New Grad who FINALLY has an offer (S)...

[HDRNrlc]

I am desperate for any help I can get. I have been looking for a RN position since June. Finally I got offered a job at a local dialysis clinic (3 long days) AND a job as an RN admin at a latency age psych acute stay residential. The second one involves a lot of teaching, training staff, etc (as opposed to just handing out meds, the house staff does this). The psych position is 5 days, Mon-Fri, 8-4.

Surprisingly, both pay about the same, which I am EXTREMELY grateful about (approx 29/hr), but I am having a terrible time deciding. The dialysis gig would be more my pace, I would obtain FAR more clinical skills, and since I am currently in a BSN program, I'd feel less like I was losing what I learned in school.

I am SO grateful to have 2 options, especially after a brutal job search, but I am slightly lost at what to do, especially reading some of the posts regarding dialysis and certain companies.

ANY help or advice would be GREATLY appreciated:)

[Chisca, RN]

I'm confused. Are you an RN or about to become an RN?

[HDRNrlc]

I AM an RN. Passed NCLEX in June, this would be my first RN position. I was a COTA/L for 8 years before going into school:) Sorry if I was confusing! Thanks for any info you may have for me!

[Chisca, RN]

I don't what a COTA/L is but my advice is to ask yourself do you prefer hands on, working with machinery, solving technical problems, in an adrenaline charged atmosphere? Because that's alot of what dialysis is. You have opportunities to teach and I'm always learning something new. But there is tremendous pressure to always "hurry up" because your employer is paid per treatment. You are assured of a steady job because not very many nurses can last in that environment and maintain their humanity towards patients. And the causes of ESRD are not easily solved so the need for dialysis nurses is great. Which means there is alot of turnover. The pay is unimportant. So many new nurses focus on compensation when you should be focusing on finding what environment can you thrive in and develop your skills as a nurse. Your role should be to give back something to your patients, whether that be in your assessment skills, knowledge base, or empathy. That will be true no matter what job you take. Good luck whatever your decision.

[fragino]

The nice thing about dialysis nursing is that your patients are scheduled (for the most part). The days are frequently longer than 12 hours but they do have a rhythm to them. However unless you will be in a clinic where you will be working with other experienced nurses, you may not want to start in dialysis right away. However these are totally different kinds of nursing. Chisca is right in that you have to know what you like and what you want to do. Keep in mind that in a few years from now it may not always be what you chose today. You can always move on to other specialties later although that is sometimes hard to do.

[jdethman]

This is a tough call. Here would be my thought process For an RN dialysis is ripe with opportunity, the sky is the limit. Do you ever want to be an NP. Psych NP make a great wage and are in very high demand. I have a simple mantra, work to learn not to earn.

Nephrology has been very good to me, and I love it. Had my path been different I would have probably loved that to.

[Marisette, BSN, RN]

I don't know what is right for you. It all depends on your personality and interest. I have a long career in dialysis. I have worked almost every position in dialysis, chronic, acutes, home dialysis. I enjoyed my job during the early years, but hate it now. Now, the dialysis providers are "mega-companies" where the work is more like an assembly line, less about patient care. The companies are for profit and in my opinion management is "ruthless". Many positions require travel to different facilities and some require on call. They like to spread the nurses around and get the most out of them to save $$$. The chronic dialysis facilities don't require travel, but depending on the facility, they will employ a small number of RN's, with mostly technical assistants that will require supervision. If you enjoy fast paced, technical and adrenaline rush, it may be a good fit for you. I personally would choose the psych, if given the choice.