Choosing between two jobs, help!

[Socrates12358]

I've been an RN for over a year now. My first job was in a nursing home on night shift working two units, a LTC and a Ortho rehab. I would have between 20-35 patients usually. I loved my LTC patients, but was frustrated with the frequent call offs of STNAs and other nurses. After about 8 months I got a job offer to work in the ICU at a Cleveland Clinic hospital and thought it was a great opportunity so I took it. What a mistake! Its been over 3 months and I absolutely hate working in the ICU and possibly in a hopsital all together. I spoke with my manager about how I felt about ICU and they are willing to let me transfer to a MedSurge floor. Tomorrow I am going to go shadow on the unit and if I decide I like it they will let me transfer to MedSurge. It will be night shift and I would have anywhere between 6-10 patients usually. Its about 30 miles from my house and it takes me anywhere between 30-50 minutes to get there depending on traffic. In the Ohio winter months it may take much longer.

On the flip side, before I spoke with my manager I had been applying to more nursing homes close to my house. I interviewed with a facility that is 3 miles from my house for a day shift position on their skilled nursing unit. They seemed very interested in me and sent me immediately to go get my drug screen and physical. That was 2 days ago. I'm waiting to hear back from them regarding this position. But right now I'm completely confused on which one I should go for and afraid of making the wrong decision. My husband is disabled and we have two kids so I am the one that pays ALL of our bills. I dont know yet what the pay and benefits will be like at the skilled nursing facility, but she did tell me that I would make AT LEAST what I am making right now. The Cleveland Clinic gives me a pension plan and a 401K that they match pretty generously and after a year they will also give me tuition reimbursement. But I am miserable at the hospital, but I dont know if thats because I just can't stand ICU, or if its just the hospital environment in general. What I do know is that I HATE the long commute. I leave our house around 6am right now and do not get home until after 8pm. When I work nights the commute coming home in the morning is even worse and do not get home until closer to 8:30am. This skilled nursing facility takes me about 5 minutes to get to. I wouldnt be losing any of my skills either because they take trachs and PICCs and so forth. Also, I was told in the interview that they have changed a few things there. For example, she said that I will have an LPN that is responsible for the main med passess so myself, as the RN, can focus on doing skilled assessments and charting them, doing IV and IV pushes, and talking with doctors. I know someone who used to work there and liked it, and she only left because at the time they did not have any full time openings so she was PRN.

I am really confused as to which one to pick. I'm afraid of leaving the Cleveland Clinic and throwing away the experience and opportunity of working with a great hospital. Any advice or suggestions to help me make the right decision would be much appreciated. Ive been told that some nurses just do not enjoy working at hospitals and I think that I may be one of them.

[Ilobekeme, ASN, RN]

Hi, I'm a new grad still searching for job in Texas. It's great to have several options to pick from. From your write-up. it appears your heart is on the new skilled nursing facility. If that's what you think can fulfill your needs as a nurse, take it. However, one can not really tell what one would find in a new setting. On this note, I would suggest you take the nursing home job and go PRN at the clinic. This way, you can put your foot in the door in case you later decide to go there.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I would like to echo what RN-BSN123 mentioned. If you get an offer for the skilled nursing unit and the benefits are good, take that job, but stay PRN at your current ICU job (if possible). 6 to 10 patients is a lot on Med-Surg.