Hi everyone, I am really struggling here with what to do and could use some insight. I graduated with my ADN in Dec. 2013. I got hired as a graduate nurse (and then as an RN) during my last 2 weeks of school on a Medicare rehab unit at a SNF. It was a nice place but I just wasn't handling the 8 hr night shifts very well plus the pay was not that great ($21/days, $23/nights). I took a job working with DDs 3 weeks ago. It is not a bad place and it is less than 5 minutes from my house HOWEVER about 90% of the job is computer work/paper work. The DDs all live in homes through out the community, not in the facility any more. So there is very little hands on care, critical thinking or skills used.
It is mainly doing three drop-in inspections of the home per week and detailed reports, processing new orders, scheduling dental/Dr/eye exams for these patients, etc. Really no med passing or treatments (rarely). Again, these tasks aren't horrible, but I feel very weird being so fresh out of school and not using or learning any skills. I feel like there is so much I don't know yet and need to learn.
The pluses are the pay ($25/hr for a fairly easy job) plus amazing, cheap benefits. The main facility is close to my home but there is driving between their sites during the day. Everyone has been pretty nice. However I just don't feel like a nurse, I wear street clothes. This would not be a bad job for someone later on in their career.
Last week I got a call from a smaller hospital about 45 min from my house. They have an opening on nights (FT, 12s) on their med-surg unit. Benefits are comparable but not quite as cheap. It's $26.50/hr to start on nights but at 36 hours (I'm at 40 hrs now) and slightly more expensive insurance, I'd bring in about $45/week less. Plus there would be more gas expense.
Part of me would like to just stay where I'm at for a year or so, because it's easy and a nice, flexible, day shift schedule. But am I ruining my career if I stay? This is the only hospital offer I have ever received. I have applied for tons of other positions. I know it is so hard for a new grad with just an ADN to get into a hospital. If I pass this up will I regret it forever? I am so torn and feel sick over this. I feel so bad leaving another job already.
Long term, I see myself as an L&D/ER/maybe ICU nurse, and maybe NP down the road. I would like to get my BSN and this would be much easier for me to do on 12s. Do I suck it up and do a year or so of nights on med-surg to get those skills? I've read so many horror stories of med-surg, it's quite a drive, and I really hate nights. Please help. I need to make a decision NOW.
The job you have currently sounds great to me. Reading your post, it sounds to me like you feel you "should" take the hospital job. The current job doesn't have to be boring. You will build relationships in the community. I still miss seeing the DD folks I used to work with. They were so much fun.
I don't have any advice to help you... It does sound like a very difficult decision to make.
But I just wanted to comment on your feelings about not being a "real nurse." To me, it seems like you're the one who's doing the real nursing. I know that acute care hospital nursing is the standard of what nursing is considered to be. But most of us just end up spending the entire shift busily following MD orders and meeting patients' demands. A large chunk of nursing is (should be) health promotion and patient education, which we rarely have time for in a hospital.
Read on famous nurse figures in the early days. They did exactly what you do: going around the community, inspecting homes, educating families, so on.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I just feel like I am so new out of school and really don't know a lot. There are so many skills I still need to learn/perfect.
After 8 years as a nurse, I still don't know many procedural skills. In addition, I couldn't care less if I never learned another skill again. My work/life balance is more important than the mantra that only 'real nursing' take place in the hospital.
So I'll continue to sit in an office, complete paperwork, and roll with the punches. The acute care hospital is a crazy place that has driven some nurses over the edge.
SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS
1 Article; 1,406 Posts
The job you have currently sounds great to me. Reading your post, it sounds to me like you feel you "should" take the hospital job. The current job doesn't have to be boring. You will build relationships in the community. I still miss seeing the DD folks I used to work with. They were so much fun.