New Grad Choosing Between Offers (PCICU vs Adult CCU)

[RubyRabbit, BSN, RN]

Hi all,

This post is actually extremely late. In early October, I received two job offers as a new grad nurse (-which I am so, so grateful for). One was in the CCU at the hospital I currently extern for, and the other was in the CICU at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I had 5 days to reply (which is when I originally should have posted this!!) but ended up choosing CCU. The management is amazing, and it's by far my favorite ICU in the hospital. A main reason why I did not go for CHOA is its seeming lack of diversity, both in culture and age (majority of nurses seem to be very young... I am in my early 20s as well, but it seemed to be a red flag at the time). I was also intimidated by working with children and primarily babies, as I'm very comfortable with the adult population. I have worked with adults for years, and the material we learn in school is so focused on adult illnesses. In addition, I value autonomy and hate micromanagement, which peds seems to have a lot of. Now, I am starting to feel some remorse for not doing more research on both offers. Five days is not a lot of time when finishing nursing school! It would be great to get any insight on the two positions. I am realizing I would be able to adapt to any clinical situation. The factor most important to me is getting a great residency with a program deeply invested in my education.

Also, would be it worth emailing the CHOA HR rep to see if the position is still available? I know it's probably extremely unprofessional, but it seems I rejected such a coveted position others would do anything for. HR for the CCU position has been hard to track down (to say the least) and I haven't actually signed any papers yet. Feeling a bit lost in starting my career!