Help! Torn between 2 jobs

[soon2beNP]

I have been a nurse for 2 years now with my first jobs being in Pediatrics, mostly in offices...I love pediatrics and I am comfortable with it. I moved to NJ from the south and picked up a job in Care Coordination for a small internal medicine practice. The position is really laid back, and offers very little supervision, hours are 9-5pm M-F and after 90 days, 5 sick days. After the first year, 2 weeks vacation. Pay is average and i get 1 hour lunch daily. The job is alittle boring, but it is steady. No patient care at all.

Recently, after about 5 months of waiting, I received a call for an interview at a huge children's hospital in their LTC department. I love pediatrics so I definitely went for the interview, and got hired! The pay is the same as now, better benefits; however, the hours are 3 days/12 hour shifts 7pm to 7am and I haven't touch a trach/vent/gtube since LPN school. I know that I need more hands on experience, especially since I want to go on to getting my RN eventually, but I am torn between a really low key job, to potentially high stress but more hands on. Can someone shed some insight?

[AJJKRN]

Just remember the grass is not always greener. I don't know if I would leave a less stressful job for a more stressful job. You may very well go from higher autonomy to really low autonomy and be nitpicked by customer service satisfaction scores.

The benefits would have to be excellent if the pay was the same for what is assumingly more physical work and stress.

You may also find yourself really stressed out while your going back to school which will trump that learning experience you may be after.

Did you have the option to shadow before the job was offered just to scratch the surface of what environment you would be working in? Could be a great cohesive and supportive place or a dysfunctional disgruntled place.

Just some words of thought.

[soon2beNP]

You definitely have a point. The benefits are much better in the way of tuition reimbursement and retirement benefits, but that is pretty much it. The fact that it is in a hospital setting, the experience I need, and to put that in my resume, is why it calls my attention. But you are totally right, the grass isn't always greener. ​Thank you for the insight!

[ivyleaf]

do you eventually want to work in a hospital setting, or do you see yourself staying in outpatient as an rn?

[cleback]

At this point in the game I don't know if the opportunity to practice skills will be worth the more stress. You will always learn skills in nursing school. And I can't say LTC experience is necessary to get into acute care after college. I suppose it depends on your job market in the area if you need more hands on experience for your long term goals. However, if the new job is connected to a hospital, it may open more doors after obtaining your RN. If the job market is tough, if you could transfer to the hospital as an RN later, and if the stress isn't too much, go for it.

[soon2beNP]

Ivyleaf, My experience is mostly in peds and I really enjoy it. I don't necessarily enjoy the hospital setting very much but I feel that the market demands experience in trachs, vents, and gtubes which is what this job at the rehab facility for children entails...especially in NJ.