Need some job advice

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm trying to decide between 2 temporary job positions. One is a 3/4 time on cardiac surveillance unit April next year and the other is on an ICU unit full time until the end of September. Some background info on me: graduated last year, been a nurse for 10 months, and I have no acute care experience. I just graduated with my advance practice certificate to work in critical care. I have a permanent full time so I'm covered job wise no matter what I choose, but I hate my current position and am trying to get out of it. I've never been on CSU but I didn't like CCU. I'm not really into hearts. I enjoy medical issues. One of the benefits to taking the CSU position is it eases me into acute care with more stable and less demanding clients. The ICU said I could pickup casual there even if I don't take the temp.

I worry that if I take the short ICU position I'm gong to get stuck back at my permanent position. If I choose the CSU position I'm stuck in it until it's done even if something better pops up. I was originally supposed to go into a temporary full time on MICU but the person resigned their position so the temp is no longer needed. I was really looking forward to it and now I'm struggling with what I want to do.

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What kind of ward are you in now? What is your background (I'm kind of curious how you got into the critical care program with no acute experience). If you *just* started in your new position, I honestly advise to stay put. It takes at lest 6 months to feel comfortable in a critical care setting. Probably more without any acute care experience. I would also ask yourself what is it about your job that you dislike. Is it the coworkers? The work itself? The acuity? Will going to a new position fix what you dislike about your current position? What will be the expectations or the new position for your ability to take care of sick patients? Will you still be supported as a a new critical care grad?

The only other thing I would consider is assuming your employer paid for your critical care training, will they allow you to transfer after they've invested on your education.

Best of luck

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Specializes in PACU.

If I understand correctly, you are going to keep your other position (FT) while you are taking this temp job? hoping it leads you to something better?

If that is the case then... first I would consider if you can do two FT jobs?

If yes then, you have said you are not into cardiac, so I wouldn't take that spot. So I would go with the ICU position.

If you don't feel like you can do two FT portions, then I would take the PRN work on the ICU you were offered.

Either way, I'd stay at the old job for at least year (or if contracted in return for specialized training... the length of the contract).

I think of any temp job as an extended on the job interview. So even if you took the ICU and didn't end up there immediately... you would be in a good spot to get the next job opening and find out if you truely would like it if they offered.

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Sorry I guess I should have explained I'm in Canads. We are heavily unionized. I can go into a temporary position and my permanent position is still mine. They hire someone as a temp to cover my position. Once I'm done I go back into my permanent position.

I currently work in a rural hospital, but they lost one of their doctors last Septrmber so have been operating as an alternate level of care unit. We get people waiting for LTC, convalescing, or palliative patients. We also get outpatients for dressing changes, IM, IV infusions, blood, and assist with small procedures like biopsy or lump removal. The reason I hate my job is largely because they constantly pull us to the LTC side of the facility. A small part is I'm bored. We are supposed to open as a hospital by the end of July but it's likely they'll still pull us.

In Canada you have to take a formal program to work in critical care. It's 18 weeks long and includes 15 shifts on different units. There are no requirements besides your license though recommend some acute experience. I took the program on my own and wasnt sponsored so I dont owe anyone a return service. I graduated with distinction.

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