Question for the seasoned nurses on here..Which job offer should I take??

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I am a newer LVN with 9 months experience in an adult day care setting. It's been great experience, but I now am looking to take the next step in my career and broaden my skills.I am trying to get into a hospital setting to get the coveted acute care experience that looks great on a resume. I have also been accepted into an LVN-RN transition program that starts in August, so RN school is on the horizon.

I have had two job offers this week.

One LVN position was at a skilled nursing facility that has some of the best ratings in my area for cleanliness and customer satisfaction. The Director of Nursing seems like a great lady and I am confident she could be a great mentor for me. The nurses that I met all seem cool.

The other job offer I received came from a hospital on the lower end of the totem pole of best hospitals in my area. The Director of Nursing seems like a no-nonsense lady who will not hesitate let you know who is boss(Obviously this management style is not a fit for everyone and could lead to resentment from staff). However, this is a hospital job not a skilled nursing facility so it could easily lead to a job at a better hospital if I put the time into the job.

Both places are fine with me pursuing my RN and will work with me on my school schedule.

Which job should I take?

Thanks,

LVN with a tough decision to make:))

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Honestly I got a red flag from both of those situations, but that's just because of my own personal past experiences. "Excellent customer satisfaction" makes me wary, because I have yet to see a hospital that accomplishes this without some detriment to the nursing staff. The last job I had was in a hospital with spectacular customer satisfaction, but the boss was a nightmare because THAT was the ONLY thing she cared about. She threw nurses under the bus routinely in the name of "customer satisfaction." The hospital before THAT one had terrible c.s. scores, and when they tried to start raising them, things went to hades on the unit for nursing staff. Another manager with tunnel vision on press-ganey and nothing else. The words "customer satisfaction" leave a really rotten taste in my mouth as a result.

A boss who likes to "let everyone know who is in charge" can be a blessing or a curse. Is she a leader or a bully? I have seen both in a nurse manager with that style. Why is that hospital on the "lower end of the totem pole?" Staffing? Or customer satisfaction scores? Or something else entirely?

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I tried to do a little bit of homework on both facilities before interviewing. I used online resources such as Caring.com, yelp, and google reviews. Does that mean everything is true? Of course not. I approach it with common sense. If a restaurant has 500 amazing reviews, chances are it's pretty darn good, at least in my experience. I am a total foodie and eat somewhere different in my city every week. I use Yelp all the time it hasn't failed me yet. I know this is different here talking about healthcare, but remember Marketing 101: If someone has a bad experience they are much more likely to tell people about it online than if they have a good experience. So the fact that a facility has glowing awesome reviews says a lot. Maybe not the be all end all but it's a good starting point for sure.

That being said the Skilled nursing facility has terrific reviews.

The hospital has awful online reviews.

I would need to be around the Director of Nursing at both places for a couple of weeks to really see who they are as a person and get to know them better. It's too bad you can't take both jobs and test drive them both for two weeks and pick the best one.lol

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It's too bad you can't take both jobs and test drive them both for two weeks and pick the best one.lol

For real! That would be nice, wouldn't it? Have you checked on Glassdoor.com? That's a good website that has reviews from employees, current and former. Go to this link and click the "companies and reviews" tab and enter the name and location of whatever facility you want to investigate. Yes, you're right about people being more likely to report negative things than positive, but I have found glassdoor to be helpful. Glassdoor – Get Hired. Love Your Job.

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Your relationship with the director should not be so important towards your decision. Unless you get the inkling the hospital director could try to control your hours.

LVN-RN is going to take a lot of your focus. I would suggest the more supportive environment towards that goal.

What would your duties be in each facility?

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Good call! Thanks for responding. My duties at the hospital would be a part time position as a float nurse. I believe this type of position would be great to get my feet wet in many different areas, give me a leg up in RN school, and help me zero in on where I am most comfortable working.

The position at the skilled nursing/rehab facility is a standard part time floor nurse position. I would be dealing with a wide variety patients, they said they would even train me on ventilators once I am there for awhile, so I would be able to broaden my skills there too.

The hospital commute is not the greatest. 30-45 minutes each way, depending on traffic.

The skilled nursing facility is literally 15 minutes from my front door, so a freaking sweet commute.

I am going to really think about what you are saying about the supportive environment before making a decision. I am set to talk again to the skilled nursing facility tomorrow so I need to give them an answer either way. Any last second advice info worth passing along?? All advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks again.

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