I resigned from my non-acute-care job after a few months. The job was chaotic and abusive, and I don't want to discuss it here for anonymity's sake.
However, I am pretty discouraged that I will not be able to find another job. I have had a couple interviews very rural areas that pay way below average in non-acute care settings and I worry that will be my only option. I don't really want to work nights ever again, since that added to all my misery.
I have one kind-of job offer from a very rural clinic 500 miles from home. The pay is very low but it is day shift. I would basically only afford rent and food, and I would not be 100% financially independent from my parents. I can work there a couple years and then go to grad school, but I don't know if graduate schools even want that kind of experience.
I went into nursing straight out of high school and I don't want to destroy my career by taking something stupid early on.
I am young and I can afford to leave nursing if I need to. All I want in life is to be able to work days and to be financially independent enough to live comfortably and simply.
It sounds like you are in a decent financial situation and can afford to be a bit choosy. I second the suggestion of applying farther from home if moving isn't an obstacle. My friend took a position at a hospital in Bismark, ND with great pay and a day/evening rotation. They are screaming for nurses all over western ND with the big population boom thanks to the oil fields and being a new grad wasn't a hindrance at all. The biggest problem is finding affordable housing as rental properties are going for a premium. I don't know if you are single and looking but it something else to consider that the ratio of men to women there is 70-1!
If you are more excited about living in a big urban area, start throwing applications in for systems in the big cities you think you might like to live in. Do a little research though into cost of living, what seems like a great money might not be if the cost of living is through the roof.
Would you have to go back to school? Do you have the money to do it? If you don't have to pay for a degree and you feel like you have the time get one then it's not unreasonable. To me, it would be unreasonable to put myself tens of thousands of dollars in debt to avoid working night shifts for a year or two.
If you don't have any financial obligations then go ahead and wait around a little while and see if anything comes up. You might even be able to work part time at a clinic when you were going back to school.
But I mean, do you want to be a nurse? You say you want to work in a hospital, but even working during the day is absolutely exhausting. If I didn't really love my job I would probably resent the toll it takes on me physically. But I ******* love what I'm doing right now.
You don't have to have a "calling" or whatever to be a good nurse and enjoy what you do, that's not what I'm saying. But it would definitely help if the idea of being a nurse sounds like fun to you.
So...what do you want to do?
I had a couple local job interviews all at once today! It all happened very suddenly. So I will wait and see what happens... I don't feel a "calling" to be a nurse. I enjoy nursing, but I know at the end of the day a job is a job and it isn't the be-all-end-all of my happiness.
It sounds like you are in a decent financial situation and can afford to be a bit choosy. I second the suggestion of applying farther from home if moving isn't an obstacle. My friend took a position at a hospital in Bismark, ND with great pay and a day/evening rotation. They are screaming for nurses all over western ND with the big population boom thanks to the oil fields and being a new grad wasn't a hindrance at all. The biggest problem is finding affordable housing as rental properties are going for a premium. I don't know if you are single and looking but it something else to consider that the ratio of men to women there is 70-1!
If you are more excited about living in a big urban area, start throwing applications in for systems in the big cities you think you might like to live in. Do a little research though into cost of living, what seems like a great money might not be if the cost of living is through the roof.
I am okay with living in a rural area as long as I can live close to work and don't have to drive a long distance! For example, I can move to ND if I can get a job 5-10 miles from the hospital and 2-3 miles from a grocery store/ shopping center where I can get my bare necessities. That and day/ evening shift is all I need! I will wait to hear back from the couple places I interviewed at and will consider ND if they don't pan out!
kbrn2002, ADN, RN
3,969 Posts
It sounds like you are in a decent financial situation and can afford to be a bit choosy. I second the suggestion of applying farther from home if moving isn't an obstacle. My friend took a position at a hospital in Bismark, ND with great pay and a day/evening rotation. They are screaming for nurses all over western ND with the big population boom thanks to the oil fields and being a new grad wasn't a hindrance at all. The biggest problem is finding affordable housing as rental properties are going for a premium. I don't know if you are single and looking but it something else to consider that the ratio of men to women there is 70-1!
If you are more excited about living in a big urban area, start throwing applications in for systems in the big cities you think you might like to live in. Do a little research though into cost of living, what seems like a great money might not be if the cost of living is through the roof.