New Grad: Fly on 1 hr flight weekly to Residency?

healtheducatorinCA · Feb 19, 2018

Hoping I'm posting in right place and I can gather some advice.

New RN with 8 months experience that includes good experience at a clinic for 6m, then a summer camp.

Currently working 3 12's at an emergency screening unit for kids for 5150. This job is dead one day, hectic another and involves behavioral assessments, case management and long discharges to in patient care. I've only been here 1 month since I returned to Southern California with an ADN and jobs here are fiercely competitive. I enjoy the behavioral assessments and work with psychiatrists but it is a lot of paperwork and deskwork. I hear RNs here though have moved on to other interesting positions not only in Psych.

I just received an offer from Utah Intermountain in a surgical transplant unit close Salt Lake City. It's a residency where I get a good impression of my manager. I asked if I could work 2 shifts and she said yes, though I'll have some educational days. I forget how long the training is but at least 8 weeks with weekly education beyond that.

I'm considering flying to SLC weekly until I get a sense of whether the job is a good fit. I've looked and can fly there in an hour. I know this must sound crazy, but would you try it if you were me? I'd stay in an Airbnb or motel.

Last important point: I tried a Med Surg Residency out of state already and got let go for not scanning a narcotic I gave on a day when I was watched by a teacher unexpectedly, hanging IV meds too late and in general 2) not doing enough 'big picture thinking' (for example: the MD told me to walk an asthmatic patient down the hall before discharging and seeing how she did off O2 and I didn't think to put a Pulse Ox on her finger. I stayed close to her and she did not show signs of SOB but her sats were dropping when my Nurse Educator checked, so I looked inept) My preceptor felt I was ready to take on my ow patient load however - i did many things well like find infiltrated IVs, hang blood (with help), but the Manager did not agree. So I may not be ready for acute care. That was with a 1:6 ratio in a place I didn't like.

This Residency would limit me to 5 patients but their acuity will be high. It's rare to get an opportunity like this, in the last one I mostly dealt with liver failures and addicts. My long term interest is in surgical and women's health, perhaps Cardiac.

Considerations

Job A in Socal is comfortable near family, pays well, has a lot of paperwork without hands-on nursing, but I enjoy the Psych aspect interviewing kids and working with psychiatrists.

No kids, no husband

Job A is in a beautiful location, pays well and is near my mother- my main family

Job B will work to give me 2 shifts in a row

Job B already has RNs that have flown home regularly on a weekly basis, as far as from east coast. My manager offered to connect me to one commuter New Grad.

Job B doesn't pay much but I still make some money after flight and hotel and the educational aspect is tremendously advantageous.

Would you accept Job B and just go try it? I have 4 days off in a row so can afford the time.

Would you fly to see Job B first before accepting? Unnecessary $200 perhaps

Last but not least: if I don't take this position now at 18m after graduating (july 2016) will I be at a real disdvantage or could I take a per diem position in a post acute local hospital and work up to acute care closer to CA? (Pls note I've applied to many acute positions in CA that did not offer interviews/opp's)

Lots of factors, I know. Appreciate any feedback. To be clear I'm considering keeping both positions to keep learning and assess where I fit best. I'm really unsure where I belong in the field. Acute care is challenging for me but I'm afraid of being pigeonholed. Do I need to push myself to acute care wherever now, or can I hold off?