azMissK

Why not just move now and look for a job in this new city instead of taking a spot away from someone that is actually committed to the residency program... I think leaving after 6 months is a disservice to the hospital that is willing to invest in training you. 3 months off of orientation is not enough to give you the experience to transition, in my opinion. And besides, *most* jobs require 1 year experience. I am just hitting the 6 month mark of being a new RN and I still feel like I am just getting the hang of it all. Also, I don't think your unit manager would write you a glowing review after 6 months. I think you should stick it out at the job for a solid year, get your feet wet and then look into applying for jobs in this new city. Or, graciously pass on the job and start looking there.

I am also from Northern California ( bay area) and moved out of state for nursing school and stayed for my first job with the hope that eventually I could move home after I get experience. I would cut out number 3 and focus on either med surg or ED. But there are other factors besides pay, location and floor that you should be looking at in making your choice. How are new grads supported? Is one of them considered a teaching hospital or do they have an excellent reputation? How many patients on the med surg floor? What are the typical patients in the ED - is it a small county ed or large city one? What shift is being offered? I think I would personally choose the med surg position (unless the patient load was insane!!) because it offers a large variety of experience that translates to all areas of nursing. And its in a city that you would like to live in! trust me, location matters and you only work 3 days a week so its important to be in a place that can feel like home. While the ED could be great, I feel as if it can be a difficult place for a new grad to adapt to as ED RNs require a lot of skills that come with being experienced. goodluck and congrats on multiple offers.

I'd wait a solid year from when you are off orientation and operating as independent RN. so say you started with a preceptor in June and on your own in October, I'd wait til Cctober of next year to transfer. That way, you have a year's exp and it doesn't look like you have been counting down the days from the minute you start. The hospital I work in made it clear from the beginning that they want their employees to be happy and that they want them to follow their nursing dreams so transferring is always an option. We've had 3 nurses go to the ICU lately and one of them was a nurse that had just over her 1 year mark on our unit. Your managers won't take it personally when you decide to transfer within the hospital

I think you should first consider that this is a job you *should* be working for at least a year at and not just a few months until you can move a bit closer. Leaving after 6 months or 9 months really does not give you enough time to get competent or comfortable and most job listings want 1 year exp. I personally think you should take the med surg job and soak up all the opportunities it provides! I love working 3 twelves and it provides a lot of flexibility in scheduling ( especially since you will be commuting! 5 days a week vs 3!) Med surg is a great basis and you will have the opportunities to advance your career in the future with this exp. While the lung diagnostic job seems ideal, I really think a 1year med surg experienced nurse will have better, and more, opportunities than the other job. plus 32 hours of pay per week vs full time 36 hours ( if the pay is the same) good luck with your decision!

And that is why I decided not to return home to California ( Marin county which is discussed in the article) after graduating nursing school in AZ. I truly believed it would be "so much easier" to find my first job here in Arizona than back in CA.

I have been looking around for brain sheets as I start my new job in a few weeks and couldn't find any that I liked until I saw yours. Thanks so much for sharing your example!!

yikes, I stumbled across this thread as I just accepted a job on an ortho unit ( now I wish I had a least applied for transplant as well) Anyone have anything positive to say for being a new grad on an ortho unit? I know its a lot of pain management and helping patients move but any other insight? Thanks :)

I enjoyed reading this thread because I have been in a similar ( but much less complicated version). My BF (see, less complicated already!) and I are living in a very undesirable city/state - both of us moved here to go back to school and get a first job. We pretty much hate where we live, which you can figure where by my name, and want to go back home to California. I am thinking that is where you and your husband are planning on moving too but that is just me assuming... What I have come to realize from nursing friends with no experience is that its not just "hard" to get hired in CA .... its extremely difficult, depressing and discouraging. I know wonderful people that have been looking for over a year and applying everywhere and want to give up. They have been looking even in the "less desirable" places in CA with no luck so I think you will be extremely limited in your job hunt if you are looking only in one of Ca's popular cities ( So Cal has more options. If you are planning on moving and job hunting in SF I would 1000% say do NOT go without experience) In my case, I decided to stay and get experience and soak up everything I can while at my first job here with the end goal of going back to california within 2 years experience. It is MUCH EASIER to get a job with experience and great references so I would encourage you to take the new grad job, work your butt off for a year, get a raving 1 year evaluation and start looking for a job in your dream city. A contract seems unbreakable but if you have to pay to break the contract after 1 year it will be worth it ( in my opinion) Your happiness is more important than the money in a broken contract. BUT, know that if you move 3,000 miles to this new city you will most likely not find work for a very long time. Do you have friends and family in that new city or do you just like the idea of living there? I would consider how it would feel to not be working in this new city for months on end and have your husband working hard at his new job, meeting new ppl and loving his new experiences and you not having a job / family / friends.... I just think you could gain so much from being in a nurse residency program at such an amazing hospital that it will help you open doors in the new city 2 years from now. Goodluck with your decision making and let us know what happens. this is really a tough one.

Ok, I think its kind of unfair to say a company is bad because of this experience. Have you done a lot of online shopping before because your complaints seem to be about very standard practices. I bought a pair of shoes from Alergria and have purposefully only wore them inside on carpet because most stores don't allow returns once you've worn them outside. In fact, besides Nordstroms which takes back ANYTHING, this kinda seems standard. It is up to YOU, the shopper, to read the print before purchasing. Going through the motions of returning items can suck but you are blowing this way out of proportion.

I am also a new grad and love the idea of your grid. I was about to start trying to make my own but figured I could ask - any way you could upload a copy of your grid, at least so I know how the basic and I could use it as a model to make my own. Would really appreciate it !! I think its a great idea!

congrats on becoming a RN and 2 offers! I think the above poster has some good questions you should be asking yourself. If it had been a med surg job vs hair removal than it might be "obvious" or if the it was a job on psych unit in a larger hospital where you could transfer to a different unit after a year would be great. I think it really depends on what you want to do as a nurse but I think you could get a good experience as a psych nurse - assessments, pt interaction, meds, handling multiple pts - that would all help you in a future hospital nursing job. I don't know what cost of living in LV is like but 10 dollars a hour more might sound like an obvious choice but considering the high cost of living in so cal it really might not be much of an upgrade. I think you should pursue the online BSN program and that its a great thing to advance your education. Having a BSN might help you get your ideal job as the next one!