First RN job offer - assisted living. Will it kill my career?

[AngelMama]

I work as a resident assistant in assisted living and was offered a job after I pass the NCLEX. I live in an area where new grads struggle to find jobs. However, will this be career suicide, or is "any experience, good experience"?

[NurseyNursington]

Well, it depends what type of experience you want. What is your overall goal? If you want to work as an ICU or ED nurse, this may not be the best idea to gain skills. When I was in nursing school I had a clinical instructor who always told us that you lose a lot of your skills the first year if you're not actively using them. She apparently took an assisted living RN job out of school and struggled to get into a hospital later because she was super rusty on things like IV starts and wound care. I was in the same situation as you a few months ago, and ended up moving to a whole new state because new grad opportunities didn't exist where I was. I'm glad that even though I waited many months to find a job out of school, that I made the right decision not settling.

[caliotter3]

It won't hurt your career as much as protracted unemployment after getting a nursing license would. Learn what you can while actively pursuing another avenue of nursing if you do not feel that this is the job that you want for the foreseeable future. And congratulations on getting a job at all!

[AngelMama]

I want to work in labor and delivery. Elder care is nowhere close, but I'll definitely keep applying elsewhere.

Thanks!

[RunBabyRN]

While it's obviously not ideal, RN experience is better than restaurant experience, ya know? There are a few new grad programs out there that want people with NO RN experience at all, but most are OK as long as it's not acute care, and if you can get ANY acute care experience, that will help you to get where you want to be. Not to mention making RN salary versus what you'd be making elsewhere.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

Some days a paycheck is a paycheck. Work now while you apply elsewhere.

[caliotter3]

Some days a paycheck is a paycheck. Work now while you apply elsewhere.

Especially when the unemployment check ends!!!

[bsnprg]

Accept it, but actively apply for residencies .

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

[iPink, BSN, RN]

As you stated in your OP, new grad jobs are hard to come by. Take the job but continue to apply in other areas if that is the route you wish to go.

All the best.