Job Advice

CEN35 · Jan 29, 2005

Most places now days are hiring new grads, d/t the lack of experienced ones. The theory of a warm body is better than No body seems to be the trend.

When I started out of school, our ER hired one new grad a year. I took the position, against the advice of everybody. Everybody said, "you need a year of floor nursing first". I took it as BS. I jumped in and went for it.

I had 3 months orientation. It went great! After 5 months there were times, when I thought it wasn't for me and I couldt hack it. By 6 months, I knew I could.

There is a HUGE learing curve the first 6 months, a little less the second 6 months, a lot less the 3rd 6 months, and after 2 years I felt totally 100% confident and comfortable. Although the learning NEVER ends, there is always something.

I had ACLS, MICN, PALS, BLS, TNCC, and my CEN, within 2 years.

I wouldn't worry so much about trauma. It's blown up hype. In my opinion your medical cases, can take way more thought, and help build a base for you. A base that will help more, when you have a trauma. My ER position was at a trauma center. No biggie. Everybody gets all hyped up and anxious. 90% of the time it's not much. Most Trauma from our area is blunt force trauma, not penatrating trauma.

If I were you? Don't worry about it. Get into an ER with the hours and shifts you want 1st. Make sure they will give you a decent amount of orientation. Probably better to go to a place with some established staff. Since I have left our ER (one of the last of a group of 70, except for maybe 5?), it has been a revolving door of new grads.

Most important, never forget there is always more to learn, and nobody knows it all.

GOOD LUCK!!!

LLLLeah · Jan 29, 2005

thanks CEN35, I appreciate the input :)

Rena RN 2003, RN · Jan 30, 2005

so you either go to an ED that you don't like the shifts or you go to an ED with the possibility of floating to areas you don't want to be in?

find a third facility. :chuckle

seriously, neither of those options sound very attractive if you only want to do ED.

PMHNP10 · Jan 30, 2005

so you either go to an ED that you don't like the shifts or you go to an ED with the possibility of floating to areas you don't want to be in?
find a third facility. :chuckle
seriously, neither of those options sound very attractive if you only want to do ED.

I agree with you 100%

To OP:

Don't let a hospital dictate to you what they need. There are way too many options out there. Read some other posts and you will find more often than not when a person compromises their wants/needs just to get a job, it turns out to be a disaster.

And regardless of what they tell you, you will find yourself wherever they need you. As a new grad, you need consistency, IMHO, be it on a m/s floor, ER, l&d, psych, ICU, oncol, etc. Having the possibility of doing 3 or more shifts on a different floor or in a different specialty in a week's time would be a nightmare. Most of the hospitals I've applied for or heard of require 1-2 yrs experience before float pool becomes anything of an option.

As for the trauma center which offers 8 hr shifts only: I hate 8 hr shifts, but that is a very individual preference. What is not individual, though is that you will be miserable doing 7 straight shifts in a row and then only having a couple days off. If you are forced to do 8 hr shifts, doing more than 4-5 is pushing it. I promise you, 7 straight shifts will burn you out.

If you are unable to relocate or find any other hospitals, I'd settle for going to a m/s or tele floor or something like that before I'd do either of the 2 options you presented. And believe me...I absolutely hate floor nursing.

rjflyn, ASN, RN · Jan 30, 2005

I'll add my buck and a quarter to the topic. You state what the ER position is that has been offered to you. You dont mention if this all they will ever have ie is that what everyone who works there is working. What do the other nurses work, what is the turn over at that ER or the other one for that matter.

My point and for example:

My last full time ER postion i took just to get my foot in the door was 12 hr day/night rotation. It was union so positions that came open fill by senority. No one can change a position after taking another for 6 months. Right at my 6 months a straight night 40hr positon 2-12's 2-8's came open. I had found out even if you are new put in for any and I mean any position you have any interest in as the senior staff tend to like where they are and you never know when you might luck in to something more desirable than what you have.

My main point is talk to the staff working- dont go by what management tell you. The can better give you and idea of turn over and ect - the higher ups have there plate full and may have the info but its probably buried under more inportant stuff.

Im going also add trauma at a teaching hospital is not all that its cracked up to be. With a crowd of doctors you as a nurse end up charting, traveling with the patient to CT, xray and ect. I've had more "fun" and more challenging patients at the smaller ER than I ever had at a teaching hospital. That and alot of time your hospital gets the patient first, at the teaching/trertiary hospital they have been elsewhere so alot of things are already done.

rj:rolleyes:

CEN35 · Jan 30, 2005

thanks CEN35, I appreciate the input :)

hey one more thing? The one with the goofy shifts? I wouldn't take it if my life was depending on it. Thats IMO!

I worked in the ER the first two years as I was learning, always the first to come in early, leave late and pick up extra days. I ended up working maybe, an average of 96 hours every two weeks. After about two years, I was comfortable, but tired of it. I tok a lot of PTO and averged only 64 hrs per two weeks after that to take a break.

After 6 months of about 64 hours a week I felt releived, and went back to the norm. 72-80 hrs a pay. Fortunately, at that time 64 a pay was considered full time. They have since increased that to 80 hours on full time 8's and 72 hours on full time 12's.

:-)

LLLLeah · Jan 31, 2005

Thanks for all the input, I decided to take the float position and I'm convinced I made the right decision. I was floated to the ED this week and loved every minute of it. I'm also making more contacts in the department which I hope will help me land a job there eventually. I'm also at home relaxing on my 3.5 days off in a row, something I would never have if I had taken the other job. :)