Interview on Monday - Need Help!

[heartoflife23]

Hello everyone!

I am a new member here on allnurses.com and am in need of some advice, please!

While in nursing school, I worked in a small community hospital as an aide. I graduated from nursing school in 2011 and passed my boards in August of 2011. Shortly after passing boards, I accepted a position with a major teaching hospital in the city on a surgical oncology floor. I found that the patients were a lot to deal with as a brand new nurse. They were truly very sick. Many would be d/c'd home (if they made it) on hospice and I'd no sooner be reading their obituaries in the paper. I felt stretched thin as a person, and a very unsafe nurse due to the understaffing and patient assignments.

I stayed there for just short of 6 months before I accepted a position at a local community hospital, that was obviously much smaller than the major teaching hospital. I enjoyed being there for the most part, but again found myself being stretched thin with understaffing and personal dissatisfaction as I felt patients were being put at risk. I began my active search again, and found myself with a position at a home care agency.

Unfortunately, shorly before I was to start at the home care agency, a family member became very ill and was hospitalized. It was extremely serious, and I chose to be with my family. I had 5 shifts left at the community hospital before I was to begin my career in homecare. I chose not to finish those shifts, as my family was (and always will be) far more important to me than anything else. Needless to say, this probably was not a smart career move, but I needed to be with my family member.

I started my career with the home care agency but was recently let go due to a "poor fit". I was told that I could contact the agency for a reference if needed. I have been searching and searching for a position as a nurse (I know that I do NOT want to be back in the hospital) and found an ad in the paper for a local doctor's office. I called and they requested my resume, and now I have an interview on Monday. They want a list of references, which I'm assuming are professional references. I am hesitant to use the most recent employer as a professional reference even though they offered. I also feel as though due to the way things ended at the smaller community hospital, it would not be smart to list my manager there as a professional reference. I could certainly list my manager at the major teaching hospital. Maybe I could list the references at the other smaller community hospital I worked at while I was in nursing school? I don't want to make the wrong choice and harm my chances of getting this job - I NEED it.

What are your thoughts?