Should I take the job because its a Magnet Hospital?

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I have gotten several offers from hospitals, but the one I have considered the most is the one with magnet status even though it is an hour commute away. The floor I will be working is a med-surg/telemetry floor that deals with the indigent (uninsured) populations. I have heard good and bad about the floor. My faculty advisor actually works there and he thought my personality was perfect for the type of patients there because I am not timid or easily intimidated. I would love the opprotunity to work there, but the hospital has experienced a high turnover rate and is requiring an 18 month contract from all new employees. That makes me leary but since I would've had to sign a 12 month commitment anyway because that is a requirement for them repay a portion of your student loans each year, I can look past the 18 month commit. My advisor said the 18 month contract is because many new grads use the hospital facility to get thier year experience and leave to go work elsewhere so the hospital is losing tons of money. Another thing is the hospital is only doing an 8 week orientation instead of the 12 week orientation which they were still doing a year ago when I had my clinicals there. My advisor said the nurse manager will give new grads extra weeks up to 12 if they still feel uncomfortable but it just seems so sketchy especially after reading posts on the site from new grads who feel overwhelmed with little help on their floors. The hospital is a big hospital with a level 1 trauma unit and since it does have magnet status, it looks great on a resume. Should I take on this challenge or leave it alone with the fear of getting burnt out??? Advise please!!!

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Specializes in Critical Care. CVICU. Adult and Peds PACU..

You said you had several offers - are your other offers at hospitals with good reputations? Are they in specialties you want? Did you do clinicals at any of them and feel like you fit in? I could see how you would be hesitant on the 18 month contract, but your advisor was right, a lot of new grads leave right after their first year, costing the hospitals tons of money.

I wouldn't take it just because it's a Magnet hospital. Take it if it has a great reputation and you see yourself gaining valuable experience. I work at the 2nd best hospital in the US and we aren't Magnet status, but we have a dang good reputation and people fly in from all over the world to come to our hospital.

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I actually loved the hospital when I did clinicals there. The other hospitals I am considering do not even compare to this one in my humble opinion. One is a small rural hospital that is offering an ICU position. I am currently precepting there and I do love the staff, but I am on dayshift as of right now and would have to work night shift if hired (I don't know them). Most of the people working there are settled and happily married. I am a single mother and my hopes are to move a bigger area, but I want my loans paid off which the Magnet status hospital offers a loan repayment program. The other hospital I have an interview at tomorrow is only 5 miles from the magnet status. It is a private hospital. Its actually on the same network as the small rural hospital. I had clinicals at it one time before for Med Surg II and it didn't seem like the worse hospital in the world. But I've heard many horror stories of unrealistic nurse to patient ratios and I am only going through with the interview to have more room to manevuer if need be. The interview is for a cardiac step down unit...cardiac is not my best subject but I do have a fondness for the ICU since precepting there.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Personally (JUST my opinion) I would not consider magnet status in my decision. I think you are giving it too much weight. What is magnet status? I mean, I know what it is, but what does it do for you? Make you a better nurse? No.

I worked at a hospital while it was gaining magnet status...no different, better or worse, afterwards. I've never had someone look at my resume and say:

"Oh well you worked at XXXX, they are a magnet hospital! You get the job!"

Honestly it just doesnt matter. Magnet is just something for the hosptial to have and a binder with 1,600 pages explaining why they think they should have it. I think new grads put so much weight into it because they are unaware of the real meaning of magnet and it helps to differentiate between the numerous places they are applying.

You do what is best for you. Thats all you can do, but please think about the fact that an hour drive is really long after the 12 hour shift and hour it took you to get there. Consider your safety before any status. I would take a shorter commute over anything; money, shift preference, but most of all magnet status.

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Specializes in Critical Care. CVICU. Adult and Peds PACU..

Good point antmarchingrn, it would be especially hard if you are driving home after a 12 HR shift and you have to be back the next morning :(

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Although a shorter commute, the smaller hospital does not have many benefits besides the typical health insurance, PTO days, and of course differentials. The bigger hospitals which are both located in the same city offer student loan repayment, the option to work on weekends only (which is something I am considering), and tuition reimburstment for continuing education. I am not above moving but I want my son to finish next year's school term since I stood out in the cold for 8 hours to get him into a hard to get into pre-k program. I am only 21 and have hated living in a small town since we moved here in the 8th grade after my mother retired from the army. I feel like the bigger hospitals offer more wiggle room to maybe move after awhile and also the experience. I think we put so much emphasis on magnet status because in our nursing research class, that's what the teacher did. Magnet status made to seem like the ideal hospital to work at. The magnet status hospital also offers relocation assistance but I think you have to move up there in a certain amount of time after starting. In short, I have considered the convenience of the hospital that is 45 mins away but that's all that it is offering basically is convenience.

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I work in a hospital an hour away from my house and the commute isn't all that bad. My hospital is working on attaining magnet status as well but above that, the nurses are happy with where they work (a lot of them have worked there for over 20 years) and the benefits are great. My pay is more because I have to drive to a bigger city than mine, but it's only 3 days/week. The staff is wonderful. Good luck on your decision!

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Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology.

I wouldn't take the job because the hospital has magnet status, I would take it because overall it sounds like a better opportunity. It sounds like you would be willing to move once your son is done pre-k so you would only need to commute for what a year? Sounds like an okay trade-off to me. Let us know what you decide!

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