Should I take the HUGE paycut to switch from ICU to a clinic?

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Hey fellow nurses!

Soo I feel like I'm stuck in a horrible situation. I have been working in the ICU for almost 2 years now (all night shift) and I feel like I want to get out of bedside nursing, but I'm not sure. I can't seem to find any hospital that wants to hire me for a day shift position because there's a waiting list everywhere. I recently moved and have 2 job offers. One is at an ICU (night shift, 1 hour commute, great $$$) and the other position is at a Women's Clinic (10 minute commute, no weekends/holidays, but.....$8 pay cut). I don't know which offer I should accept. I feel like my heart is saying to pick the clinic and my brain is telling me to follow the money! I don't want to pick the ICU job and then regret it because of the hour commute and stress...and having to work weekends/holidays. On the other hand, I don't want to pick the clinic and regret taking the pay cut and having to work 5 days a week. I've talked to family and friends and they all tell me to pick the ICU job, but I'm still so confused. Any advice????

Specializes in ICU.

If I took an $8/hr pay cut, I'd be making $15/hr. I would say it's not worth a 9-5 to take a $15/hr job, but if your area's salaries are high enough that that's not going to happen to you, I'd say go for it.

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If you have an hour commute, you will be spending a significant amount of $$$ on gas. Not to say that justifies an $8 pay cut, but just keep that in mind. An hour is a long way before a 12 hour shift, not to mention afterwards. I did a 90 minute commute for 2 years and somehow never had a flat tire or a fender bender. I was very lucky. Why take another ICU job that has an hour commute tacked on to it? I would burn out quickly in that situation. Additionally, that kind of commute means you'll be spending $$$ for additional upkeep for you car. Only you know what is best for you, but I'd take the Women's Clinic job while adjusting my budget. And I would look for per diem opportunities or something else to get back some spending $$$.

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pixiestudent2 I tried, no room apparently. :(
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Thank you all for your advice!!!! I should have came to you guys in the first place :p So helpful!!!

I actually just interviewed at a clinic that is willing to offer me the same rate as the hospital so hopefully I can get it! Fingers crossed and hoping for the best!

Can't thank you all enough for this!

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If you have an hour commute, you will be spending a significant amount of $$$ on gas. Not to say that justifies an $8 pay cut, but just keep that in mind. An hour is a long way before a 12 hour shift, not to mention afterwards. I did a 90 minute commute for 2 years and somehow never had a flat tire or a fender bender. I was very lucky. Why take another ICU job that has an hour commute tacked on to it? I would burn out quickly in that situation. Additionally, that kind of commute means you'll be spending $$$ for additional upkeep for you car. Only you know what is best for you, but I'd take the Women's Clinic job while adjusting my budget. And I would look for per diem opportunities or something else to get back some spending $$$.

I was going to mention this too. Depending on what kind of car you drive, the 8 dollar pay difference could be more like 4 dollars or even less when you account for gas..

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Thank you all for your advice!!!! I should have came to you guys in the first place :p So helpful!!!

I actually just interviewed at a clinic that is willing to offer me the same rate as the hospital so hopefully I can get it! Fingers crossed and hoping for the best!

Can't thank you all enough for this!

Hoping for the best for you, too! Having faced a similar dilemma I chose the clinic and didn't regret it. The long commute in LA traffic was hell and I facing what was a huge stressor for me, floating to a different unit almost every shift. Some people thrive in that environment. I didn't.

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Specializes in ER, ICU/CCU, Open Heart OR Recovery, Etc.

Good for you. No job is worth an hour long commute, weekends, holidays, and sanity.

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

I understand the need for quality of life, but bear this in mind: you're only as good as your last job in regards to your resume. The longer you're out of critical care the more irrelevant you become in terms of getting back in to it. Things are not like the old days anymore where you can walk in to a job tomorrow. There's lots of competition now. I recently got passed over for a job I wanted because I am currently non-clinical, despite having 15 years critical care experience. If you change your mind in the future and apply for an ICU job, how would you explain the backwards step? I left for the same reasons but I'm bored and I want to get back into it so I'm trying to stay current by keeping my ACLS up to date. I'm in grad school too so I have that in my favor, but I'm always worried about the next "thing".

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
Here is my advice since I went from hospital to school nursing. Big pay cut HUGE quality of life improvement. If you can afford it, I would say follow your heart. I no longer dread going to work. Best career decision I ever made. And I had to go back for a BSN CSN to get it.

Peacock has taken up residence in my brain because I couldn't have said it better myself. I took a huge pay cut when I moved to where I currently live and then another pay cut when I left my hospital job to start as a school nurse this past August. I was terrified about being able to pay my bills at first but after 1 week I realized it was the best decision I could have made for my own wellbeing.

You have no idea how nice it is to have a normal, predictable schedule, especially after working nights. I started out on nights and when I moved I was offered a rotating shift schedule which should be illegal. I was fried. All the time. Could never sleep. If I wasn't starving, I was nauseated. I gained weight. I was no fun to be around and I was always bummed about missing things with my friends and family. Once I started working normal hours it was like night and day (no pun intended.) I slept better. I had energy after work to actually get things done. I didn't miss my 4 days off per week because I don't pass out immediately after work, too tired to even brush my teeth. I make better time of my days and therefore don't need as much time off.

The pay cut took a little bit of adjusting but honestly, as long as you can cover your living expenses I wouldn't worry. I find myself really thinking about my purchases now, not just because I don't have as much disposable income as I used to but also because cutting down on buying things has really made me conscious of how much STUFF we collectively consume. It's amazing really. Once I eliminated the unnecessary purchases, I don't only cut down on clutter and useless things in my house, but I also find that I am saving more money because I spend less. I pay my bills, groceries, some fun nights out here and there. As long as I have enough to get by, I am happy. Taking a pay cut has taught me this.

It's a scary feeling, I know. But if you can take the plunge, I think you will be very happy. At the very least, make sure you keep good relationships with hospitals in case you take the clinic job and decide to go back to the bedside. Good luck!

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Specializes in Med/Surg/.

I think this is the absolute solution. You will be much happier and still stay up in ICU. If you can afford the cut see if your clinic will give you a 2 dollar higher salary. If not it is still a good idea. 2 days a month or what you want to do is not asking a lot but I would try to find a PRN a little closer if possible. I bet you will do so.....I love clinic and 5 days a week all weekend Holidays and Birthdays off is fabulous! Another Idea is join and AGENCY and give them your distance and days. You might be surprised....ICU Nurses are in great demand in many areas...

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Hey fellow nurses!

Soo I feel like I'm stuck in a horrible situation. I have been working in the ICU for almost 2 years now (all night shift) and I feel like I want to get out of bedside nursing, but I'm not sure. I can't seem to find any hospital that wants to hire me for a day shift position because there's a waiting list everywhere. I recently moved and have 2 job offers. One is at an ICU (night shift, 1 hour commute, great $$$) and the other position is at a Women's Clinic (10 minute commute, no weekends/holidays, but.....$8 pay cut). I don't know which offer I should accept. I feel like my heart is saying to pick the clinic and my brain is telling me to follow the money! I don't want to pick the ICU job and then regret it because of the hour commute stress...and having to work weekends/holidays. On the other hand, I don't want to pick the clinic and regret taking the pay cut and having to work 5 days a week. I've talked to family and friends and they all tell me to pick the ICU job, but I'm still so confused. Any advice????

I'm sure you've made up your mind by now but here is my 2 cents for what it is worth. It's fairly simple yet logical. Nothing beats happiness. I know the extra money is important but have you really calculated all your expenses to see if you could take the lower paying job? $8/hr is a huge pay cut and of course your friends are going to tell you to take the higher paying job. I think you know deep, deep down what you really want to do. What is your gut telling you?

I was faced with a similar situation about 5 years ago. I had a beautiful job offer that was first shift and had all major holidays off (which is, of course, unheard of in nursing). The only problem was is that it was a $5 per hour pay cut. I struggled and struggled deep down because I didn't know what I should do but I knew what I wanted to do. I calculated all my expenses and knew that I could afford a huge pay cut but I would miss the extra money. I decided to jump. After I did I NEVER looked back. I was happier than I ever thought possible. You spend half or most of your life working and you should only be happy. What's extra money if your miserable everyday? I can see "being miserable" for a short time just to make extra money for Christmas but for more than 6 months? No, it's not worth it. Life is too short.

After 8 months or so after working my new (lower paying) job I ran into a few previous co-workers from my other job. They told me how happy I looked. I also had dropped about 50 lbs. I was happier and healthier and it showed. When thinking about that stressful job I cringed. I knew I would never go back.

You see. You can't put a price on happiness. If you can do it I would go for whatever you think will make you happier in the long run, not with how much more money you will make.

I have worked at this lower paying job for about 5 years and have decided to move on to something else. It offers more money and still offers holidays and day shift. It doesn't offer as much money as the stressful job I used to have, but I would never go back to that.

Look deep within, weigh your pros and cons, and I think you will already have your answer. Don't let others' sway your decision. After all, it's your life.

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