First job: Psych vs. Med-Surg

[FarawaySoClose, BSN, DNP, RN]

So I have a challenge that seems to be increasingly rare these days: I'm a new grad who needs to choose between 2 jobs.

The first job, which I have been working at for a few days now, is a Pool position at an inpatient, acute pscyh facility in a rural town about an hour away from where I live. I get full time hours, sometimes overtime, with three weeks of training/precepting and it's a job that I really do love (I've always been very into psych and it's where I want to spend my career). It's a wonderful facility and has such an excellent reputation that we get patients from other states and even other countries. It pays $36 per hour but I don't get benefits since I'm not full-time; I could potentially be hired on full-time if they decide I'm a good fit.

I just got offered another position in Med-Surg at a hospital close to where I live and this is a new grad position for which I will recieve 12 weeks of training (they're piloting a new grad program) in exchange for a 1 year commitment on their Med-Surg floor. I've never done clinicals at this facility and have heard little about it, also their policy for nurse:patient ratios is to base on acuity but can reach 6 or 7:1. It pays 25.25/hour for new grads plus benefits. This facility is in a rapidly growing area and is constantly having to adapt and change to keep up.

Everyone insists that you need a solid 1 year of med-surg experience before specializing and this may be especially true of psych where one tends to lose their med. nurse skills (or in my case, not develop them).

I could try and do both, possibly working 70-80 hours a week, and burning out in the process, I'm young and adaptable after all (read: single and without child). However the psych facility hired me on in the first place because of my open availability and probably won't agree to this. Still considering this option.

Adding to my dilemma I am currently uninsured and need insurance benefits.

The hospital (Med-surg option) needs an answer by Weds; please help me weigh these 2 options.

[cooliegirl]

In my opinion I would go after my first love (psych), because you might take the med surg and end up not liking it.

Even without you stating the salary I still would have chose psych. I know its furthest away from your home, but as a new grad you dont want to jump into something your not comfy with.

P.s you can always buy private insurance.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

If your heart and your future in is psych, then by all means go with the psych job! You'll be a lot happier there than if you were slogging away on a med-surg floor where you really don't want to be, just because "everyone says...". And you'd be surprised at how much of your med skills you'll use in psych, especially if you work in substance abuse/detox.

That being said, having med-surg skills can be valuable for your career too because it will give you more nursing employment options. But staying in psych is by no means a dead-end.

If you really favor psych but want to keep your toe in the med-surg pool, take the psych job and see if you can get a PRN job on a med-surg floor: then you can pull a shift or two a week and still gain experience.

Good luck whatever you decide!

[MsPdx]

Go with the psych job (see above)! Good luck to you!

[FarawaySoClose, BSN, DNP, RN]

Thank you very much for your advice; I decided to turn down the Med-surg job, keep my psych. nursing job and pursue a part-time or PRN med-surg or unit position for experience. Things will work out as they should :)