Caring_RN21

The first hospital I worked at offered 15.50/hr +shift diff, that was in Pennsylvania. The hospital I work at now offers 15/hr + shift diff, that is in Florida.

My gut wants to puke... lol There's a reason I wanted to move to FL in the first place, it's like paradise here.. great schools for the kids, low crime rates, tons of kid-friendly events. My gut says go for the CCU for the experience and money. But moving 1,000 miles, again seems so stressful. My friends and family are home.. my grandmother doesn't have many more years to live. It would be nice to be there for her last years and be able to spend holidays with my family... Everything's further away in PA driving wise..there's added cost of gas and maintaining a vehicle with the snow. . If I go to PA- not far from where I lived is one of the best CRNA schools in the US. My gut is just so frantic at this point I have no idea what to do.

It is possible.. but I'd say wait... Not only till nursing school is over, but I'd wait until you have 1 yr in experience so you have the time off to take to spend with the baby when you have it. I started nursing school with a 6 month old and 2 yr old.. it is possible but extremely more stressful. Two women I went to school with became pregnant towards the end of nursing school and had their babies right after, and waited a long time to start working.. then had more trouble getting jobs because they waited so long after school to get a job and they expected that their skills were lacking form taking time off. It is possible, but it will be harder.

I am originally from PA I moved to Florida and have been working as a med/surg/tele RN.. I am not getting paid great money.. only 24.30/hr and that's including nights shift diff I have recently came upon an opportunity to move back to PA and work in the hospital where I went to school's Critical Care Unit I'd make 29/hr, not including shift diff, and I'd be working nights. I am not 100% sure but I believe the shift diff is 18% which would be 34.22/hr. I am going to be getting my BSN soon and that should take 1-1.5 yrs depending on the program I chose. After that I plan on going to CRNA school. CRNA school require at least 1 yr CCU experience. If I move home now, I can get a jump start on the CCU experience and learn a lot.. It's a trauma lvl II CCU w/ post-op open hearts and everything.. and I'd make more money... It signed into a contract at the place I'm currently working. There's about 1.5 yrs left on the contract. It did not include a sign on bonus, but if I leave early I will owe them $6,000. The move would be expensive... I'd have family in PA to help w/ my 2 kids if needed during CRNA school... There are so many pros/cons to both.. But what I'm leaning towards is although it would be a hit initially and rough to get up there, it would probably be best career wise to move, and start in the CCU as soon as possible. I could stay here and wait out the contract .. in 6 months I can apply within the hospital I'm at now for a ICU/CCU position, however this is unlikely to achieve at this place. The most likely scenario is that I'd be here for another 1.5 yrs on med/surg. There's also the issue that they pay less, and cost of living his higher. Or move home to PA, struggle at first and be okay after a while, just not enjoying the awesome weather and beaches Thank you guys in advance! I appreciate the advice.

From what I've seen this is extremely common. Diploma nurses are very prepared ADN nurses moderately prepared BSN nurses mildly prepared when it comes to clinical competencies. The best advice I can give you is ask, ask, ask! Don't fear your limitations, you're not the only one, and it is 100% okay to ask for help. It's okay that you don't know how do things. You're new, nobody expects you to know everything. Even the most seasoned nurses, don't know everything and still ask for help on things-daily! Sure it might feel scary, but in time you will feel much more confident. Just ask for help, and put on your fake confidence face when preforming the procedure! I recommend doing a lot of research when deciding where to work. A new grad program, new-grad internship, or entry level program, will be your best bet. Make sure to ask how long orientation will be. Most hospitals with a new-grad transition program work in one or two ways; one- you have a set amount of time you're on orientation (ex 6 months), or two- you have a range of time in which you complete a competency checklist with a preceptor. Most programs will pay less during orientation. If the program is like option 2 -don't overwhelm yourself to try to complete orientation early, it's great to have a one-on-one preceptor to ask questions to. Take your time and make sure you're comfortable. Once you complete your orientation, you have a bunch of co-workers there for second opinions!