Income woes - take a new job?

[mom2grace]

I'm a new FNP, have a position that I really enjoy. Started 6 weeks ago.

Major issue is income. I need to work 30hrs/wk to meet my bills. I took this job at 24hrs/wk knowing it would be tight.

Discussion with the physician owner during the interview about more hours/incentives in a few months. Today I saw 1 pt, more hours are not on the horizon.

I'm pretty bored. Co workers are nice but I'm not going to learn very much, no mentorship. Not very mentally stimulating. No way to know that before I started. I had 3 offers initially.

Pros- very low stress, close to home, positive atmosphere.

Then I found out I don't get paid holidays when I didn't get paid for Thanksgiving. Won't get paid for Christmas Day or New Years Day. (I work monday/wednesday/thursday). Makes the money situation even tighter.

Got an email from a friend of a friend for a position in oncology - my passion & the only specialty I would consider. Private practice contracted to a large hospital system. Did the interview as a courtesy but it sounds like a good fit & am shadowing on Friday.

I would work 4 days/week. Pay would be same per hour or more. Longer commute (10 minutes vs 30 minutes). No call & 6 weekend rounds/year (manager said it's usually less than 4 hours/day). I would learn a lot, but it would be specialized vs primary care. I did work inpatient oncology so I feel confident that I would like it & I know what I am getting into.

Advice from those who have been down this road? I have plenty of time to decide after the shadow & I can have additional shadow days.

I trust the friend that it's a good situation. Friend is an RN (not with oncology) & her husband is an MD who collaborates daily with the oncology group.

[caliotter3]

I would reconsider asking the current employer to match a possible offer from the new employer. I don't think that would work out in the long run and you would be right back where you started, one way or another.

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

A lot of NPs work 2 jobs. If you want more money, an option would be to get a 2nd job for 1 or 2 days a week. Good luck.

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

Yikes! Five pound bags of sugar are now four pounds and one pound packages of hot dogs are now 12 ounces and 40 hour nursing jobs have moved to 24 hours (or less). A FNP too, OMG, I'm frankly a bit shocked that you can't go out and pick up another day's work. But then in the "must read topics" I see a "Job search for new grad NP's. And I have a mere ADN, no wonder I'm having a hard time finding a job.

"Americans owe over $1.45 trillion in student loan debt, spread out among about 44 million borrowers. That's about $620 billion more than the total U.S. credit card debt. In fact, the average Class of 2016 graduate has $37,172 in student loan debt, up six percent from last year."

You're in an awful place! Enough income to have to pay a big student loan debt but not quite enough to live comfortably. I'd say that America is falling apart but I think that needs to be put in the past tense.

I hope you find another day's work.

I wrote the jobs search tips for new grad NPs. My experience is there are many jobs going begging - these are good jobs that pay well and are in nice locations, just not in big cities. I will have multiple job offers. People who cannot find jobs as NPs usually refuse to relocate. I am a new grad NP and just got my first offer for $120K per year, relo, great benefits, reasonable cost of living area near Lake Tahoe, site eligible for loan repayment. An MD with a small practice outside of Fresno said he will match and try to beat that offer. And more will be coming.

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

Good For You!!! That's what you did all that hard work for. CONGRATS!!!!

[JanetMI]

I am also having a similar issue. I finally did it and obtained post masters certification as PNP but was really floored by the total lack of full time positions. My previous employer (where I had worked for 10 years) had nothing to offer me and I ended up in a very high volume Medicaid clinic. Basically I was a warm body with a pulse and a prescription pad and that was all they wanted. I saw anywhere from 40-56 per day and almost everyone needed a translator. I worked twelve hour shifts and although I learned a lot and the pay was great I felt under pressure the whole time. I lasted 5 months and it was so bad that I jumped at the current job I have. It is a great environment and lots of support but the pay is awful. Currently I am prn until another provider goes part time in February when I finally will have benefits and PTO but the pay will still be awful. I figure it's a trade off: my sanity and health in exchange for lower pay but increased job satisfaction.My main worry on top of everything is that I have huge student loan debt and I am 61 years old. I feel I will just have to figure it all out along the way and work it out however I can. Honestly there needs to be a big reality check about NP programs and what the job situation really is-- most of us are only offered part time or prn for really low pay.