adinardo

Hi there - I am a new-to-practice oncology nurse and have had the incredible privilege of getting my first job at a prominent academic hospital in my area. I love it because I am getting to learn about the newest treatments, see amazing research, and there is a strong focus on continuing education. However... Being that it is a referral center, it sees a disproportionate number of rare cases - the very young adults who are very critically ill and often have poor prognoses. While the honor and privilege of getting to participate in these patients' care at such vulnerable moments is not lost on me, I've noticed that I've begun to have anxieties of my own. Not only do I carry my patients' sadness home with me after a tough day, but I worry that I am going to die young. I can't help but feel that it's related to the specifics of my work population. Does anyone else have this? If so, how do you cope with it?

I can only relay some anecdotal evidence here - but in my area, this appears to be the case. I have heard that the hospitals around where I live (greater Philadelphia area) tend to hire students from local universities before hiring those from out of the area. Our hospitals also tend to hire students who did their externships/worked as techs at the hospital to which they're applying. I myself am still in school, but my cousin just graduated from a school in Washington, D.C. She applied to jobs both in Philadelphia and in D.C. Though she got interviews at hospitals in both areas, she was ultimately hired in D.C. - likely for exactly the reasons you state. I don't think that this completely locks you out of working at hospitals outside of the area in which you went to school, but if money is not your primary concern, I would definitely keep this in mind. I have heard that this is also the case in other professions. TL;DR: Yes, it can be smarter to go to school where you want to work - but it probably won't kill your career if you can't afford anything but in-state tuition. It'll just make it easier.