HonnahK

I need some seasoned nurses to give me some life/ career advice. I had a baby 3 months ago and it's time to go back to work (the idea of leaving my new baby is KILLING me!)Most of us have to do it and it's definitely going to be an adjustment. My problem is I have had two different job offerings. One is a nursing home who pays very well. I let the DON know I only want part time as I am new mom and want to be home with my baby. She hired me for 3-8 hour shifts a week. This is perfect....for now. I would be able to afford part time with this job for good but then I will never have any retirement or health benefits (my husband's health insurance sucks!) When my baby gets older, I will be stuck working every other weekend and every other holiday...possibly missing out on extra curricular activities. (Most Mon-Fri jobs want nurses with hospital experience.) Which leads me to my second job offering: the surgical intensive care unit in a nearby hospital. This job is full time 3-12 hr shifts. benefits are fabulous. I was also considering this job because I know that the jobs I will want in the future ( when my little guy is old enough to know that mommy won't be home for xmas) all require previous hospital/ICU experience. So the question is, do I choose the job that works for me right now or the job that may be better in the long run? Let me mention again I am having so much anxiety about leaving my baby so maybe the part time job is best for now...or should I suck it u as I will get over it eventually? AAAAAH! Help a nurse out!

You should take the job until you get into a hospital, as your family is depending on the money. it takes longer to get a job in a hospital (especially as a new grad) then it does in a nursing home. I have primarily worked in nursing homes (for the past 7 yrs) but have briefly worked in a hospital. Let me mention it took atleast 6 months of obsessively applying with hospitals to finally get the job. Surprisingly, it wasn't what I thought it would be and I realized that I actually liked nursing home work. Also, I found that it was helpful working in a nursing home before the hospital as it gave me practice with assessment skills, communicating with doctors, state regulated charting, etc. It may not be your dream job but look at it as a stepping stone for now.

Just be honest...without completely bashing this new job of yours. I had a similar issue with my previous job. When I went on job interviews and the (dreaded) question of "why are you leaving your job?" came up, I simply said, "I like it there but the schedule just isn't working for me like I thought it would." Simple. I have used it several times and no further questions have been asked. Good luck.