Relocating to Cali - feel like I'm making a terrible mistake!

RuthieRN · Aug 21, 2004

Don't feel stupid...It is always scary to pack up everything, move to a strange town where you don't know anyone, and take on a strange job as a spanky new RN. Any one of these tasks would be hard on their own and you are the brave person to take them all on at once. Yay you!!!

I think that you should follow your dream to become an L&D nurse, sometimes our dreams take us to new and scary places, but you can never go wrong if you are doing what you truly love. Your stress is doing the talking for you now. I recently left the city I had lived in all my life to relocate to a rural town in northern California. I was scared silly too. But once you get over the stress of moving and give it a shot, I'll bet you wont be sorry. Think of all the cool things you are going to learn and get to see. You will also be gaining something that is more valuable than gold in the nursing profession, experience. With experience you get to call the shots. Once you have that you can work anywhere you want.

I hope that this helps...your family and friends will still love you no matter where you live...and California isn't so bad, I promise (LOL) :) Good luck to you!

Ruthie

Sheri257 · Aug 21, 2004

I too was scared to death when I moved to Cali. And I also didn't know anyone. But, this is where I met my husband and, now, I absolutely love it here.

Think of it this way, if you hate it you can always move back in a year. But, at the very least, Cali has a ratio law that creates better working conditions for nurses ... and it sounds like you have an excellent job opportunity which will give you great experience.

mandykatrn · Aug 24, 2004

Deleting original post because the situation has been resolved and I'm at peace with my decision. Thanks for all the replies.

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Aug 24, 2004

I didn't think your first post sounded pathetic at all. It sounded right on.

I cannot imagine a hospital not wanting to retain someone like you!

Perhaps you can get into that California program later, when you are feeling more confident. It sounds wonderful to me too, but I've made the decision before to go miles away from everyone I cared about and discovered that it didn't matter how great the area was or how wonderful the opportunity, what ruined it for me was loneliness.

I went home and started down a completely different path.

I was going to suggest that you see if anybody here lives in the area where the job opp was, or maybe even worked in that hospital. Which you could still do, of course.

Congrats on the RN!