Please help, super conflicted!

[FSUMurse94]

I am a nursing student who is about a week and a half away from graduating with my BSN. I have applied to several hospitals in the Tallahassee area and fortunately have received two offers. Now, the issue is that I can't figure out who to choose! Below I'll give some details about each job and if you can help me decide that would be excellent!

Job #1: Capital Regional Medical Center - ED Night Shift

------------------------------------------------------------

• 15 minute commute
  
• $21.78 starting pay
  
• $3.25 shift diff for nights and an extra $2 for weekends
  
• 16-week orientation
  
• Staff was cool (at least on day shift they were)
  
• Pretty big ER, not a Trauma center
  
• HCA hospital
  
• Cafeteria open at night
  
• Lots of opportunity for overtime
  
• Future Career paths - Nurse Prac, Trauma, Management, anything else?
  
• White tops, maroon pants.
  

Job #2: John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital - ICU Night Shift

------------------------------------------------------------

• 1 hour commute each way
  
• 22$ starting pay
  
• 3.30$ evening shift diff, 4.40$ night shift diff, 5$ weekend shift diff
  
• Not sure how long the orientation is.
  
• Awesome crew on night shift (I worked with them for my preceptorship)
  
• 18 bed general ICU, 2:1 ratio
  
• Local hospital, serves a large area. Level 2 trauma center.
  
• ICU nurses respond to codes, which I enjoyed doing.
  
• Cafeteria closed at night.
  
• Royal blue scrubs
  
• Basically I already was doing the job of a nurse on the unit, and was doing well!
  
• Excellent jumping off point for CRNA, Nurse Prac, Trauma, Flight nursing and grad school.
  
• Oh yeah, GA has a state tax, and Florida does not, so about a $2,000 loss per year.
  

Thank you in advance for your assistance in making this tough decision!

[sailornurse]

God that's horrible. The more I think about it, the better the ER sounds. My only trepidation is that if I was to decide I wanted to do CRNA, I'd have to switch units. I'm leaning more towards NP school though, do you enjoy your job?

I still vote for the short commute & the ER experience you will gain will lead to other opportunities. Keep your eye open in a couple of years for positions in the ICU if you are leaning towards CRNA in your future. I love being a FNP. Currently work 4 part time jobs (inpatient psych doing H&Ps 2 weekends per month, urgent care x2, & asthma/allergy/immunology. I also taught in a BSN program for 2 years. You are very fortunate to be offered an ER position. This says a lot about you as very unusual for new grads to be offered this. Take Care.

[FSUMurse94]

I still vote for the short commute & the ER experience you will gain will lead to other opportunities. Keep your eye open in a couple of years for positions in the ICU if you are leaning towards CRNA in your future. I love being a FNP. Currently work 4 part time jobs (inpatient psych doing H&Ps 2 weekends per month, urgent care x2, & asthma/allergy/immunology. I also taught in a BSN program for 2 years. You are very fortunate to be offered an ER position. This says a lot about you as very unusual for new grads to be offered this. Take Care.

Thank you for your advice! You've been very helpful :)

[NoleRN13]

The ED is close to my heart. Even though it isn't a trauma center, you'll still get good exerience. It may be an easier transition as a new nurse. The orientation period will help you get your time management and prioritization skills down pat. Will you have to sign a contract for a certain length of time since you are being hired and trained for a speciality area?

[FSUMurse94]

The ED is close to my heart. Even though it isn't a trauma center, you'll still get good exerience. It may be an easier transition as a new nurse. The orientation period will help you get your time management and prioritization skills down pat. Will you have to sign a contract for a certain length of time since you are being hired and trained for a speciality area?

Nope! No contract for this facility as it isn't a residency program. I plan on staying for at least a year before looking into school, and will likely work during school.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

I am a nursing student who is about a week and a half away from graduating with my BSN. I have applied to several hospitals in the Tallahassee area and fortunately have received two offers. Now, the issue is that I can't figure out who to choose! Below I'll give some details about each job and if you can help me decide that would be excellent!

Job #1: Capital Regional Medical Center - ED Night Shift

------------------------------------------------------------

• 15 minute commute
  
• $21.78 starting pay
  
• $3.25 shift diff for nights and an extra $2 for weekends
  
• 16-week orientation
  
• Staff was cool (at least on day shift they were)
  
• Pretty big ER, not a Trauma center
  
• HCA hospital
  
• Cafeteria open at night
  
• Lots of opportunity for overtime
  
• Future Career paths - Nurse Prac, Trauma, Management, anything else?
  
• White tops, maroon pants.
  

Job #2: John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital - ICU Night Shift

------------------------------------------------------------

• 1 hour commute each way
  
• 22$ starting pay
  
• 3.30$ evening shift diff, 4.40$ night shift diff, 5$ weekend shift diff
  
• Not sure how long the orientation is.
  
• Awesome crew on night shift (I worked with them for my preceptorship)
  
• 18 bed general ICU, 2:1 ratio
  
• Local hospital, serves a large area. Level 2 trauma center.
  
• ICU nurses respond to codes, which I enjoyed doing.
  
• Cafeteria closed at night.
  
• Royal blue scrubs
  
• Basically I already was doing the job of a nurse on the unit, and was doing well!
  
• Excellent jumping off point for CRNA, Nurse Prac, Trauma, Flight nursing and grad school.
  
• Oh yeah, GA has a state tax, and Florida does not, so about a $2,000 loss per year.
  

Thank you in advance for your assistance in making this tough decision!

Number one, for sure.

Close commute and cafeteria open. The white tops, wow, that's an accident waiting to happen every shift. But number 1 would be what I would take.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

This decision isn't difficult for nurses who know people who sustained spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries after they fell asleep while driving after night shift.

[FSUMurse94]

Just want everyone on here that I have decided to accept the job in the emergency room! You all were a great help and gave some great advice, I look forward to being a member of Allnurses and sharing my experiences! :)

[claneRN]

This is interesting info. I am relocating back to Florida soon and have been looking at living in Tallahassee. I currently work in central Missouri and the pay is a few buck more an hour in Florida for a new grad. When I was a fresh out (2014) my starting pay was 19.38 base. I'm hoping to get a few dollars more than the 21.78 with my gained experience.

Good luck to you and your decision.