New grad/bad economy, bend over and take it?

[noyesno]

The facts:

-A friend of mine did an employee referral for me to get a job at her hospital

-The referral was not for a specific position

-They emailed me last week and requested I do a personality test

-I did the personality test and passed (thanks to many of you)

-This week, I got a phone call from corporate and they did a mini interview with me via the phone

-At the very end of the phone call, the person said, "by the way, this is a night shift position"

-I was kind of caught off guard, since I never applied to a specific position, and voiced that night shift is not my first choice but explained I am still interested and do not want to pass up an opportunity in this economy

-He replied by saying this is the only new grad opening in the entire hospital

-He ended the phone call by saying he was going to forward my info over to the hospital HR and they would call me next week to set up an interview

Why I ask, "new grad/bad economy, bend over and take it?":

The way he replied by saying, this is the only new grad position in the entire hospital left me feeling like, "okay, I'm a new grad (and this economy sucks), I guess I have to bend over and take what ever they want to give me."

I'm writing to you all because I don't know how to go from here. Do I pretend that I'm all about the night shift and this is my first choice or do I go the open and honest route and express that while the night shift is not my first choice, I'm willing to give it a shot for at least a year (which is true)?

Typically, my philosophy on the employer-employee relationship is that the position should be a good fit for both the employer and the job seeker has the right to express their needs in an interview. However, since there are so little jobs available and new grads are treated like lepers, should I be willing to forfeit my rights and settle on the "bend over and take it" philosophy (and smile as I do so)?

I know there are a bunch of new grads who will say, "yes, I've been looking for a job for a long time don't be an idiot, bend over and take what they are offering and smile, don't forget to smile!" I honestly wouldn't blame anyone for saying this exact quote to me.

I should add, I know the night shift isn't a death sentence and many people really like it but I know myself and I am really sensitize to sleep deprivation and I really need sunlight to feel happy. In the winters, I deal with seasonal affected disorder and it scares me to think what little to no sunlight would do to me. This is my only concern with the night shift but I think it is a substantial one, considering it involves both my health and my happiness.

Insight and constructive criticism are welcome and I thank you all in advance.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

haha, love this hiddencatRN!

I spent a good 20 minutes finding all those gifs. I consider it my masterpiece, lol.

[pinksugar]

while i certainly agree that it's up to us to help the less experienced nurses, there are ways to ask without generating so much (in my opinion) well deserved hostility. the op has apologized, but he needs to remember that as new people come to the thread and start reading, they read the original post and not the mid-thread apologies. i can hardly blame someone for responding to that original post without reading all 12 pages of replies. nor should the op.

i agree with you that the thread should not have been titled this way, and i get the impression that the op regrets that, too. i just see no reason to keep berating someone when they have already recanted their original position. this thread is an example of why i do always try to read an entire thread before posting (if not i will usually state that i did not read the entire thread). communication and conversations evolve quickly. many of the harsher comments being posted are now relatively obsolete in light of the direction that the thread has turned.

ftr i agree with you hiddencat and i love your gifs.

[jpeters84]

Ruby Vee-Bitter about new grads much? sheesh... Maybe you're burned out from training them or working with them, I don't know. But your frustration and critical attitude towards new grads is dripping from almost all of your posts...

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

ruby vee-bitter about new grads much? sheesh... maybe you're burned out from training them or working with them, i don't know. but your frustration and critical attitude towards new grads is dripping from almost all of your posts...

not toward new grads; just toward certain behaviors exhibited by new grads. this is a good place for new grads to learn without irritating their new colleagues.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

ibut....this is what get my goat.....i just keep seeing the same jobs go unfilled day after day, week after week, and sometimes month after month. jobs that i think most new grads could handle....provided they put in the hard work to learn the position. basically the crash course scenario. which mind you i understand can jeopardize patient safety....

well, if it makes you feel better, most of the jobs you see "go unfilled day after day...." etc. were actually filled or were cancelled a long time ago. currently, i am now looking for a new position out-of-state. i have applied to old positions posted to test if they are real or not. i have found that since applying, many of the hiring managers have either cancelled the old positions because they were filled a long time ago or the positions were removed by hr because the hiring managers changed his/her minds about posting the position a long time ago. thus, imo hrs can be lazy when it comes to contacting the hiring manager about removing a position.

on a positive note, i have found that in applying to such positions hr managers at some hospitals now know me and have contacted me to tell me of positions that are actually open and real! the real positions tend to be the newer positions (within the past 30 days). therefore, ignore the old positions unless you wish for hr to do their job and finally remove fake positions from their website.

[sophie_bob_kids]

i beg to differ. i see a lot of entitled new grads -- on this site, during the interview process and during orientation. the op continued to use the phrase "bend over and take it" even after it was pointed out to him that most everyone has to pay some dues and work up to the shift and specialty of their choice. so yes, i think he sounded entitled. as for humor -- there's plenty here. the op just wasn't funny.

i agree with each of you, partially. i didn't necessarily care for the op using the phrase "bend over and take it" over , and over again. after about the third time, it became annoying. but new grad has a point, ruby. people on this site are touchy. could be the differences in age for all i know, but sometimes when you express your opinon, you get your head bit off!! just my point of view.

[JulcaryRN]

Hey OP, just wanted you to know I've known several new grads who felt the same, reluctantly accepted a night shift... and now LOVE it and can't imagine it any other way. You never know til you try. You can always leave if you can't handle it.

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

(Eh, never mind. Everyone already said what I have to say.)