Home health vs med surg

[phuturenurse1988]

So here I am a freshly graduated RN who just passed the NCLEX. I have had a lot of job offers.

Option 1: My first offer was from a pretty notable Home Health agency. They will start out at a high wage, give a $3000 sign on bonus, and seem to have high approval among their employees. I've always loved the idea of home health. I've worked in group home setting for almost a decade, and it gives me a sense of hope to keep people in their homes for as long as possible. I know the hours and paperwork would be a task, as well as being everything for the clients.

Option 2. A Med Surg at a notable hospital which is in a different state and the hours would be 11p-730a with about an hour drive to and from. At first I thought it was 11a-7p, but misheard. I know Med Surg is a great place to start I am just worried about the drive back and forth becoming unbearable.

Option 3. A local hospital with a dept of behavior of medicine job. It would be FT for a few months and then go to COC, but have a feeling it could lead to more opportunities in the hospital.

Option 4. Continue to look because there is a lot of opportunity in the area where I live.

I just feel like maybe start in home health and then transition into the hospital if that makes any sense.

Any advice appreciated.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

Home health would not be ideal as a new graduate. It seems like you'd either have difficult patients and no experienced nurses around for guidance OR easy patients and no opportunity to grow.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Option 1. Home health as a new grad is not really a good idea. You are only half-way educated as a new grad. To whom will you turn for back-up and expertise when something happens in the home and you alone must handle it? The acuity of home health patients continues to rise. Most new grads don't actually realize how much they don't yet know.

Option 2. Driving one hour home after a night shift is probably not a good idea. If you like that opportunity, can you move closer?