So I got a job offer as community nurse full time last week. The job required me to have a valid driving license and a car.
I got my driving license on November 2018 and haven't driven a car since I got my license. I was so excited when I got the offer and began to search cars to buy for my job. I told my mom about it hoping she would be excited too but guess what? She was like don't take it. She told me it is not worth taking it when I don't even have experience in driving and all of a sudden I am rushing to buy a car and drive. I understood where she was coming from and I do not want to worry her, so I rejected the offer. Now, I regret it so much! I wish I took the position and gave it a try.
What should I do? Should I re-apply to the same company? Will HR just throw my application away because I did not take previous position? I feel embarrassed because what if they ask me why I did not take the position first time if I am a successful candidate again?
From what I've read, you're a new nurse, right? How much experience do you actually have? Being a community nurse means, well, being out in the community with a lot of independence...which demands real strength in your clinical decision making and critical thinking abilities. For that alone, I wouldn't recommend it to a new nurse. It's been hard enough for me after 3 years of varied experience to be completely alone with no one else to bounce ideas off of when things go south and you can't wait for your office contact (supervisor, MD, etc) to call you back.
Are you absolutely sure there are no other jobs you would be better suited for at this time? Note, I'm not saying give up on community nursing forever, but it's going to be a big enough leap just job-wise, let alone adding in essentially learning to drive (just like in nursing, first you become educated about the role/driving rules, then you become licensed in nursing/driving, then you actually learn what it means to apply that knowledge and take on that responsibility by actually doing it).
I feel for you; I didn't really start driving until I was 24 and I had been licensed since 16. It's a bit of a learning curve, especially depending on the area you live in (congested city streets, high speeds, difficult merges, etc). You don't need to be taking on a high stakes job (clinically as well as financially since you're essentially investing thousands of dollars in a new-to-you vehicle, insurance, gas, maintenance, registration, inspection fees, etc) at the same time. Jobs will always come along. Take this time to really get comfortable driving, even if it's by borrowing your parents' cars (with permission) or a friend's.
From what I've read, you're a new nurse, right? How much experience do you actually have? Being a community nurse means, well, being out in the community with a lot of independence...which demands real strength in your clinical decision making and critical thinking abilities. For that alone, I wouldn't recommend it to a new nurse. It's been hard enough for me after 3 years of varied experience to be completely alone with no one else to bounce ideas off of when things go south and you can't wait for your office contact (supervisor, MD, etc) to call you back.
Are you absolutely sure there are no other jobs you would be better suited for at this time? Note, I'm not saying give up on community nursing forever, but it's going to be a big enough leap just job-wise, let alone adding in essentially learning to drive (just like in nursing, first you become educated about the role/driving rules, then you become licensed in nursing/driving, then you actually learn what it means to apply that knowledge and take on that responsibility by actually doing it).
I feel for you; I didn't really start driving until I was 24 and I had been licensed since 16. It's a bit of a learning curve, especially depending on the area you live in (congested city streets, high speeds, difficult merges, etc). You don't need to be taking on a high stakes job (clinically as well as financially since you're essentially investing thousands of dollars in a new-to-you vehicle, insurance, gas, maintenance, registration, inspection fees, etc) at the same time. Jobs will always come along. Take this time to really get comfortable driving, even if it's by borrowing your parents' cars (with permission) or a friend's.
River&MountainRN, ADN, RN
222 Posts
From what I've read, you're a new nurse, right? How much experience do you actually have? Being a community nurse means, well, being out in the community with a lot of independence...which demands real strength in your clinical decision making and critical thinking abilities. For that alone, I wouldn't recommend it to a new nurse. It's been hard enough for me after 3 years of varied experience to be completely alone with no one else to bounce ideas off of when things go south and you can't wait for your office contact (supervisor, MD, etc) to call you back.
Are you absolutely sure there are no other jobs you would be better suited for at this time? Note, I'm not saying give up on community nursing forever, but it's going to be a big enough leap just job-wise, let alone adding in essentially learning to drive (just like in nursing, first you become educated about the role/driving rules, then you become licensed in nursing/driving, then you actually learn what it means to apply that knowledge and take on that responsibility by actually doing it).
I feel for you; I didn't really start driving until I was 24 and I had been licensed since 16. It's a bit of a learning curve, especially depending on the area you live in (congested city streets, high speeds, difficult merges, etc). You don't need to be taking on a high stakes job (clinically as well as financially since you're essentially investing thousands of dollars in a new-to-you vehicle, insurance, gas, maintenance, registration, inspection fees, etc) at the same time. Jobs will always come along. Take this time to really get comfortable driving, even if it's by borrowing your parents' cars (with permission) or a friend's.