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Discussion

Started first RN job in CA, offered another position

I started my first RN position at a LTC in California several weeks ago, and then the HR department at a local hospital just offered me a position on their Med Surg unit (I interviewed there before I accepted the LTC position). I like LTC nursing, and I've been told that they'll train me for a management position over time, but I'm fine with my regular floor nurse position too as I like being able to work OT and make extra money.

I'm unsure what to do right now. Doesn't everyone want to work in a Hospital vs. Nursing Home? I actually like working with the elderly, and I think I'll be quite happy remaining in a nursing home. My other nurse friends tell me that I'll want to move on after I get my BSN (in a couple weeks), but they don't realize that I'm quite happy to remain in LTC even with a BSN. Is that strange? Do I NEED a hospital position in order to move ahead in my nursing career?

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    • Featured Replies

    Don't be too quick to leave a job that you enjoy. There's a lot to be said for working in an environment where you are respected and are able to provide quality care for your patients.

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    • Expert

    This is my 11th year of being a nurse. I have never worked a single day in an acute care hospital setting and do not plan to venture there unless it is to avoid homelessness. After all, masses of other nurses willingly line up to bust their butts at the hospital, so why would I submit to the drudgery?

    I am currently sitting at home in my robe because I work from home. My LTC/nursing home experience helped me land the nice job I presently have. To me, the acute care hospital sits on an undeserved hierarchical pedestal.

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    If you have a job you like, I would not leave because the grass is greener. Enjoy the job and build your experience. You can always change jobs when you tire of the facility/patient population/whatever.

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    • Author

    Thank you, ED_Murse, TheCommuter and OttersLoveOysters. Your advice makes a lot of sense and is along the lines of what I'd like to keep doing, but was unsure if I really "had" to have Acute experience in order to get ahead in nursing.

    TheCommuter, thanks for sharing your story. It's good to know that I could still move up in my career over time, with LTC experience

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    • Expert

    I agree with the others ... if you are happy in your current setting, consider yourself lucky and stay there.

    As for moving ahead ... it is true that staying in LTC will limit your options for moving ahead in acute care. However, it is great experience for moving ahead in the field of LTC and geriatrics. As long as geriatrics, LTC, etc. are what you want to specialize in, you're in great shape. There should be lots of opportunities in those fields in the future. You can have a good career with those as your specialty.

    But if you will want jobs in acute care in the future, then yes, you should take the new offer. The longer you stay out of acute care, the harder it will be to cross over.

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    • Author

    Thanks for your advice, llg. Right now I really have no interest in Acute, but my reason for asking that question is if that's something that one SHOULD do in order to get ahead in nursing. For example, someday when I have my MSN, could I teach if the only experience I have is in LTC?

    I think from everyone's responses, I may not have to have acute care experience. I'm hoping that future educator employers will also see it the same way. I've been in LTC for the past 16 years, first as a CNA, then as an LPN, and and now as an RN, and I still love it, and enjoy caring for the elderly. I plan to become certified in Elder Care over the next couple years, and I'm hoping that certification along with an MSN will enable me to still become a Nurse Educator over time.

    Thank you.

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