New grad with too many options! What should I do?

[mzjennx, BSN, RN]

Hi guys. I have not posted with Allnurses in awhile. I hope you all are doing good with NCLEX and the job search!

I graduated with my BSN in December 2008. I passed my NCLEX in March 2009. Hawaii has a hospital freeze. I am in Oahu where there are only like 9 hospitals here: Queen's, HPH (Straub, Kapiolani W&C, Kapiolani P&C), Kuakini, Hawaii Medical-East, Hawaii Medical-West, Wahiawa, and Kaiser. Usually only the first 2 companies have new grads, the rest are direct hires in which you compete with experienced nurses. There is a lot of RN working as ward clerks and NA until a RN job opens up in ALL hospitals.

So I started work as a ward clerk in HPH while I wait for a Labor and Delivery position to open up in September 2009. In the mean time I have been applying to other hospitals and LTC. 2 weeks ago I had an interview for a hospital aide for the float pool and then a RN position on med-surg/oncology for Kaiser. I received a call back for a hospital aide position last week and started processing the paper work for the position, but then received a call back for the RN job too, so the paperwork is transferred for the the RN job.

Well on top of all this, I got a call back/interview for the army hospital on Oahu, Tripler Army Medical Center. I initially applied for a nurse aide job, but they might offer me a new-grad RN for their ortho, vascualar, neuro inpatient ward. They normally dont have a new-grad position, but they noticed that I was a RN. So if they like me they might offer me the position.

I dunno what to do!!!

The Kaiser RN job is call-in. Of course I still need training. I am waiting for my start date.

But if I get the job at the army hospital, should I accept?

Should I keep my ward clerk job in hopes to eventually get a job with the labor and delivery floor that I wanted to work in?

[FNPdude74]

Foist (first)

1. Drop all aide positions no matter what hospital/unit, if you have been offered an RN position somewhere in a hospital.
   
2. Choose where you want to work. Tripler isn't bad to work at because of the great benefits of COLA (they're doing away with it soon to make it "Locality pay" which is nearly the same as COLA but its just taxable but still good benefits).
   
3. Work as an RN. I would prefer Tripler also because of the type of unit+pay+benefits.
   
4. Get the experience as an inpatient acute care RN maybe a year or so.
   
5. Apply to OB wards.
   

[Lisa From Maui]

during the interview get real clear - super clear - extremely clear on training. what do they expect from you? what do you need from them? you don't want to apply, get hired, and then have them fire you (or take you off the schedule) a few weeks later because it takes too much $$ to train you. been there, done that, it sucks!!!

also, if you have ajob right now, don't quit. switch to prn / per diem. you can always go back to the old job if the new job doesn't work out.

[Slobgob]

LOL. Too many options...