Graduate Nurse Working in Pain Clinic as First Job

[crush_RN]

Hi everyone, I would like some insight about my current situation.

I graduated in May and have been applying for residencies since April. I recently applied to the most recent round of residency applications with my revised resumes and cover letters. Hopefully I will hear back within the next few weeks.

I also have the opportunity to work full time at a pain management clinic which I'm unsure if I should accept.

I would have a better nursing foundation if I started working in a hospital and will have more job opportunities from working in a hospital vs a clinic. However, I get really bad anxiety and dreaded clinical rotation. I never felt fully confident in my skills, and since I did my capstone in the Operating Room, my bedside skills are extremely rusty. I'm afraid of making a mistake and hurting my patient. I know I will eventually want to get out of bedside nursing, and the lower stress environment in a clinic is appealing.

I'm also beginning to feel desperate since hospitals only accept new grads within X months of graduating. Should I take my chances and wait to get accepted into a residency program and push through the next few years ? I know it is ultimately my decision to make, but I would like some advice from my fellow nurses.

Thank you in advance!

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I think the job sounds really perfect for you. You do NOT have to spend time in the hospital to "count" as a nurse. Take the job and don't look back. Feel the sigh of relief come over you.