Should I get training as a PEDS charge RN or should I turn the role down?

[AnaBanana.RN, RN]

Okay, so a little background. I have been a float pool nurse at my hospital for a little less than a year now. My main goal is to become a NICU nurse. I was offered a position as a super floater/charge relief RN for PEDS. In float pool, we only get 2 days of orientation to PEDS and I've had about 4 days that I've been floated there so far. The PEDS unit at my hospital is extremely small with there typically being anywhere from 0-8 pts in the unit. PEDS pts with higher acuity will be transferred to another hospital. Also, the PEDS nurses are cross-trained in the NICU so I'm hoping as a super floater/charge relief RN, I will have that opportunity further down the line. I've been offered 4 weeks of training. Also, I live in California and we are unionized. So my patient ratio should be 1 to 4

Why do I think I SHOULDN'T do it?

- 4 weeks does not feel like enough time to train to be a peds/charge relief RN

- I have heard from multiple sources the peds/NICU director is a douche, and whenever you express concerns regarding staffing, appropriate breaking, he will yell at you. There have been multiple complaints filed against him. 

- If I end up pissing off the director, there goes my shot at NICU (at least with this hospital). Which I might have to piss him off because I'm not going to allow anything that jeopardizes my license. 

- The following scenarios have occurred. There will be 5 pts in PEDS with 1 super floater RN (not a lot of PEDS experience), and a regular PEDS nurse who is charge. The charge has expressed concern about leaving for her break with an inexperienced floater RN and also that would put the nurse out of ratio being a 1:5. The director and house supervisor get upset with her for bringing up these concerns

Why do I think I SHOULD do it?

- This is an amazing opportunity for career advancement and would look great on my resume

- It comes with a raise

- I feel like this greatly increases my chances of getting into NICU (even if it has to be at another hospital)

Please tell me what you think and why. I'm feeling very conflicted at the moment. 

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

Since no one else will be quite as familiar with your particular situation and unit, this is a difficult situation for constructive input. If you think that it will benefit your career in the long run, despite some challenges in the short term, it's probably a good thing to consider. But if you have concerns that the stress of the job will more than tolerable and you're feeling as though patient safety and your license are a risk, you might not want to pursue the option. Good luck!