Dilemma: 3 VERY different jobs...

Nurses New Nurse

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I graduated in June 2014. Today, I am offered a RN position $40 for a private women prison that is 2.5hrs away from my home.

I got hired by Kaiser as a customer service representative $20 in a call center and the job is starting in Mid March (no, u cannot network....you wont see any director or nursing staff...it's a place to pick up phone calls)

I have also been working as a CNA in a community hospital for $13 for almost a year. My director told me I will be the next one who will get hire once there is opening on his unit.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?? My ultimate goal is outpatient clinic, OR, or same day surgery or PACU.

I knew from heart I hate hospital med surg kind of environment....I just cant wait to get out of the hospital

Will correctional nurse hurt my chance to go to (hospital) for OR..surgery?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

The only one giving you nursing experience is the jail. I don't see what the dilemma is. 2 are not Nursing Jobs, 1 is a nursing job, you went to school to become a nurse.

You want a different specialty I get that, but are you going to let nursing experience pass you by because of the location and because your manager promises you will be the next one hired?

If your manager wanted to hire you as a nurse she would have figured out a way by now.

I have worked in acute care Peds with nurses who used to work in corrections. It was nursing experience

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

A 2.5 hour commute?!!!!!!! Can yoou move closer?

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I could move closer .. just not so sure how safe is private jail for the nurses compare to the govt one

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

A 2.5 hour commute is not safe in any way shape or form unless you group your days and stay over.

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Definitely not Kaiser. That narrows it down to 2.

I ended up waiting around 6 months to get an RN job at the hospital I was already employed at, rather than get a lesser desirable RN job right away somewhere else, and I couldn't be happier with my decision. I knew it was a great hospital and work environment so decided it was worth the wait.

But at the same time, one is an RN job offer and the other is only the prospect of one. How sure are you, and how sure is your manager, that you are next in line? I've heard of people being promised jobs that never came to be.

The corrections job may help you get hired in an OP clinic. The prospective med-surg job would be better suited to one day working in surgery/PACU.

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I am very thankful for the input of you guys. If I am talking the prison job, I am moving.

As far as I know, correlational doesn't count as acute care experience? Am I right ?

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