New Grad job offer

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Hello!

I am a few questions and am looking for advice. I am a new grad and have been searching for a job for months. We all know that the job market in SoCal is tough for new grads. Well, I was finally offered a job but there's a few things that are keeping me from accepting the offer...

This job is at a private oncology office with an onsite infusion center and the commute is 1 hour and 20 minutes away. I don't necessarily mind commuting, as this is my first real offer, however the they are offering it to me for $21/hour. I feel that is low for this region. I am also not accepting benefits as I already have them through my husband's job. I have 2 young children who I will be putting into childcare and spending time away from during the week. But this is also a great opportunity for experience.

If you were a new grad in this situation, would you take this job for such a low wage and long commute?

I'm looking for advice and basically guidance on possibly renegotiating hourly salary. I keep thinking well maybe something else will come along, but then again it may be months before that happens.

I feel so torn. Advice please?

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

You need to get the experience. Take it for 1 year and then you will have lots of options.

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I would counter offer or decline... You will find something that's right and if you take the job and keep looking (which I'm sure you'd want to), it would be a lot worse to quit after a short time after they invest training into you... This is just my opinion follow your judgement.

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For that pay in the area, coupled with that commute... I would personally not take it. Plus, putting kids into childcare is as I'm sure you know so expensive, so you'd have to figure out if that job would be worth it financially. I know getting experience is important, but to me, that situation would just not be doable. Figure out costs for gas, take home pay, and weekly childcare costs... Also take into consideration non-monetary things like time away from home with that commute. You have to think about what you realistically can do and would be worth it. In the meantime, keep applying places. Just my opinion and I wish you luck :)

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Clinic jobs unfortunately pay lower....and as a new grad they're probably seizing the opportunity to pay someone low. Some experience is better than none, but with that commute and the low income and daycare, it may not be worth it. Only you can decide that.

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Thank you everyone for the responses. I am attempting to get in touch with someone from HR to discuss a counter offer and also I learned that there is a training office that is 30 miles closer than originally offered. I also spoke with the PA who said the head physician should have called me already to hammer out the kinks, and am still awaiting to hear from them. If the offer remains the same, though it's a great opportunity, I'll have to decline it. I have been agonizing over this all weekend and I still feel so much anxiety over it. :scrying:

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Some experience is better than nothing, but I would consider if it may be a barrier to more acute jobs down the road. There is also however, the possibility of networking from your future peers/providers. It sounds like you're not very mobile due to family. As a single m, I probably wouldn't do it. Do you know if your local facilities accept new grads? What about ltc and what not?

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My urgent care clinic offer was low 30's, but I turned it down. My latest offer that I accepted starts at high 30's, yes new grad no experience will be making close to $80K a year---I can't believe it myself!!! But if you look at some of the UC's starting pay is $48 with less than 6 mos experience--insane!!

The point is don't take the first offer without some type of pay negotiation--I negotiated my very first offer.

To put things into perspective, got licensed in Dec., researched for job postings and polished my resume/cover letter in early Jan.; job offers came in Feb.

(check out my resume/cover letter thread--some people are talking smack yet fail to look at my 80% success rates).

A note on "experience": I turned down the urgent care clinic offer because I stopped, assessed, and concluded that the urgent care experience was somewhat worthless (at this point in my career).

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21/hr is too low I guess. I got my license January and been to a lot of interviews lately. I was really thinking hard about every offer that they gave me. I live in LA and most of the hospitals here offer around 28-32/hr which I think is too small even for a new grad. And then there's this one hospital in Long Beach that offered me a pretty good salary and compensation plus I got the shift that I wanted, on the unit that is my first choice and with good benefits. Where do you live btw? Maybe I can help you look for some hospitals around you.

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I started out 21 an hour as a new grad 5 years ago with a one hour commute. I live in the south. Not sure what your cost of living is or where you live, but pay rates vary by region for sure. I'd keep looking, unless there are not many opportunities in your area.

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21/hr is too low I guess....I live in LA and most of the hospitals here offer around 28-32/hr which I think is too small even for a new grad.

Glad to see another new grad success in SoCal!!!

I can confirm the $32 new grad starting pay.

(Was planning to reserve my 100th post for when I'm off new grad residency, but I reneged on that particular offer so I am now making CA subs my home)

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That is way too low. Out here in riverside county, most of us new grads are starting at $35 an hour. I took an Orange County position on a telemetry unit that is transition from a CNA to RN and when I convert to RN I will be above $40 an hour.

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