Help! need advice asap, job search and offers.

Nurses General Nursing

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So, I accepted a job last week that I will start on Feb 2nd. It is a good opportunity, at a mid sized hospital and I am excited for the job.

However, I was just called today by a hospital I had really wanted to work at. It is a large, technologically advanced hospital and the units are the same in hospital A and B. I felt that if I interviewed yet this week, I would probably find out in enough time to give the first place a week notice prior to the date I was to start. I left the manager a message at hospital B and she called me back to say that she could not interview me tomorrow and that she is out of the office until the 25th of January and would like to interview then.

What should I do? At this point, I feel like it would be best to go with the first job and see how that goes as I can always reapply in a year or so at hospital B if I end up not liking hospital A. I also feel funny about unaccepting an offer. My husband thinks I should at least go to the interview and see how it goes and then if they offer me a job prior to my start date at hospital A, that I could unaccept hospital A's offer and go with hospital B. I feel that it would be a jerk move to unaccept a job and even worse to unaccept with only a few days notice. I feel like it is a waste of everyones time to go on an interview when I already have a job I agreed to start at. I also feel as though the stress of all this job juggling is pointless.

And if I call the manager back to decline an interview, what do I say?

Thank you very much!!!!!

Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

I would be inclined to stay with A till you know that is not the best choice. Just my 2 cents

lifetimern

42 Posts

Specializes in trauma, critical care.

Congratulations on your job search success. I'm sure others reading this will take heart knowing that landing a job is possible.

As to your question, this is my opionion.

Interview with hospital B. It is wonderful that you are concerned with proper business form, but you would not be the first nurse to accept a position and change their mind at the last minute for a better offer. I, also, cannot stress how important your first year as a nurse is. Choosing the right hospital can define your career for years to come. Finally, you should worry about what will make you happy. A very experienced nurse once told me a truth she learned over the years: even the best hospital in the world won't take care of you. The hospital takes care of its needs (staffing, accredidation, etc.); so, you must take care of yourself.

Whatever you path you choose, good luck!

ChuckE

69 Posts

I just received my new issue of Businessweek. The cover article of this issue has to do with the rise in the number of the temp worker. The article goes on to say how corporations have cut as much overhead as they can and now they are viewing the employees as overhead to be cut at will. So instead of hiring FT workers, they are hiring temp workers that do not require by law benefits of any kind.

So in my opinion, take care of #1. That's you BTW. Go to the interview and if they offer you a job that you prefer over the job you already have, take the job and let the first hospital know as diplomatically as you can.

NurseJeanB

453 Posts

Wow West Coast Nurse, I would love to be in your position. I am a new grad and there are not many jobs available to new grads in the California Bay Area where I live. With that in mind, I immediately thought about the bird in hand analogy, but it sounds like you are in a different situation and have the experience and skills to be choozy. With your husband behind interviewing I think that sounds like the thing to do. Congratulations on finding work in such a tough economic environment.

I<3Nursing

110 Posts

That's exactly what happened to me when I graduated from nursing school April 2008. I was a single mother at the time and really wanted to land any job that I could when I graduated. Our school had job fairs and I went to one and applied to every single place that I could. I interviewed with the first hospital that I could and they offered me a job that day, I accepted the job and then a week later a bigger better hospital had me interview and I couldn't say no to the second hospital, closer, better pay, better census, better opportunity. So...I thought about it for a day or two about how I was going to communicate my decision, I had been in email contact with the first hospital and so I emailed her and explained that I was so grateful for the opportunity and that I had another opportunity that better suited me and my family's needs. She responded back very politely that she understood and to her her hospital on my list if I ever changed my mind...so much better outcome than I could have imagined. Later that hospital actually had layoffs, but by then I had switched to the VA Medical system with a union and no worries about low census or layoffs :) Do what is best for you, at the end of the day, the hospital isn't going to care about you, they care about the bottom line, if you don't accept the job they find someone that will ;)

Thank you all for your responses, I really appreciate it.

So, I have decided to interview with hospital B and have already scheduled the time. I will let you know how it all turns out.

Thank you!!

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