to meet with each facility again, etc. hey if you are in the position to go to the lower paying offer and try to get them to increase theirs because you have another job offer, why not. maybe you could get them to raise the pay.

i tell this to my children all the time, listen to yourself. we have that little voice for a reason and whatever you want to call it, intuition, a vibe, a feeling, whatever, it is trying to tell you something for a reason and all you have to do is listen.

[peds4now, RN]

Thank you everyone for your replies. You know, I am going to have my interview suit cleaned and call the recruiter back at the higher-paying job and see what my possibilities are. xxxx4life and happybunny, you make a lot of good points. It's important not to always ask what-if, but maybe I really do want the more $$, more convenient, better benefits job to start out. And maybe I CAN be flexible about what I do, because I've enjoyed most everything I've done so far.

TY