Needing some advice concerning new job

[amae90]

I am a new grad RN who graduated in Aug. After months of filling out applications, submitting resumes, and going to interviews I finally got a job offer. It wasn't my first choice but I really wasn't in a position to be picky so I accepted it. I'm in my second week of hospital orientation and just received an offer for the position I really wanted in the first place. Is it okay for me to quit my current job after only two weeks in order to accept the position that I really want? I feel like quitting after such a short time will reflect badly on me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[OCRN3]

Where I work, in the last 6 months many nurses retired leaving us very short staffed, I think the baby boomers are starting to retire soon.

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[Brekka, ADN, RN]

That's really a hard one, and it's primarily up to you. I'm a relatively new nurse (17 months) who has worked the same position since graduation, so I can't really speak from experience, but I can offer my own thoughts on the problem you're faced with. Not much, I know, but take it as you will.

Personally I did apply to multiple different places after graduation and got a couple of offers and took the first one I got. They were all for the same area of nursing, LTC/Rehabilitation, so the only loss I really had in choosing was the facility. I didn't get the position I wanted, which was working at a VA hospital, but I was okay with what I got. I was lucky enough to survive my first year as a new grad on the widow-maker of my facility (worst shift/unit) with great marks, and find myself lucky enough to work with an amazing group of totally friction-free nurses on all shifts.

My view on the issues is simply that as a new grad, any experience is better than no experience, and it's not wise to burn bridges this early in your career. Right now as a new grad you just need the basic hands-on patient care experience. The grass isn't always greener on the other side, and if you find your dream position is still something you strive for later, you'll be able to find it easier with experience and good job history.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I don't think anyone's trying to imply you don't know what you really want. They're just warning you that quiting a job in a hospital as a new grad two weeks into orientatation could come back to bite you in the butt further down the road.

Nursing is a smaller world than you think. Even in large urban areas. In my few years as a nurse I've seen one of my former charge nurses in one facility end up orienting under me in my current facility. And I've seen former CNAs from my last job who worked under me there get their RN licence and are now my charge nurse at my current job. You never know, your current unit cordinator could end up being a staff nurse or even the office manager at this clinic one day, and she might not have the nicest things to say....

Food for thought.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

NICU is a specialty, and you could work there for years, and it not get you closer to your goal of plastics. Not to mention even adult patient populations. The positions are like night and day. Are you enjoying your time so far at the NICU? Perhaps you could do some per diem in a surgery center, or per diem in an adult population. This way, you could see what it is that you enjoy in nursing.

This is a time of not many jobs for many nurses. And as Brandon pointed out, you never know what the future holds for your career. You could find yourself on the "do not rehire" list, which could transfer to all of the parent company hospitals in your area. And that, to me, would not be worth it.