PICU vs ICU

[cag01]

Hello everyone!

I am currently a NICU nurse and have been so for about 7 months. This was not my first choice of unit but the other units I was eager to work in were not hiring at the time or only taking experienced RN's. Through these past months I have not been happy in the unit I am at. It's not just the nursing work it self I am not enjoying but the people that are working there (very immature and tense between co-workers) and some of the policies that are on being newly enforced seem to be taking away from our nursing judgment, skills, and independedence. I am not meaning to demean NICU, I must say it is a tough place to work at where you must be on your toes and be extra cautious about anything you do. There are definitely great nurses out there who are helping these little ones survive and have a good life to look forward to. This type of work is not for everyone and I believe in my case its best if I change environments. I think I am not going to grow as a nurse and learn to be the best I can be if I am not enjoying what I am doing. I am currently planning to pursue CRNA school maybe even medical school. This next semester I am enrolled in school so take some prerequisites that I am missing and am starting to study for the GRE. I unfortunately signed a 2 year contract at the hospital I am currently at and will have to pay back 8800 if I leave the hospital. I have been offered a full time position in ICU at another local hospital and at PCIU at the same hospital where I currently work at. If I stay at PICU I will not be breaking the contract and will be trained and oriented to the unit. The director of this unit was my mentor during orientation and we built a bond and is aware of my situation which is why I am probably having this oppurtunity offered by her now that she is losing a senior nurse. Although I am interested in PICU and believe I will enjoy working with a new set of people I think I am torn between this offer and the one at ICU. This PICU is generally slow right now max of 7 patients or so and their usual patient is either CP or seizures, and the hospital where the ICU is at has recently been changed to a level 2 trauma and is usually working 14 nurses meaning they usually have a good census. When I was oriented the director was very nice and seemed very eager to bring me on board and train me. He did not at all seem concerned about my nursing work experience I had, which was just NICU. I was peer interviewed by 5 other nursing staff and it went great! They all seem to love where they work and seem very knowledgeable about what they do. I honestly would chose ICU with out a doubt if I wasnt going to need to pay back this money and if I didnt have a good relationship with the staff in PICU. Not to mention I feel I will learn more and better prepare my self for which ever program I am accepted to. I need to respond to both offers by monday can anyone help me? Or give advice on what I should do? Thanks guys!!:)

[Pink~Lady]

Well.... don't leave us in suspense what did you decide?! :redpinkhe

[27400]

I thought about this also, I figuared my family already went out of their way to help and are more than willing to then why not? I always thought in order to make money you need to invest money, this would be like an investment for a better job oppurtunity that can also help my future. I know its not the best way to invest my money, it can definitely go elsewhere and build interest instead of being given to a hospital. But everything happens for a reason this is a lesson learned, and these job oppurtunities came up for a reason. Which is best for me? I dont know yet but I dont have much time left to decide. Hahah cool.. this thread was my first posting as well! Welcome:)

Well it seems like you've already decided on your path. You know the risks and benefits... Go for it! You win some, you lose some.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

I would go with PICU. As well as the money issue, it's not going to look good on your resume that you broke a contract. It's only for 15 months ... will save you $8800, give you valuable experience and look better on your c.v.

Just stepping in here. I broke a contract several years ago. I had a 4 year contract and broke it 1 1/2 years in. My contract was not prorated, and after they took my vacation time, I still owed them $10,000 (they had paid 100% for nursing school, plus a small bonus). I have had no problem whatsosever getting jobs since, and my employer I broke the contract with has said she would even hire me back in the future if I ever was interested.

Really, future employers are going to be more concerned about if you were fired than if you broke a contract.

[Kiwidanni]

Just stepping in here. I broke a contract several years ago. I had a 4 year contract and broke it 1 1/2 years in. My contract was not prorated, and after they took my vacation time, I still owed them $10,000 (they had paid 100% for nursing school, plus a small bonus). I have had no problem whatsosever getting jobs since, and my employer I broke the contract with has said she would even hire me back in the future if I ever was interested.

Really, future employers are going to be more concerned about if you were fired than if you broke a contract.

Of course it's not as bad as being fired. And it's not going to be a deal breaker reason for hiring someone. But it doesn't look good and if you get 100 applicants for a job and are looking for reasons to cull them, contract breaking provides a valid reason.