Seeking job choice advice...appreciate all feedback

[Lucky724]

I know, I know..another "which job should I chose" post - I really am stuck and would like other nurses/healthcare opinions since this group really understands...I've "overthought" these offers until I have reached the point of stalemate...

Option 1 is hospital based, med/surg/pulm unit 6:45 a.m. -7:15 p.m., 2 or 3 days/week, drive is an hour to an hour and 10 min one way from where I live (45 miles, some highway travel). No benefits as this is a PRN position which does allow some flexibility in scheduling except the mandatory once a month weekend, mandatory 2 holidays, specific scrub color, PRN's are never called off - they are used or floated to other areas, $35.00 - no diffs because it's PRN, patient load 5-6 though they try to keep it at 5. Unit stays busy, full, lots of admits/discharges, usual stresses that come w/working in a hospital.

Option 2 is a clinic located 20 min from my house, 9-5, 3 days a week, no weekends, no holidays,no call, no staying over, scrubs can be what is ever professional and suitable for adult care, not much stress, $28.00/hr, can go full time (5 days/wk) after the first of the year if wanted & future opportunities are in the works for 2017 if I would be interested, at this point I think they would be flexible on the days I work or I'm sure I could say I will work Tu/Wed/Thur or whatever. This is a clinic for low income to no income people w/health issues - physical/mental/some addiction. Low stress.

The hospital offers more variety & more money, but I am not sure the drive time/distance and stress is worth it just to work 2 really long days per week versus 3 short ones. But then I think maybe I am not seeing the whole picture....?

[Sour Lemon]

What are your long-term career goals?

[Lucky724]

Right now, to just have a steady income and a work/life balance...for me, that is what has been missing for a long while...long term, down the road maybe (maybe!) move back into a management position but if I did decide to do that I know 100% the hospital would be too far for a daily commute..the hour one way is based on leaving before the main traffic hits because when the daily business traffic hits, the drive is about an hour and 15-20 min one way.. for now, I want a job where I can make a difference while I'm at work (yes, really) but when I'm off, I'm off and not having to be concerned with being called in, taking call etc. The clinic would be hours plus a small drive which would make for about a 9 hour day, the hospital would be 13 hours plus 2 hours min for drive time, so 15-16 hour days. I'm just not sure the slight difference in pay is worth the additional time the hospital position requires.

[Sour Lemon]

Right now, to just have a steady income and a work/life balance...for me, that is what has been missing for a long while...long term, down the road maybe (maybe!) move back into a management position but if I did decide to do that I know 100% the hospital would be too far for a daily commute..the hour one way is based on leaving before the main traffic hits because when the daily business traffic hits, the drive is about an hour and 15-20 min one way.. for now, I want a job where I can make a difference while I'm at work (yes, really) but when I'm off, I'm off and not having to be concerned with being called in, taking call etc. The clinic would be hours plus a small drive which would make for about a 9 hour day, the hospital would be 13 hours plus 2 hours min for drive time, so 15-16 hour days. I'm just not sure the slight difference in pay is worth the additional time the hospital position requires.

If it's work-life balance, I would pick the clinic.

[Jules A, MSN]

Do you have a preference for hospital work vs clinic work? That is a big difference and to me would be a major deciding factor. Have you talked to other RNs there and verified the guaranteed hours for PRN staff? What about the lower patient load? In my experience the exact opposite of both is usually what happens. What would be the point of having PRN staff if the situation arose where an extra RN wasn't needed anywhere in the hospital? Maybe rare but I'd think a possibility. It also seems both PRN or float staff from other units tend to be dumped on which I don't understand and think has the potential to be unsafe.

Is the clinic offering any benefits such as vacation, sick or health benefits? That would definitely close the gap pay wise however if not $7 an hour isn't a "slight difference" about $8,700 a year if you are only working 24 hours a week which again is reduced if you add the extra hour of drive time. It sounds like the clinic will be 1 hour of drive time so considering the extra hour from the hospital's drive time off your hourly rate brings you down to $32 an hour about $5,000 a year more. Best wishes with whatever you decide, excellent to have two nice choices!

[Libby1987]

Since they are both part time, I would consider taking both but keep the prn hospital job hours at a minimum. Because they are at such opposite ends of the care continuum, I would do this in order to keep both in my pocket until I could figure out which one worked out best and that I wanted to continue long term. I would consider dilling the hospital hours with the one weekend/month requirement, maybe two weekends/month.

If I couldn't pull off both jobs for 6 months and I had enough hospital experience that I wouldn't be shutting myself out, I would take the clinic job.

[AliNajaCat]

Figure in the hours for all that driving and the hourly rate drops a good bit. Work-life balance? Choose the one that gives you the most LIFE. Clinic all the way. PRN jobs are always out there later if you want to pick up some extra time.

[ottersloveoysters]

Those are very different jobs. Which type of work appeals to you more? Are you drawn to being on the floor managing multiple patients? Do you like the outpatient setting where you can follow patients for a longer period of time? I'd think about the work first and if I am equally excited about the jobs then I would start thinking about which commute is do-able for me. I

[RNperdiem, RN]

Ask to shadow a day on both jobs. Jobs can look good on paper, but different in practice.

Do the nurses working there seem satisfied? What kind on ancillary staff is available? For the clinic, sometimes clinics don't close until the last patient is seen; does this clinic regularly run late? What do the interactions between staff look like to you?

Be your own detective here, and look at the workplace culture and decide where you fit in.

[emmy27]

Having worked with an hour+ commute each way for several years, I'm not sure there's any amount of money that could entice me to take on the same situation again. And that was for a job I loved! But it grinds you down, especially when that hour+ is tacked on either end of a twelve and a half hour shift. It can also be dangerous- anybody who tells you they're alert and driving safely after their third shift in a row with less than 12 hours off between shifts is lying.

It is the absolute opposite of good work-life balance, and not, in my opinion, worth the few thousand extra dollars a year it would net you.

Find a second job closer to home to make up the difference, especially if you're only working part time at the clinic.

[TriciaJ, RN]

I've got to throw my lot in with the clinic. You can't buy your life back.

[DowntheRiver]

From personal experience, I did the hour and fifteen minute commute to the hospital three days a week. Shifts were long, usually 14 hours. I barely lasted 6 months. I then found a local clinic job working 3 12s. Liked it, but didn't like having to work weekends. Now work in public health in a clinical setting with minimal weekends (like 2 or 3 Saturdays per year), paid holidays, sick days, and PTO. Such a breath of fresh air. I feel like I have my life back. Great work-life balance!