I am a new grad with two offers from the specialty I want to be in. I know a lot of people in different parts of the country would kill for this problem but I live in a growing medical hub city.
I interviewed with the hospital I really wanted to work at, it is bigger, is working towards magnet status, seems to have more employee perks, educational opportunities and pays .74 cents more an hour to start. The manager at that interview told me he had several experienced candidates lined up to fill one open position and to not get my hopes up as soon as we sat down to interview, which made things awkward to say the least. I took him at his word and believed I had no chance.
I interviewed with the second hospital after two weeks. I landed the job on the spot. This is the hospital I did my clinicals at and I can truly say I like the people and the floor. The hiring manager seemed so nice and I felt like she was a caring person. I have not signed an official offer as it was contingent on my background and drug test. The background check just came back and they are only waiting on me to complete my drug screen.
Will I be blacklisted as non rehireable if I back out of the job I accepted. Would the things I wrote about in the first hospital change your decision? Should I stick with job I accepted because of the people even though it pays a little less? I really need advice from experienced nurses. As a new nurse I am so confused and do not want to make the wrong decision!
I would take the hospital who offered you first, the one who offered you on the spot.
Here's why.
You said you know the hospital, and you like the people and the staff. You will NOT have that experience everywhere. You may not have that experience at the fancy hospital. I work at a giant Magnet hospital, we have a dedicated nurse educator for our unit and everything (two of them, actually, and a CCRN CNS as well who works with them) and everything, and it is hands-down the crappiest, most toxic place I have ever worked. I'm upset that I ever took this job, but I don't want to job hop so quickly so I feel obligated to stick it out at least a year, so I'll be here at least a few more months, unfortunately. My family and friends also live here so there's yet another ball and chain making me feel I have to stay, and I hate it. Magnet doesn't necessarily mean anything. Nurse educators don't mean anything. I made $2.75/hour less base pay at my first job, and I'd trade it in a heartbeat for the job I have now, except it's 400 miles away and I hated living in that town. Don't underestimate the power of knowing you'd like your coworkers. It's your coworkers that make or break a shift, not whether or not you have a nurse educator.
As a new grad congratulations on both job offers. Sounds like you have done your homework and are more concerned about how it will look to turn down the job that you "tentatively" accepted. If it helps this happens a lot in nursing. I had three interviews last year and had just moved to the area. I took the first job offer even though it was a 45 minute drive from the house and was requiring 7 shifts every two weeks. Before I filled out paperwork I got called and interviewed for two other places, one 15 minutes from home as Per Diem and the other in a large city 50 minutes away working 2 days a week that was Magnet. I felt bad when calling back the first offer to turn them down and even contacted my last manager who assured me this happens quite often. To not feel bad. I made sure I contacted the manager of the first job and let her know why I was turning it down for they were not able to offer a position with fewer hours and I have a senior this year. It all comes down to what your heart is telling you. The Magnet hospital I orientated at took great pride in this status but the nurses on the unit voiced their unhappiness about certain things every shift. Good luck with your decision!
If you don't have a formal offer that you've signed, you have only accepted a tentative offer of employment. There is nothing binding about it until you have signed and accepted a formal offer. When hospital #2 reaches out with a formal offer, you can say something like icuRNmaggie posted if you really and truly want to accept hospital #1's offer. But I wouldn't turn down hospital #2 until you have a formal written offer from hospital #1. I wouldn't let the 74 cents an hour be the make or break condition. For me, the deciding factor would be based on hours, unit climate, and compatibility with long-term career goals. One other thing to consider is that sometimes what you think you want to do right out of school isn't what you are ultimately meant to do. Can you shadow on the unit at hospital #1 to make sure that the unit culture is a place you want to work? It sounds like it is a better fit for you considering your professional goals, but you also want to make sure that it is a good fit personally.
I was in a similar position a few months ago where I had two tentative offers of employment with similar schedules and comparable rates of pay. I thought that hospital #1 was going to be my first choice because the type of nursing I would be doing was more interesting to me and it was a union position in a a big system in my area. Hospital #2 was a non-union position, but with slightly better benefits and some serious work-life balance perks. I did clinicals at hospital #2 and know that the culture is great. After shadowing at hospital #1, it was clear to me that hospital #2 had an edge in the employee satisfaction department and that it would likely be a more positive work environment. I start there in a few weeks.
Specializes in Critical Care, Public Health, Addiction.
I've worked at a few different hospitals, one Magnet and a level 1 trauma, one in the process of getting Magnet (also union and level 2 trauma), one small community hospital .. And now I work at two hospitals, both level 1 trauma and one is magnet, the other is not. I found no difference between level 1 or level 2 trauma - except for a more organized trauma team. We had to respond to traumas with the level 2. Personally, I find that magnet status helps. Nurses need to be satisfied in order for them to get the designation, and secondly, I find it imperative that the hospital I work for be academic as there will be residents and fellows that can be there 24/7 to help when something goes bad or if you have questions. Or alternatively, a NP/PA on night shift to run the unit. Other things I consider : does it have a good charting system (like Epic) or some outdated chartig/ordering system for two decades ago. Does it have techs or PCAs or PHLEBOTOMISTS.. a unit clerk. What's their nurse to patient ratio on the med surg floors (hopefully not 7 or 8 to one nurse). Little details like that. I wouldn't go by this but do either offer tuition reimbursement if you decide to get your MSN? And lastly, I find that there's always a group of coworkers at every hospital that absolutely hates it and spends a large amount of time complaining about how horrible it is. At every hospital. But, I have always had a group of people I get along with who were mostly positive and made working more fun. Also I wouldn't feel guilty backing out of the first offer. I know a lot of nurses who get a job as a new grad then transfer units or quit to go to another hospital after a few months or a year and that's a worse situation for the hospital since they would have spend so much money training you.
Can you ask to shadow at #1 hospital? Be upfront with them and let them you've been offered a job at hospital #2, where you did your clinicals. You already know what it's like there, can you see what a day at #1 is like. Then, you can compare them a little. Does the team work well? Do they have good things to say about their manager? Are people somewhat happy? What is the case load expectation? Do they get called off or floated frequently? (you'll also learn to hate it, as it's not your floor, not your team, not the set-up and supplies and dynamics you're used to) A warning though: nursing school clinicals are nothing like actual nursing. Your clinical experience at #2 will be different than your experience there if you accept the position with them.
Then, if you decide you do like #1 better, tell #2 you have to rescind your verbal acceptance.
calivianya, BSN, RN
2,418 Posts
I would take the hospital who offered you first, the one who offered you on the spot.
Here's why.
You said you know the hospital, and you like the people and the staff. You will NOT have that experience everywhere. You may not have that experience at the fancy hospital. I work at a giant Magnet hospital, we have a dedicated nurse educator for our unit and everything (two of them, actually, and a CCRN CNS as well who works with them) and everything, and it is hands-down the crappiest, most toxic place I have ever worked. I'm upset that I ever took this job, but I don't want to job hop so quickly so I feel obligated to stick it out at least a year, so I'll be here at least a few more months, unfortunately. My family and friends also live here so there's yet another ball and chain making me feel I have to stay, and I hate it. Magnet doesn't necessarily mean anything. Nurse educators don't mean anything. I made $2.75/hour less base pay at my first job, and I'd trade it in a heartbeat for the job I have now, except it's 400 miles away and I hated living in that town. Don't underestimate the power of knowing you'd like your coworkers. It's your coworkers that make or break a shift, not whether or not you have a nurse educator.