Jobs after school

[eliz.edwards0630]

Hello all... hoping to get some advise from more seasoned nurses. I graduate December 14th and have 2 interviews set up with the hospitals here in town this week. My predicament is... one is a general interview for an un-specified position, but, we have all been guaranteed that it will most likely be a 3rd shift position, which I expected.

The other, is the hospital that I have worked at for 9 years and is in HR then up to my boss, it is an interview for a position in Psych where I have been a tech for 9 years. It is a full time position on day shift, I know everyone I work with and LOVE working with them, know the unit routine and computer system. I also have a 6 year old daughter and a 4 year old step daughter as well as a husband that works full time days.

My question is... I love critical care and ER, I hope to be in these areas one day, so if I take a position in psych I worry that I will lose/not develop some skills that you would use on a medical unit. We generally do not have IV's, foleys, dressing changes, NG tubes, etc. Will me accepting an RN position on psych for a few years while I go on to get my BSN hinder my ability to move to a medical/critical care area later on? Or, since both of these places see psych patients on a fairly regular basis, will that be a positive?

I am very conflicted as what to do. A full time days would be wonderful, but I do not want that to be a disadvantage to me either... any suggestions? I would love to hear feedback, Thanks!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

You are correct - working in psych will undoubtedly slow you down if your ultimate goal is critical care/ED. You would basically have to start over in terms of clinical skills. Keep in mind that clinically focused advance degree programs generally require you to have at least a year of experience in that area prior to applying for admission. Your psych expertise will be a real bonus in terms of your ability to manage these issues in the future, but patients are admitted to (acute) critical care for physical dx, not psych.

It may be a bit unsettling and scary to think of working nights or other 'off shifts' if you have never worked them before... we've all been there. But I discovered that working nights was no big deal. It was more relaxed with fewer 'road trips' (taking critically ill patients for other diagnostic tests) and better teamwork than days. When I worked nights, my kiddos didn't even realize I worked... they just thought I liked to sleep late, so Daddy always got their breakfast and took them to school .... didn't find this out until a parent-teacher conference-LOL.

Best of luck to you!

[eliz.edwards0630]

Thank you for the advise and input. Not sure where I will go but you have good points. I have worked thirds and seconds before O u know what it is like. It's bit that I am worried about. My husband has to be at work at 4 am and 5 am in different days so he couldn't help with my daughter and getting her up, it is a lot to take in. Going to see what both interviews offer and hope I make the right choice.