HUGE pay cut?

[Thor77]

To start off I am really asking for a little advice, Usually people view my posts but don't respond . I have 8 yrs experience in LTC and management. Also some sub-acute experience. I finally took the plunge into a hospital for a job interview because I want to continue on for my NP.( I applied and was not accepted due to my lack of acute care experience!!)

So I think that I pretty much got the job BUT confused : SHOULD I TAKE THE JOB FOR LESS MONEY FOR THE EXPERIENCE OR CONTINUE WITH MY GROWTH IN LTC ??? (DON and onto REGIONAL)

I keep weighing the pros and cons but would love to hear some advice or opinions from my fellow RN's out there!!

Has anybody been in a similar situation?

[CuriousMe]

I'm confused, you said you applied for the job but were not accepted....so what job are you asking about?

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

I'd have to weigh how much I wanted to become an APN down the road against how much I needed to make more money now. Which one is a greater priority for you?

I don't know anyone who has been accepted into an APN program while working in LTC.

[Thor77]

CuriousMe

I went on an interview at the hospital and I am pretty sure that I got it. The usual steps remain..reference checks etc. I haven't accepted it yet because they haven't given me a definite pay rate. They gave me an estimated amt. and it is a lot less than what I'm making now

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

The "was not accepted" part was talking about NP school, right?

[llg, PhD, RN]

Yours is a classic choice of having establish priorities:

1. Short term, immediate benefit (higher pay now)

vs.

2. Long term benefit (fullfil long-term career goals) ... but having to accept some sacrifice now

Which is more important to you? Which path do you want your life to take? When you get to the end of your life ... which path will you wish you had taken? Are you willing to sacrifice your short term financial status in order to fulfill your long term goals?

Some people are incapable of making a short term sacrifice to achieve a long term goal. That can be OK if they are happy substituting other, more easily achieved things for those long term goals. Some are happy with that and that's OK. But other people are not happy doing that. They will always have regret inside if they don't pursue those original long term goals -- and that regret will eat away at them and ruin their happiness.

Which type of person are you? Will one path make you a lot happier than the other?

Only you can answer those questions.

As for me ... I always wanted a PhD. So I quit my job altogether at age 35 and lived "dirt poor" for 5 years to get it. But I have no regrets about that. The PhD meant/means more to me than the stuff I could have purchased with the money I gave up for it. (And no, I don't earn more now because of it.) But that's just me. It's OK if you don't want to be an NP badly enough to make a big sacrifice for it.

[Thor77]

WOW Thank You, llg...that was a great post!

"Are you willing to sacrifice your short term financial status in order to fulfill your long term goals?"

This is the question that I am confronted with and honestly I would rather fulfill my goals than have material things..So I think my heart knows what to do!