Offered a position but still looking

[MommaTy]

Hello all,

So I was offered a position on an IMC unit that doesn't start until August 3rd. I had multiple applications in multiple hospitals. I got a call from a Children's Hospital for the Pedi ED RN position. I thought no harm in going for the interview (it would start August 17th). So here is my dilemma. My dream job would be in L&D or Pedi. If the Pedi ED offers me the position would it be okay to decline a job I accepted before it starts? I may not even have to worry, I may not even be offered this position. Would that make me not hirable to the position I would decline after I accepted? Thanks for all your help.

[llg, PhD, RN]

It's better to decline the first job you haven't started yet -- than to take that job and not stay there very long because it is not what you really want. The first employer has invested very little in you at this point and resigning before you start will only sting them a little. That's better than taking the job with little chance of staying long enough to be worth their large investment in your new grad orientation.