Disheartened by friends' reaction about Residency

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Hello everybody,

I really would just like to vent. So I moved from CA to Florida beginning of the year because my husband is in the U.S. Navy. We have spent 3 years apart so I could finish nursing school, and moved as soon as I was done. I had missed new grad programs during my transition so I decided to work in long term care for a little bit (5 months). I decided to apply again to a residency program at a reputable hospital even though I was close to passing my 1 year post-grad. Weeks had passed and I no longer was expecting to get a call for an interview. So since my husband was deploying, I planned to come back to CA and work in LTC through an agency and save up money.

Well the same weekend my husband left for a deployment, I was invited to interview which went really well! I was offered the job which I thought about overnight and then accepted.

However, I initially hesitated due to low rate, they offered me same rate I was receiving at LTC which was supposedly non-negotioable. But I was able to raise a dollar due to CNA and medtech experience. Plus when I get my BSN I'll get another dollar.

However, the other major hesitation came from the 2 year contract. Overall I would have to commit to 3 years. My parents are happy for me, but my in-laws and friends were sad and disappointed about being away for that much longer. My friends especially thought of it as modern day enslavement, like an indentured servant.

My friends are not in the healthcare industry and I should have known that they weren't going to understand. As for my husband, I haven't been able to talk to him yet since he's deployed but I bet he could relate since I'm sure he got the same reaction when he joined the navy.

I see it as taking a step forward in growing as the nurse I always pictured myself to be.

Is your contract in Fl our CA? It was my understanding that those contracts are not enforceable in Cali, so worth looking into. Most are also prorated or allow you to transfer to diff units, so make sure you read every work before signing it.

Dont listen to your "friends" sometimes jealousy comes out in sneaky ways. You do you.

Specializes in School Nursing.

Definitely check for a military clause in the contract. While your husband is in the military, you are not. You may still be beholden to YOUR contract as a non-military member. As a former military wife, in a very military area, I know to look out for this. Be careful with contracts.

While the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act primarily offers protection to the active duty member, it does offer some protection to the non-active duty dependents.

OP, if you haven't already signed this contract you might consider making an appointment at the legal services office on your husband's duty station.

Best wishes.

Thank you all for the advice! I have no signed any contract yet, they are still processing me and will send the contract over to me at the end of the month. I am aware that I will have to read it carefully before I sign anything. I will definitely be looking for a military clause and see if I can have somebody from a legal perspective look at it.

4 hours ago, 40isthenew30 said:

Is your contract in Fl our CA? It was my understanding that those contracts are not enforceable in Cali, so worth looking into. Most are also prorated or allow you to transfer to diff units, so make sure you read every work before signing it.

Dont listen to your "friends" sometimes jealousy comes out in sneaky ways. You do you.

We're stationed in Florida. We live in a very a military friendly city. I had let them know that I'm a military spouse during the interview. So... Idk what that says about them now. From my experience before, when I shared this information that seemed to have affected my chances of getting into a residency before.

13 hours ago, sno963 said:

No one has mentioned this, but check for a military clause in your contract. Generally your husband's orders will extend to you for purposes of employment and housing.

I think you made a good choice and who knows when he'll PCS. Keep on doing you, you're doing a great job killing it while having the added stress of your husband being overseas with limited communication.

Pay in FL is notoriously low. If you can pay your bills, save, and the culture is good, keep on keeping on. California people sometimes don't understand because they pay out so much in state taxes and cost of living.

Congratulations!

Thank you! Not a lot of people really understand my situation. I'm quite private but just really needed to vent. Imagine your husband leaving for 6 months, feeling ALONE across the country. I have no friends and family out here. Then that same weekend having to fight all the emotions and spontaneous crying that comes with deployment in order to continue with work, school work and prepare for an interview. I'm amazed that I even did well on my interview.

But anyways, that's nursing. Gotta be able to push through.

I'll def. make more of an effort to make friends out here and make the most out of it, especially since I'll be here a while.

On 9/24/2019 at 5:36 AM, DeeAngel said:

Find better quality people to be friends with, yours sound useless and frankly, dumb.

Lol I would tell my friends not to sign those contracts unless they had absolutely no choice!

I think that the best thing to do is what has already been said and that is to review the contract carefully. I have only had experience with contracts when I was a traveling nurse and one word can make the difference sometimes. You have to do what is best for you. I live in California and trust me it is hard out here too, with so many people coming out of nursing school the lines of nurses with more than 1 year is long but the new grad line is unbelievable. The pay is better here and nurse ratios as well, so you have to weigh your options. As for your friends, they will be your friends even if they left the country if they were real friends.

Specializes in corrections and LTC.

Non-medical people will never understand what it is like to be a medical professional. My sister had flex hours, could work four 10's or five 8's, could leave for appointments or to watch her kids school program or sports event. We will never be able to do those things on a routine basis.

I bet your CA friends and family will be more understanding when they get to see you more frequently than they believe they will. With working three 12-hr shifts per week, you can actually take 8 days off in a row to go visit them. They also might find out how much they like visiting you!

2 hours ago, srod79 said:

I think that the best thing to do is what has already been said and that is to review the contract carefully. I have only had experience with contracts when I was a traveling nurse and one word can make the difference sometimes. You have to do what is best for you. I live in California and trust me it is hard out here too, with so many people coming out of nursing school the lines of nurses with more than 1 year is long but the new grad line is unbelievable. The pay is better here and nurse ratios as well, so you have to weigh your options. As for your friends, they will be your friends even if they left the country if they were real friends.

Yes I totally understand how competitive it is in California. I've heard of applications reaching in the thousands but only filling 2-4 positions. The pay is great but the cost of living is high.

Anyways, after a few years in Florida I'm confident Ill be able to transition back in CA just fine. My classmates will have jobs in hospitals who I can turn to, and family friends who can refer me to their hospitals. I really just need experience. In Northern CA, residency programs are rare and competitive. Majority of nursing positions are filled by experienced nurses or travel nurses. Maybe I can be both in the near future!

Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.

I signed a 3 year contract two years out of nursing school...to go into the military. Of course people want you to come back home but we all grow up. You'll be fine, you're doing something for your future.

PJishere- Congrats on the new job and great for your for doing what it takes to get your degree! <3 My first job was in a Dialysis facility that I worked at during nursing school. After a couple months I was hired into a residency program at a local hospital that required a 1 year contract and after my 2nd year I moved to another county and took a job at a different hospital that requires a 2 year contract. I at first was hesitant to take the job because I don't dream of living in this area long term but I ended up taking it because I had a greater chance of getting into critical care there then if I had gone back to a guaranteed job in dialysis.

Use this job as a stepping stone to get what you want and where you want. If you dream of labor and delivery or critical care or neurosciences or care management, use the job to help you get there. Be a forever sponge, continue learning and striving to be better. What I would do when your contract is near done is apply for a position on a military base or get in at the VA so that when your husband is relocated you can be relocated to and get more government benefits when you both retire.

Also if your husband is stationed elsewhere when he gets back and you need to relocate with him there should be a clause in the contract for that. Check your hospital policies, both hospitals I've worked in have that in their policies. No retribution because of it.

Good luck!

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