Do I take my first job offer?? HELP

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I'm located in NY and applied a few months ago to a new grad residency program in NC (charlotte to be exact). You had to pick your top three area choices and for my first I put Adult Critical Care. During my critical care rotation I was in a CTICU, MICU, ED and OR. I loooooooved the CTICU but I know a lot of people would say don't start in it because it's high acuity and specific. Well, the nurse recruiter called me and said I see you were in the CTICU for clinical, did you like it? I said yes I absolutely loved it! She set me up with an interview with the hiring manager in their CVICU. I then got a peer interview after that. Yesterday (Fri 3/17) they called and offered me the position!!!! I said I'd take the weekend to think about it (So call them back Mon 3/20).

I have my capstone in the cath lab and I really do love love love love cardio..but I'm not sure if I should take my first offer.

However, I did interview and shadow in the Burn Trauma ICU at a hospital in [upstate] NY [where I go to school] and never got a call back (didn't love the unit so didn't really put my heart into the interview with the manager after the shadow, but I digress).

I just applied to three/four hospitals in the NYC area [where I live] this week, because their applications just opened.

I doubt I'll get an opportunity to start in a CVICU/CTICU in any of those hospitals though and that is what I want to do 100%.

The pay, however, in NYC area is 38-40/hr and in charlotte.... 21/hr !!!!!!

Is the cost of living in charlotte really that much cheaper?? Can you live off of 21/hr?

I do want a new grad residency program because I think a hospital that has this really cares about the growth and success of their RNs.

Anyone from Charlotte or a similar dilemma with any advice?

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Specializes in PACU.

From some threads I've seen on Allnurses, I wonder at the job market in NYC right now, and how feasible it is to expect to get a job right away. Last year there were some that were applying to hospitals and not getting any call backs because of closures and decreased beds. It was also implied that job hunting there mattered if you you were graduating with and ADN opposed to a BSN. You maybe able to search threads and find out more. I'm not trying to discourage you... hopefully some people from NYC and Charlotte areas will come on to give you a better picture.

But in case they don't.... I would spend some time this weekend Googling for apartments and such in Charlotte and outlying areas, to get an idea of cost of living. You can look up some entertainment and see the cost of tickets compared to NYC. Were I live it's only $9 for an adult ticket to a movie... that tells you something about our cost of living.

There is a big drop in pay as soon as you are outside a bigger city, and I know rural areas in NYS (Originally from western NYS, and have sister who is a nurse still there) are starting at that wage.

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

Do you want to live in Charlotte? You're talking about a pretty substantial geographical move. Does the residency require an employment contract? If it does, you're committing to at least 2 years in a place you aren't familiar with, without family support. That's a significant consideration.

As for the pay, it does seem rather low, but I'm not super familiar with Charlotte's cost of living. According to a quick online salary search, Presbyterian does seem to pay less than other hospitals. I'm not sure what part of NYC you're in, but CNN money suggests that if you make a 40K salary in Charlotte, you'd need to make 72K in Brooklyn and 93K in Manhattan to have equivalent standard of living. You'd have to do some research into how much you would be paying for rent, transportation, etc. Make sure you factor in taxes, paying for benefits, and any student loans or debt you may have.

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I would LOVE to relocate to charlotte. I need to get out of NY! It's only a year commitment I believe.

Currently, I live about an hour outside of NYC [which is a typical commute for people]. I do work as an nurse's aid at a hospital 1/2 hour from me but this hospital is smaller (about 450 beds I believe) with basically just med-surg units and a few ICU beds a "peds" wing that's usually filled with med surg pts anyway & a L/D, M/B. This hospital hired a group of nursing students as aids with the intent to hire us as RNs depending on our performance but obviously with no guarantees. We would have to wait till we pass our boards to do an internal transfer so it would be around July until I knew if I would be hired there on a med surg unit. The hospital would pay good (39/hr to start I believe) and I could live at home for a while and drive to work. I don't have loans or debt either so financially I would be able to save a lot but with not much opportunity for growth (professional or personal).

I would hate to decline an opportunity because I could make more money in NY (if I was hired which I believe I have a good shot, but no guarantee like I said) and give up a job in a unit I really like because of a little anxiety about accepting my first offer and having to finance rent and utilities for the first time!

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

Have you looked in many other areas? It sounds like you haven't even graduated yet?

If you're willing to relocate, it may be a good way to get experience and then apply to positions closer to home. I can tell you from experience that living on your own with not family/friends near by can be extremely difficult. If I had the choice to do it over, I would stay closer to home, take a job with lower pay that allowed me to continue living with family and save a big chunk of money before going out on my own. But what's right for you may be a different path.

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Was considering staying where I go to school (Rochester, NY area) but decided against.

Also, visited San Francisco and surrounding areas a few months back. Very nice but don't see myself living there.

I have not graduated- I graduate in May. This is my first job!

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Specializes in Pedi.

You would love to live in Charlotte and 100% want the unit you were offered there. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

When I graduated I 100% knew I wanted pediatrics and would have been willing to move for it. As it turned out, the local Children's hospital that I was doing my preceptorship at offered me a job right as I was about to start submitting applications around the country.

I don't care about being close to family. They currently only live 45 minutes away and I just saw my mom for the first time in a month and my brother for the first time since Christmas today. My other brother lives in the same city I do and I haven't seen him in months either. Charlotte to NY isn't a very long flight and there are many airlines that fly the route, though, so you could certainly live in Charlotte and see your family in NY more often than I see mine 30 miles away if you prioritize that.

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Only you can decide if this is the right job for you.

Here's some info that might help you decide:

Median income for someone under 25 is $35k For the 25-44 age range the median income if $50K.

Median home price is $179K.

It is a largely young, white collar community. It is the corporate headquarters for a lot of big banks.

Charlotte Demographics & Statistics — Employment, Education, Income Averages, Crime in Charlotte — Point2 Homes

It is only a 3.5 hour drive to Myrtle Beach. You can drive over in the morning. Spend the day on the sand, and drive home that night.

It is only a 3 hour drive to Charleston, SC, a fascinating historic city. They host the Spoleto music festival every year.

It is only a 3.5 hour drive to Atlanta, GA.

It is only a 2 hour drive to Ashville, NC, a town with a strong art community.

It is only 2.5 hour drive to Brevard, NC, often called the Julliard of the south. (Blues, Jazz, Opera, Classical, etc. music)

It's a short drive to Pisgah, Natahala, The Smokies, etc. if you like hiking, biking, camping in the mountains.

It is about 4 hours to Chattahoochee if you like white water rafting.

I've never lived in Charlotte. I have been there several times. I think the area has a lot to offer a young professional if you are the type of person who likes to get out and explore.

I lived in Columbia, South Caroline when I graduated 100 years ago. I enjoyed being able to do day trips to all those areas.

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Thank you both for the advice!

KelRN215- I don't particularly care about being close to family either. Went away to school 5 hours and only came back for breaks to work and get away from campus. I deff am not the type that would not do well away from family! And as mentioned, it is a short, inexpensive flight!!

Guys...looks like I'm leaning (very far) towards accepting it!!!!

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You can start to look now at how much housing will cost by looking at apartment and houses online to get an overview of housing. $21 per hour at base pay is $1512 (bi weekly) before taxes and benefits are taken out. You definitely need to save some money before moving out there.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I'm located in NY and applied a few months ago to a new grad residency program in NC (charlotte to be exact). You had to pick your top three area choices and for my first I put Adult Critical Care. During my critical care rotation I was in a CTICU, MICU, ED and OR. I loooooooved the CTICU but I know a lot of people would say don't start in it because it's high acuity and specific. Well, the nurse recruiter called me and said I see you were in the CTICU for clinical, did you like it? I said yes I absolutely loved it! She set me up with an interview with the hiring manager in their CVICU. I then got a peer interview after that. Yesterday (Fri 3/17) they called and offered me the position!!!! I said I'd take the weekend to think about it (So call them back Mon 3/20).

I have my capstone in the cath lab and I really do love love love love cardio..but I'm not sure if I should take my first offer.

However, I did interview and shadow in the Burn Trauma ICU at a hospital in [upstate] NY [where I go to school] and never got a call back (didn't love the unit so didn't really put my heart into the interview with the manager after the shadow, but I digress).

I just applied to three/four hospitals in the NYC area [where I live] this week, because their applications just opened.

I doubt I'll get an opportunity to start in a CVICU/CTICU in any of those hospitals though and that is what I want to do 100%.

The pay, however, in NYC area is 38-40/hr and in charlotte.... 21/hr !!!!!!

Is the cost of living in charlotte really that much cheaper?? Can you live off of 21/hr?

I do want a new grad residency program because I think a hospital that has this really cares about the growth and success of their RNs.

Anyone from Charlotte or a similar dilemma with any advice?

Take the job! Charlotte is very different from New York, but then most places are. Yes, the pay is about half of what you'd make in NYC, but spend some time on Zillow and see what you can rent in Charlotte for about half of what you'd make in NYC. You might not like Charlotte and may decide to move back to New York after a couple of years there, but that's OK. You'll have valuable experience and be much more marketable as a nurse. You'll also have had a bit of an adventure, moving to someplace very different. Go for it!
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Specializes in PACU.

It is only a 3.5 hour drive to Myrtle Beach. You can drive over in the morning. Spend the day on the sand, and drive home that night.

I love Myrtle Beach! And the whole area, we use to vacation there as kids/teens. (now this was many moons ago, it's been long time since someone carded me).

Really with the fact that you are talking about a lot of different changes (not just the unit and wages) there are more thing to consider then we could weigh in on, and only you know the priority you want to give to being close/far from family and everything else.

But I have to say, it makes me nostalgic for my youth, when I could pack up and go where ever I wanted. Back before kids, house and I realized the importance of money... I was more adventurous.

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