Need a bit of advice, please

[ItsThatJenGirl, CNA]

Last Wednesday I went to a job fair and I was offered a job on the spot for a Nurse Extern position (basically a tech). I was told the offer would be put together and sent to me. I haven't received it yet, but I know these things take time. This is for a job on a telemetry floor and it's at a hospital close to my house. I had to interview with the floor manager and then the PCA's that work the floor. I really liked everyone a lot and the general vibe of the floor. I think I would enjoy working there.

I was looking at other job postings (as I do) and found a similar position for the same hospital, different location - in the ER. The ER is my dream - that's where I'm 70% sure I want to be (trying to keep an open mind through school). So it's about a 30 minute drive in, but it's walking distance from my school.

Is is horrible if I apply to the ER Extern position? Should I take what I've been offered and try to transfer hospitals down the line? If I apply would it blow my chances with the tele?

Thanks in advance!

[JenMH88RN, BSN, RN]

I think you should take what you've been offered and apply for the ER extern. You wouldn't want to turn down a job offer and then apply for another position that you might not get, right? If the ER offers you the position, take it, and just politely turn down the other position, if that's what you want to do.

[bjwojcik]

I am not sure what you should do, but congratulations on the job offer!

[katyq82]

Since you haven't accepted the first job, I would apply for the ER externship and see what happens. I don't see why it would jeopardize the first position. If it does come up, you could always say that since you haven't received a written offer you wanted to hedge your bets and apply for a second position. But if the telemetry job offer comes through and you haven't gotten anywhere with the ER position, I would probably just take the tele one. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and all that. At least in my area, its pretty easy to transfer departments/locations within the same system, so I think that getting into the hospital system at all is well worth it. I don't know how much time you have left in your school program, but maybe you could do the tele floor position for a year and then switch to the ER as a tech. Congrats either way!

[direw0lf, BSN]

Oh I feel like I might be in a good position to give my advice, for once lol

I had my extern last year (it was an internship really but it was still paid)

I APPLIED for the ED, ICU, or pediatrics. I GOT what I thought would be my least favorite - plain med-surg, not even a tele.

I had applied for larger hospitals, but I got one that was small and also what I thought would be boring. So here comes the "but"... But it was fantastic! Best experience that I could have had as an intern/extern. I was allowed to do everything the RN could do under supervision.

The most important piece that I might have learned was the time management. By the end, I was managing 6 patients, plus discharges and admissions, all by myself (with my preceptor's keen eye). I was so happy I was placed where I was.

Then this semester, since I already had med-surg experience, I requested the ED for my preceptorship (in case it's called something different at your school, preceptorship is the same thing as intern/extern but without getting paid lol). I honestly saw the importance of having med-surg experience first, or at least experience outside the ED first.

Now in the ED you will see so much. Everything I had learned in school was in front of me in the EDs. I was in peds ED first then the main adult ED. I learned how to do assessments fast and focused. But I feel that I would have been missing out on other critical thinking skills without even knowing it if I hadn't had the MS exp. But whatever you decide, best wishes to you!

(my point was sometimes doors open that are meant to be and not what we originally wanted but what we need! IMO anyway)

[ItsThatJenGirl, CNA]

Thanks for all the advice and input! I'm going to apply to the ER to hedge my bets, but if I get the tele offer, I'm going to take it.