I think I got offered a job

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A little background: I live in a small town outside Las Vegas, NV. As such I have been focusing my job hunt in Las Vegas since there isn't much in this tiny town.

Today I got a call from the Rehabilitation Hospital in my small town. The HR manager said she got my information from her friend who is a HR manager for one of the agencies in Las Vegas who forwards the information of anyone who lives in the small town to the HR manager here. She then went on to ask if I was interested in a floor nurse position at the rehab hospital either full-time, part-time, or even per diem. I never applied to this location and to be honest I had no clue what to say so I was honest and said I had a few new grad applications that I was waiting on answers from for positions in Las Vegas and that I didn't even know how per diem worked since I am so new my nursing license number literally just got issued today (and hasn't switched over from pending to active yet). She gave me her contact information. I have no clue if she honestly means to hire me sight unseen but it sounded like it and sounded like she was desperate for nurses.

Also if I were to take this type of position would it mean that I wouldn't get hired by a hospital in the future. Do they even count LTC as experience? I've never even thought about this type of work so I'm really unsure of what to do or say.

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193 views and no one has anything to say...

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Sounds like she's interested in interviewing you for a position. It never hurts to go on an interview so I'd call her back and tell her you'd be interested in interviewing for a position. You can get a tour of the facility and ask more about the position and see if it's something you'd like.

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I'm just scared of the possible nurse patient ratio (I've heard LTC horror stories) and getting trapped in sub-acute for my whole career. I'm not sure how I'd manage the workflow as a new nurse, but you are right. I should at least interview and see what the pay and benefits are. It has to pay better than Walmart at any rate. I think I still have to wait a bit to start working though since my license was issued on 8/8 but still says Pending instead of Active...I'm not sure what the hold up is since it already took them 6 days to give me a license number and now it's been 2 more and they haven't made it so I can use it yet. I hope if I take the job that she won't want me to stay for 2+ years. I would like to get the experience and then work on getting a job in Labor and Delivery or something along those lines.

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Until you have a firm job offer somewhere else, an RN job there is better than no RN job. The only way she can make you commit to 2+ years is if you sign a contract that states you "owe" them a certain amount of time. Don't sign anything. LOL

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Is it a rehabilitation hospital or a LTC?

Rehab hospitals have a great foundation of nursing; lots of post acute trauma pts, elective orthopedic surgeries, strokes, cardiac rehab if they admit patients like that...you will learn how to educate your population, manage challenging complex pts, plans of care, nursing skills that transcend specialties.

Find out what this place has to offer; find out ratios, and other information, interview an established employee there as well.

And it's your first position; that doesn't mean you will not enter acute care at some point of your career; the most important thing is honing your clinical practice; I found all my 8 years of non-acute care nursing practice has made me very hard wired to endure the challenges and rewards of acute care.

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It's both. The rehab part I think is mostly post-stroke type patients as all traumas go to Las Vegas since the hospital here just isn't equipped for anything that serious. I am interested in the position but I have to wait until I find out if I get into the StaRN program I applied for...if not then I'll see if she is still interested in interviewing me...I just can't get that excited about geriatrics...I hated that clinical...

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Check it out. You have nothing to lose.

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SNF/rehab experience can get you into acute care. On the other hand, having had nursing experience at a SNF/rehab can disqualify you from new-grad nursing programs at an acute care hospital. ---Are there some stellar new-grad programs that you might miss out on? What is your financial situation? Can you risk waiting for one of the positions that hasn't yet offered you a job?

Contact the acute care places and see what you can do to generate an offer with them, so you may choose between offers.

What is the reputation of this place? Check the Medicare.gov ratings. What do nurses and aids say about the place?

I once was offered a supervisor position when I had a applied for a staff position. I noticed that no one in the place wanted that job. I also listened to what others said about the place's reputation, and what others said who had worked there. I generated some other offers, and did not take the position they offered.

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FYI, there's no reason to wait for your lisence to become "active." Many places even allow new grads to work while they wait to take the NCLEX, so no need to wait at all once you've passesd.

While I kind of understanding your hesitation about the rehab job, it seems like you aren't understanding that you might not get any of the other offers you are waiting for--sounds like you haven't even been offered interviews yet--and might lose out on the one offer you do have if you wait too long. You will have committed to nothing by calling the manager back and at least interviewing for the position and getting your questions answered. All of your worries about what "might" happen will be moot if you end up with NO actual job offers.

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