Help! I'm pretty much a new grad (4 months exp) and hired in a urgent care clinic!

[natsirt21]

Hello everyone. This is a long one, but I'd love the advise.

I'm in a complex situation where a community urgent care clinic wants to hire me but I'm worried that I won't get the experience I need and I may not be experienced enough for their demands. Plus I'm planning on starting a family soonish.

I'm BSN trained having graduated in June 2008 in Toronto, Canada. I did 4 month New Grad program where I rotated units for 1 month and was in Peds/NICU for 3 months. My pre grad was at Sick Childrens Gen Med/Infectious disease for 3 months (high acuity). So I have some experience but not alot. Since then I moved to the US, became licensed and looked for jobs. I've been off from active nursing for 10 months now.

I missed all the New Grad opportunities because of the timing of my licensure and then the timing of my August wedding. Plus its highly competative here in Atlanta and I think the fact that I'm Canadian doesn't help. So, the only job I found was this Urgent care clinic which sees anything from sprains and breaks to chest pain and dehydration in all populations. They probably do see some clients who should be at an ER and eventually are sent there. From my 3 x 2 hours of observation periods, it was very brief assessments, meds, phlebotomy, wound care, X-rays, EKGs. No lung assessements, GI assessments etc...

My question is....do I have enough experience to be thrown into this (yes there's a training period but I'm guess it will be brief)? And, will it give me enough experience to take a pregnancy leave 1 to 1 1/2 years from now. I want to raise my child with me at home and the US pregnancy leave does not allow for that so I would have to be off for a year or so and work part time after that. I want to set myself up so its not a problem to find work at that point.

I don't know if I should try to get into a New Grad program at the down town general hospital "Grady" or take this job and try to get as much experience as possible....maybe take a prn /PT possition on a med/surg floor after I have a little more experience. What do you think?

Help! I have to decide ASAP!

Thanks a million!

Tristan

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

A new nurse doesn't belong in an area that requires a lot of clinical expertise. This is an area where you should've honed your assessment skills to the NTH degree ALREADY--not where you learn on the job.

Please do yourself and your future patients a favor and go to a big hospital.

[springfieldrn]

You would get fantastic experience at Grady! There is no substitute for good med/surg experience. If I were considering you for a job post maternity leave experince at Grady would move you to the top of my list.

[natsirt21]

That's what I was thinking....busy med/surg units = lots of experience.

Your input is super helpful.

One more question though...how would an urgent care clinic look on a resume?

Its still a tricky decision because I don't have the Grady job yet and this urgent care clinic really wants me. I do have some quality experience under my belt but in many ways I'm still green. Do you agree with the previous person's post?

Thanks a million!

Tristan

[natsirt21]

Thank you for the reply. I respect your comment and that's why I asked, but I'm curious if you would feel the same way if the urgent care clinic was less acute and my assessment skills were pretty solid?

Thanks,

Tristan

[springfieldrn]

Any experience is good experience. Will you be safe and successful in an urgent care clinic? Putting yourself in a triage setting as new grad is risky for you and your patients. You sound like a thoughtfull person who will make the best choice for yourself and your future patients.