Should I return to the ER?

I've been a nurse for a year and a half now and I've already had three jobs. My first job was in med-surg and I only stayed about a month. After that, I went to ER and worked for 10 months. I enjoyed many aspects of ER nursing, but overall I was very unhappy. Most of this was due to working conditions and I felt the patient load was unsafe. I also had a very hard time working night shift.

So, I found a position working as a community educator and rep for a home care company. At first, I was thrilled with my new job. It was so different from the acute care environment and I really love working normal hours and feeling like a valued employee. I have a lot of control over the actual hours that I do work and I am able to do a lot of work from home. Plus, the pay and benefits are much better than what I was making at the hospital. The downside is the amount of driving involved. Some weeks, I drive over 300 miles and I'm not sure what that will be like during the winter. Also, part of my job involves bringing in patient referrals and meeting quotas and that is not going so well for me. I am finding that I miss patient care.

In retrospect, I never should have left the ER before my year was up because I am now finding it difficult to return to an acute care position. After numerous applications, I did interview for an ER position and was offered the job. I am hesitant to accept it though for a couple of reasons. The ER has a new manager and the unit is having some problems. There are numerous job openings and he openly admitted that there are problems, although "none that aren't encountered at all ERs". When I asked about lunch breaks, he stated that it is an issue and some nurses aren't able to take their breaks. The pay also seems low, especially compared to what I'm making now. I was also asked a specific question about dealing with "difficult" physicians, which I thought was strange and somewhat of a red light. However, the nurse to patient ratios seem much more reasonable than the ER where I previously worked and the hours would be better. It would be a more flexible job while I am in NP school and it would also provide a better preparation for being an NP.

Any advice would be appreciated because I am so confused. When I left the ER, I never thought I would return and I don't want to make yet another mistake. I would really like to stay at a nursing job for at least a year, but the longer that I am away from acute care, the harder it is going to be to go back.