Help - I need a new job!

Dear New Job,

I do believe that one of the greatest aspects of being in the Nursing field is the ability to choose from so many different nursing roles in the medical field. There are so many roles that there is a lot to choose from including, hospital nursing, home health, school nursing, private duty nursing, travel nursing, Community-based nursing, research, Day Stay Surgery Centers, Hospice, Occupational Health, Operating Room, Trauma based nursing, Teaching, Intensive Care, Pediatrics, Labor and Delivery, Psych Nursing, Case Management, Cardiac, Organ Transplants, Gynecology, Oncology, etc.... I could mention more but I think most of us have been exposed to or have friends in different fields of Nursing. This is a bonus for Nurses because there are so many interesting options.

To answer your question regarding applying for one job or all three options at once, may I state that if you are definitively moving to a new role, which it sounds like you are as you find the need "to get out of your current job." If this is the case, then applying for all three positions would be a smart tactic. I state this because you will hopefully apply before someone else is hired into each of the roles that currently hold interest to you. It would be awful if the 'one that got away' was a perfect match for you. Please know that applying for three positions at once in the same organization in which you now work may come to the attention of your current supervisor. I don't know if this is okay or not for you. Only you can decide this.

During the the initial interview is a fantastic time to ask questions about the expectations the position holds for nurses working there. Any and all reasonable questions, except pay, about the job are fair game. Remember, they are interviewing you but you are also seeking information and performing your own interview. Actually, asking questions shows that you hold an interest in the position and will work in your favor. Usually, if you are asked back for a second interview, this can be taken as the interviewer holding an interest in you. Because they are showing that you have impressed them, the second interview would be a better time to bring up the subject of compensation as opposed to asking this right off the bat. Mailing the interviewer a "Thank you for your time" card is both classy and has the interviewer thinking about again!

Please know that questions regarding the expected days of the week to work, how long each shift is such as eight, ten, or twelve hours a day, and if any weekend work is required are all great questions for the initial interview.

As as far as declining an offered job, never burn bridges so be as polite as possible. Since most job offerings and job declinations are now provided through the organization's Human Resources Department, something along the lines of, "I really am thankful for the time made to interview me and I enjoyed meeting Mrs. Smith very much but would you please be kind enough to let her know that I accepted another offer?"

I wish you only the best.

Good Luck!!!

Tisme