Go for it or play it safe?

[pugluvr310]

hey all! so i have a dilemma. i have an interview with hr coming up on friday for a new grad position (i graduate in may! yay!) and people have been telling me that hr will ask what your top 2 positions are that you want, but they're not telling anyone what departments are actually hiring (even if you straight out ask). doesn't sound too bad. but here's the deal. i would love to do critical care, esp emergency or icu (which rarely hires new grads), or l&d (which is also not hiring new grads this year at all) or even or (not my first choice but it's something different than floor nursing). i do not want to do med/surg, god bless the nurses that work there but i'm just not one of them. but with the economic times i just want a job, so many people aren't getting hired period i just want a job so if i have to stick it out on a med/surg floor for a year or two, i'm okay with that and i'll definitely work really hard and use it as a learning experience. but it's definitely not my first pick! so hr is telling people that if they don't name med/surg as one of their top 2 picks then they're not giving out their (the new grad's) names to management bc they only want people who will stay there and not just transfer out after a year or two (which i completely understand, but still). so what do i do? do i be honest and try to do something i know i'd love but that i have a really good chance of not getting or do i play it safe and give one of my top 2 positions as a med/surg unit even though i know i'd hate it, but at least i'd have a job? i've been working at this hospital for the last year and this is the place that i really want to work (plus it'll be next to impossible to try to find somewhere else right now), i just don't know what to do. what does everyone think? any and all comments are welcome! thanks so much for your help!!

:heartbeat

[retiredlady]

Say med/surg, but don't tell them that you will transfer later. That will get you better odds for a job, then transfer when you want. They don't need to know just yet. :)

[joannep]

Absolutely tell them what they want to hear, you don't know what the future holds. Your goal is to have foot in the door and work towards the job you want.

[Be_Moore]

I agree, tell them the partial truth...Critical Care is your primary choice, ED is your secondary, but you'll do Med/Surg if you have to (pick a Tele floor if you have to, it's a great way into an ICU). Just don't mention that you will transfer. With that said, that's not my real suggestion.

I went through this same thing when I graduated and chose to settle and worked on the floor for some 14 months before quitting and moving to a better job (in an ICU). If you really want to work Critical Care, there is a hospital that will hire you as a new grad. You just have to find it, and you have to be willing to move there to take it. I settled for comfortability and while I don't regret the experience on the floor, I regret the professional time that I lost by doing something that wasn't relevant to my passions.

If you really want to work in critical care, go find a job in critical care. Good luck!