Not sure if I should take this new grad position

[gsg92]

Hi,

I'm looking for advice as to whether I should take this new grad position or not. The position is for a small California county hospital near SoCal area. They only have about 60 beds, single-floor, and care for low-mid acuity patients with the higher acuity transferred to the large trauma hospitals nearby.

The upside is that they seem to take good care of their new grads and the staff seems friendly. I would start in med-surg for initial training, but can easily transfer to a different department in less than 1-year (I.e. ER, ICU, etc.). They have enough patient traffic to get good, consistent experience but not too much to overwhelm hospital resources/staff. Also, I like how their shifts are 3 x 12-hr (not a fan of the 8 hrs).

The downside is that there's a 2-year commitment attached to the job offer. I'm not sure if this includes the 1-year new grad training, so it might be ~3-years for the commitment.

I'm 32 YOM and single with very few attachments to my current living situation. I do have aspirations for CRNA schooling later down the road, and would like to keep my options open in case things change later down my career. I'm concerned that the 2-year commitment will prevent me from pursuing alternatives if/when they become available.

I'm new to the nursing profession so I don't have any experience to know if this is a good deal or not. I've just been struggling to find a job in my area and this is the first job offer that I've had since starting my applications 6-months ago.

The hospital would like me to respond to the offer within a month, should I go for it?

[Wuzzie]

What would your orientation be?

[gsg92]

8-week orientation in Med-Surg department with option to extend. After orientation, can pick specialty department

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

It's a great opportunity in many ways, especially because you have a solid offer after six months of applying. Two-year commitments are very common and quite fair, since new grads typically don't start making a productive contribution until after their first year.

[Wuzzie]

8 weeks is really short for a new grad. 12 weeks is customary so I would see if you can negotiate that. Otherwise, even with the contract, I feel like this could be a great experience for you. Even though you don't keep the very sick patients you still have to care for them prior to transfer and that's nothing to sneeze at. It can be harder to manage sick patients with less resources than larger hospitals have. I also think that you will have more opportunity to try different departments in a smaller hospital. 2 years is not that long to commit to when you're young. 

[gsg92]

Been hearing it's hard to get into ICU in CA even with a couple years of nurse experience. Many are looking for acute care experience with preference to people with specific ICU experience.

This hospital has a very small ICU (like 6 beds) and they told me they are always open to new grads trying it out. Would working in a small ICU have a negative impact on my resume if I want to apply to higher acuity ICU departments at larger hospitals in CA?

[Wuzzie]

gsg92 said:

Would working in a small ICU have a negative impact on my resume if I want to apply to higher acuity ICU departments at larger hospitals in CA?

I'm not that familiar with the Cali market but I would not think it would be an issue. Your experience in the ICU is largely what you make of it. Learn what you can from the patients you have, seek out other learning opportunities, ask to go to conferences, get your certification, be a team player. All of those things will go far to make you a desirable candidate for a larger ICU. 

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

gsg92 said:

Been hearing it's hard to get into ICU in CA even with a couple years of nurse experience. Many are looking for acute care experience with preference to people with specific ICU experience.

This hospital has a very small ICU (like 6 beds) and they told me they are always open to new grads trying it out. Would working in a small ICU have a negative impact on my resume if I want to apply to higher acuity ICU departments at larger hospitals in CA?

 

Location is crucial. In California, highly sought-after areas are more competitive.

Securing a position in a specialty ICU in a prominent hospital in a desirable location is tough, and skills like ECMO, IABP, and experience with open heart surgeries, transplants, etc., are highly valued.

However, ICU experience, even in a small hospital, is resume-beneficial.

Just try not to overthink this. There's no such thing as a perfect scenario that covers all contingencies, esp as a new grad.  Best wishes 🙂

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

Almost all hospitals are asking for a 2 year commitment. It goes by pretty fast. 

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

That sounds like a perfect opportunity for a new grad to me. A smaller hospital with its smaller staff could be the perfect place to start a career if it has a team that works well together and has supportive management. You can learn a lot in a hopefully somewhat less stressful environment than a large hospital is likely to have.  A two-year commitment seems pretty standard and will go fast.  It will probably take a full year before you are comfortable in your role anyway so look at it as one year of extended on-the-job training and the second year is gaining that experience as an independent practitioner.