new grad RN with 2 job offers, what would you do??

[zumbaRN4]

Hi everyone!

I am new to this site but have always found very useful opinions and tips by reading the threads on here so I am hoping for some helpful feed back for a new RN.

I graduated nursing school this past June and have had my license for a little over a month now and have been working at Hoag hospital Newport Beach for almost a year as a PCA (essentially a CNA) during 12 hr night shifts part time and the floor I work on has told me a few times that there are no positions open at this time but as soon as one opens up it will be offered to me (since I had already interviewed for an RN position prior to graduating nursing school just to have the interview process out of the way). My director has told me she really wants to move me up to an RN on our floor and she hopes I will wait it out and be patient for a position to open up (talk about some nurses leaving in the next few weeks). I recently interviewed at another hospital (to keep my options open) and they offered me a position as an RN at their facility.

Hoag hospital floor for hire is Gynecology/Urology unit with some med/surg overflow

Hospital #2 floor for hire is telemetry

my goal is to eventually be in critical care such as cardiac ICU

I will note the pros and cons in my situation and would appreciate all opinions! :)

Hoag Pros: I have been an employee there for almost a year, I have a good relationship with the PCAs, RNs, charge nurses, and director on my floor, it is a beautiful hospital, it is a well known hospital and known for being a very good hospital (that is in terms of patient opinion and ratings not employee opinion; there are good and bad things about being an employee here in my experience)

Hoag Cons: The position is night shift (I was hoping to move to day shift since I struggle to adjust to nights even after all this time), it is a 45 min commute from where I live, and MOST IMPORTANTLY there has not been a time frame given to me as to when a position for me would open up whether it be in a few weeks or a few months (other nurses have said they waited anywhere from 3 months to a year)

Hospital #2 Pros: teaching hospital with many opportunites for learning and growth in a very supportive enviornment, DAY SHIFT!!, another friend/classmate will be working on the same floor days so we will be co workers, interview went wonderful and they seemed very eager to have me

Hospital #2 Cons: hospital is in a not so great neighborhood (near LAX airport in a low income LA area), does not have the best reviews, is not as well known for being a good hospital (that is in terms of patient opinion and ratings not employee opinion; i've heard good and bad things about working here), hospital not as nice inside and out, about a 30 min commute without traffic

Last few notes to take into consideration is pay, Hoag has been said to offer about $34/hr to start for the full 12 hour shift (not sure if thats including night diff. or not) and hospital #2 is offering 30.69/hr for the first 8 hrs and then time and a half for the last 4 hrs averaging to be about $35 an hour.

Also, I am struggling financially and have been for a while as I do not make enough money as a PCA right now to pay all my bills and am very anxious to begin working as an RN to be able to pay my bills and live without the stress I have been enduring the past year.

and probably not as important but could be considered is Hoag is self scheduling so you can fill in days you do and do not want to work and they are usually really good about sticking with what employees put down and require two weekend shifts a month. Hospital #2 does not allow self schedule so they put you on whenever they want and require every other weekend.

In conclusion, I am not sure if it is better to wait it out for Hoag and take a position with them once it opens up or just take the position at hospital #2 and know I will begin working as an RN.

Thank you in advance, I am very stuck and appreciate your time! :)

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

Thanks everyone! I know to most of you it seems like an easy given but I was just nervous about making the right decision as this is my first career move and I just want to make the right choice. After your comments and guidance from people in my life I made the decision. Thank you for the real but encouraging comments!! It really did help me see more clearly, I guess I just needed to make sure.

Can't wait to be a great nurse like you all and be able to pass on knowledge and experience in the future to new grads who feel unsure like i did!

See that, new posters? THAT is how to react to solicited advice.

BTW, OP, I adore zumba, too. Do you go to a group class or just shimmy at home?

[cleback]

It sounds like you really only have one job offer. #1 doesn't actually have a position for you, so you can't count it.

However, if there were an actual position (anywhere in the hospital, really), I would take it over hospital #2 for this simple reason: It's easier to transfer to an ICU than be an outside hire. By transferring within, you would keep your seniority. Hospital #2 doesn't sound like you would be happy working there for an extended amount of time. Go with the long-term vision.

But the above only applies if they have an actual job for you...

[zumbaRN4]

See that, new posters? THAT is how to react to solicited advice.

BTW, OP, I adore zumba, too. Do you go to a group class or just shimmy at home?

I go to group classes about 4 -5 times a week and I also became an instructor and have taught for 2 years! I love it so much, its a great de-stressor :)

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

I go to group classes about 4 -5 times a week and I also became an instructor and have taught for 2 years! I love it so much, its a great de-stressor :)

Woohoo for you! In which levels are you certified.

I'm sorry for derailing the thread but I enjoy zumba so much! I have the maraca shakers from the exhilarate box and took them to class yesterday for the salsa routines. FUN! And I wear coin skirts from time to time because I like to make them jingle!

[J Friday]

I was recently conned into the NEW GRAD ORIENTATION at Hoag. They conned hundreds of aspiring new grad RNs into thinking there were job opportunities. Some drove HOURS to get there--only to learn upon arrival that they DO NOT hire new graduate RNs for anything but PCA positions... the hospital with the highest educated PCAs in the country, I imagine. Why not have an Bachelor or Masters degreed RN be your PCA when you can pay them the same price as a PCA with a 3 month-certificate, right?

I was LIVID. I will NEVER work for Hoag because I feel that they have no respect for anyone, and only seek to fit their own agenda. It is not surprising that they do NOT have a union and were so scared of one forming that they had to immediately give back the perks they took away once the RNs started meeting to form one.... (spoke to an employee).

I have no respect for an entity that feels the need to scam people into coming to a job hiring event. And then they have the nerve to tell us that we may as well work as a PCA, because we won't get a job anywhere else but a SNF (basically what they said in the orientation).

Then they told us if we were to apply for PCA, that they do not want us ask about salary or when we would be moved into an RN role??? As if they were going to pay my loans FOR ME? It is enraging and personally degrading to see desperate or discredited new RNs taken advantage of like that.

I turned around and got a job in a hospital EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT as a new grad within 24 hours of receiving my RN number.... and friends are all hired or interviewing in Med Surg or similar units... Bottom line... As a new grad, stay away from Hoag if you respect yourself. It's probably fine if you are already experienced and can move straight into an RN role, but for new grads.... NO !!!!!

[J Friday]

As for your deciding on hospitals, take the one that will be best for YOUR future goals. I will give you my situation.

I am working toward CRNA which means I need ICU experience. I was also offered positions at two separate hospitals, both in the Emergency Department. The pay was about the same and both night shift. The job I did not take was in a nicer area, and the job I took is in the ghetto. But the deciding factor came in that one hospital was already offering to cross train me in ICU, while the other did not. With my goals in mind, I chose to dedicate my first couple years to the hospital that would dedicate their time to training me to meet my goals fastest.

SO think about your future and what the hospital has to offer you in terms of meeting your goals. It has to be a symbiotic relationship.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now...lol.

I wish you the best of luck in your career wherever you decide to go...

:)

[zumbaRN4]

I was recently conned into the NEW GRAD ORIENTATION at Hoag. They conned hundreds of aspiring new grad RNs into thinking there were job opportunities. Some drove HOURS to get there--only to learn upon arrival that they DO NOT hire new graduate RNs for anything but PCA positions... the hospital with the highest educated PCAs in the country, I imagine. Why not have an Bachelor or Masters degreed RN be your PCA when you can pay them the same price as a PCA with a 3 month-certificate, right?

I was LIVID. I will NEVER work for Hoag because I feel that they have no respect for anyone, and only seek to fit their own agenda. It is not surprising that they do NOT have a union and were so scared of one forming that they had to immediately give back the perks they took away once the RNs started meeting to form one.... (spoke to an employee).

I have no respect for an entity that feels the need to scam people into coming to a job hiring event. And then they have the nerve to tell us that we may as well work as a PCA, because we won't get a job anywhere else but a SNF (basically what they said in the orientation).

Then they told us if we were to apply for PCA, that they do not want us ask about salary or when we would be moved into an RN role??? As if they were going to pay my loans FOR ME? It is enraging and personally degrading to see desperate or discredited new RNs taken advantage of like that.

I turned around and got a job in a hospital EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT as a new grad within 24 hours of receiving my RN number.... and friends are all hired or interviewing in Med Surg or similar units... Bottom line... As a new grad, stay away from Hoag if you respect yourself. It's probably fine if you are already experienced and can move straight into an RN role, but for new grads.... NO !!!!!

Awe im sorry you had such a negative experience with Hoag. It's true they like to hire their RNs from within so you usually have to work as a PCA to get in (all their PCAs are mostly nursing students or new grads) and depending on the director and available positions they hire their PCAs to fill in RN positions.

they rarely like to hire from the outside unless you have outstanding experience.

Im glad you found something that works for you! :)

[CCRNdude]

If you want to work in ICU, I would go with hospital #2. I work with a couple of former Hoag employees (one of them being an ex-nurse manager), and neither had great things to say, other than that it's in an awesome location. As a new grad, I had 2 offers as well. One was for tele and one was for ED at a teaching hospital. I ended up choosing tele since it was at a hospital that I already worked at, and it paid more. I figured the transition to the RN role would go smoother since I knew everybody. My plan was to transfer to ICU or ER after a couple of years. However, there wasn't much room for growth at the hospital I ended up working at.

Two years later I regretted the decision. I was stuck in telemetry and couldn't transfer to the ED or ICU. They wanted people with previous critical care experience, which I didn't have. My former classmates were all going onto bigger and better things like trauma, flight, NP, CRNA school, travel nursing, education, etc. I was stuck.

I ended up taking a pay cut to work in an ICU at a busy teaching hospital/trauma center. It was the best move I ever made, and it would have been easier to start out at a lower wage as a new grad than was to take a pay cut 3 years into working. Luckily, I was able to get my ICU experience, and was able to get into CRNA school. However, had I started out at the teaching hospital in the ED (which allows movement from unit to unit and cross trains nurses in ICU if they desire), I would probably be finishing up grad school rather than just now beginning it.

You will be fine either place you go, but because of my experience as a new grad, I am now a firm believer that new grads should follow experience, not pay. In the long run, more experience in one's desired specialty leads to a happier and higher paid employee.

[Buyer beware, BSN]

Consider myself fortunate.

[J Friday]

Awe im sorry you had such a negative experience with Hoag. It's true they like to hire their RNs from within so you usually have to work as a PCA to get in (all their PCAs are mostly nursing students or new grads) and depending on the director and available positions they hire their PCAs to fill in RN positions.

they rarely like to hire from the outside unless you have outstanding experience.

Im glad you found something that works for you! :)

Would have been GREAT for them to divulge that information to the HUNDREDS of people BEFORE they showed up. And the hundreds more that showed on other nights... There are plenty of hospitals that only hire experienced nurses, but I have NEVER heard of those hospitals holding RN EMPLOYMENT orientations for people they WILL NOT EVER HIRE as an RN. Classic 'Bait & Switch' con tactics...

They know EXACTLY how they are tricking people into showing up. And i was not the only angry person that wasted their time... trust...

That is blatant disrespect and preying on the HOPES that these new graduates are SO DESPERATE for employment that they will take a long-term position as highly educated, super low wage, bed making butt-wiper, waiting to one day get the honor of moving up to a real live nursing position...

Like I said, I will never work for that hospital... just on principle of not working for companies that lack respect for their employees and pull shady moves like this.

They also took away the raises of current nurses among other perks, but got scared when a union started forming in response--and gave back the perks... shady....

[ERmadness]

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