Should I stay or should I go?

Nurses General Nursing

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have been an RN for almost three years with about one year experience in MDS. For the past year and a half though I have been working in cardiology (hospital and clinic). I left my MDS job when my husbands work relocated us. I've been looking for another since moving and I finally have an offer. It's a $3/hr pay raise and a reasonable commute just outside of the city we live in. The catch is, I would be the only MDS nurse and they want me to be on call for a week at a time every five weeks. The facility has 75 beds and the census currently floats around 45-50, but they are wanting to fill the beds I'm sure. In my last position we were around 100 beds and had two full time MDS nurses. I think I can handle the case load on my own even though I will need to learn quite a bit. I will also be responsible for PAEs/PASSR, care plan meeting schedule and invites, quarterly assessments (falls, bradens, smoking, etc.) Does anyone else think this sounds like too much or is it just me? I really want to take the job and I feel I am capable - minus the call. I feel like I need to be 100% focused on MDS anyways but also since I will be learning new things as well. They told me there would be call up front and they would train me on the floor- I've never worked the floor in ltc and I really want to get out of floor nursing for right now. I was polite and maybe too agreeable in the interview to the on call and I ended up basically getting offered the job on the spot. So now I am super stressed because I want the job but I don't feel comfortable being on call as an MDS nurse. I also don't have supervisor experience which they know... Anyways... Sorry this is so long. I am just so ready to get back into an MDS job. I am not happy where I'm at but I don't want to jump into something else where I'll be just as unhappy. I knew the clinic was a bad fit my first day on the job and I have basically been sticking it out until I find the right fit. In the clinic I do have every weekend and holidays off but work 8-5, MDS would be 7-3:30 plus the on call rotation. I need to make a decision within the next day or two and I'm feeling so torn.

If this is a salaried position in long term care turn it down immediately. I have friends that were sucked by the siren song of salary and reasonable sounding working conditions and then found themselves working endless hours.

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To my understanding it will be hourly pay, I'm still waiting on my official offer. I want that in writing. It seems like I would be calling all other available staff first for shift coverage before I actually went in. The DON seems really genuine and kind... Where I'm at now I don't feel like I am part of a team and management is basically nonexistent. I would just like to be in a job where I feel like I'm supported by my management and have a team backing me...

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
And yes, I would he expected to cover the floor if a nurse or tech calls out and I cannot fill the spot. I'm just afraid if I say I don't want to do call they'll move on to the next candidate...

So, how many days a week would you be doing your data job and how many days would you be filling in for staff? Yes, they will move on if you say no. But there's probably something else (I hope) for you!

I had to leave a great management job because we lost a nurse and could never fill the position again (small town with no great pool of applicants and poor salary). I never actually got to do the job they hired me to do because I was backfilling.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
To my understanding it will be hourly pay, I'm still waiting on my official offer. I want that in writing. It seems like I would be calling all other available staff first for shift coverage before I actually went in. The DON seems really genuine and kind... Where I'm at now I don't feel like I am part of a team and management is basically nonexistent. I would just like to be in a job where I feel like I'm supported by my management and have a team backing me...

I really hope that if you do accept the position the DON remains genuine and kind. Remember your only experience with this management team thus far is during an interview process when they have a vested interest in putting their best foot forward to get the position filled.

I am not saying they will turn out to be less than the supportive team you envision, but I'd also hate for you to be too surprised if that turns out to be the case. In my 20+ years of LTC experience I've found truly supportive management teams to be few and far between. They do exist though, fortunately the current management team I work with is pretty good.

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