Dream Job or Dream Location?

[las427]

Hi everyone! I was hoping to get some clarity on a huge decision I have to make by the end of the weekend. I have been offered 2 jobs as a new grad with 2 different seemingly wonderful hospital systems.

Job 1: Mother/baby. This job is in the city where my husband & I currently live & it is my absolute dream job. I am so passionate about women’s health, and have experience working in women’s health (not as a nurse). It sets my soul on fire & I loved every second of mother/baby in clinicals. I even have a friend on the unit (she works day shift though). I eventually want to work as a Women’s Health NP, so I think this would give me a wonderful foundation. I would have no hesitation taking this job except for 2 things: it’s a night shift position (& the waitlist for days is 1-2 years long) & my husband & I are looking to move out of our current city in the next year, so this job would prevent that. I am a huge morning person & can’t stay up past 10 pm, & my husband & I just got married this year & I will miss spending time with him. I am so worried about the night shift even though I have heard good things.

Job 2: Meg/surg. This is a day shift position in mine & my husband’s dream city. This is the city we want to live in, so it would be nice to go ahead & move there now. My husband’s job has a position they need to fill in this city & he would be able to go fill it. This hospital seems very open to giving new grads a great experience in med/surg, then allowing them to Move to the specialty area of their choice. It would be nice to learn the all of the basic skills in med/surg first. I am just scared that I will never get to work in Women’s Health if I give up the mother/baby opportunity. I also don’t want to wake up in the morning & not be excited about my job like I know I would be about mother/baby.

I just wish someone would tell me what I should do. My husband wants me to take med/surg, but that’s because he wants to see me during the evening & he wants to move.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I would take the med/surg position. Plenty of people have transitioned from Med/Surg into all kinds of different specialties. Once you have good Med/Surg experience (1-2 years), approach the manager of the L&D and/or Mother/Baby units of your hospital to see about shadowing or floating, so that you begin to build relationships.

I understand your reservations about night shift. I worked nights the first 4 months after graduation. It was hard on my body, my psyche and my relationships. I felt very lonely and isolated and I was chronically fatigued, as my normal body rhythms have me up around 6:30 AM and to bed around 9-10 PM. I eventually began throwing PVCs and after a thorough cardiac workup my cardiologist told me to get off nights. The PVCs went away once I did.

Your potential move sounds exciting and like a good opportunity to take care of your marriage, explore a new city and begin growing roots as a nurse.