stay at nursing home or go to the hospital?

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I currently work at a LTC facility just weekends. Been there a year and just got my rn and they gave me a nice raise so now i earn 30 per hour.I interviewed for a weekend staff nurse job at a hospital thats well known. only problem is that it is on an all male pysche floor that was described as being intense and aggressive. NOT SURE IF I can handle it...my long term goal is to get my MSN and become a clinical nurse specialist or educator.should i stay at the ltc where im comfortable or go to the hospital job i may not like/

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Specializes in Cardiac, Med-Surg, ICU.
I currently work at a LTC facility just weekends. Been there a year and just got my rn and they gave me a nice raise so now i earn 30 per hour.I interviewed for a weekend staff nurse job at a hospital thats well known. only problem is that it is on an all male pysche floor that was described as being intense and aggressive. NOT SURE IF I can handle it...my long term goal is to get my MSN and become a clinical nurse specialist or educator.should i stay at the ltc where im comfortable or go to the hospital job i may not like/

Hmmm...well that depends. Are you wanting to specialize in psych nursing? If not, I do not necessarily see an advantage in leaving LTC. If you wanted critical care experience and had an opportunity to take an internship position in ICU, I would say definitely go for it. Now, you could get your MSN and become a CNS to specialize in geratrics, geri-psych, or palliative care easily with a background in LTC.

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i actually dont care much for pysche and i have a shy personality and am worried these men would sense that...i'd rather work med surg or anything else where my nursing skills wouldnt go to waste, pysche is just a different skill set.

i was just thinking that at least id be at a hospital and could transfer to med surg, etc after a year in the pysche floor if i lasted that long. hospital jobs are so hard to come by these days, but i dont want to leave a nice paying job where im comfortable for one thats not so easy and probly pays less than 30 per hour......im just trying to think in terms of long term career growth and also the hospital has great benefits including tuition assistance and on-site BSN/MSN.....BUT I JUST AM AFRAID OF AN ALL MALE AGGRESSIVE FLOOR....it's like putting dorothy from kansas inside a prison ward.....

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If your gut says don't, don't. A job where you are content is a wonderful thing. Less stress means more ability to focus on your studies. Hold out for a job that suits you better or just focus on school. good luck

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Specializes in Cardiac, Med-Surg, ICU.
i actually dont care much for pysche and i have a shy personality and am worried these men would sense that...i'd rather work med surg or anything else where my nursing skills wouldnt go to waste, pysche is just a different skill set.

i was just thinking that at least id be at a hospital and could transfer to med surg, etc after a year in the pysche floor if i lasted that long. hospital jobs are so hard to come by these days, but i dont want to leave a nice paying job where im comfortable for one thats not so easy and probly pays less than 30 per hour......im just trying to think in terms of long term career growth and also the hospital has great benefits including tuition assistance and on-site BSN/MSN.....BUT I JUST AM AFRAID OF AN ALL MALE AGGRESSIVE FLOOR....it's like putting dorothy from kansas inside a prison ward.....

My thoughts are this. As an RN you need to try to overcome this "shy personality" you refer to. Please do not take offense, because I do not know enough about you to accurately interpret exactly what you mean or the extent of this shyness. In any healthcare environment, but certainly with acutely ill patients, you must be able to advocate and this sometimes means needing to be assertive with physicians. Especially in a teaching facility where you will deal with interns and residents.

If you are not interested in psych, it would be my advice that you do not take this position, even if it is only to attempt to transfer to med-surg or any other floor. You will likely not be happy and if you have to take a pay cut, that will add to the unhappiness. Although the reality is that no matter what type of nursing you choose, you will always have "psych patients" and subject to possible violence and manipulative behaviors. LTC is certainly a mixture of psych and med-surg nursing. If anything, look for a med-surg position in this hospital or possibly a position in a long-term acute care center.

Since you already have a weekend position that you are comfortable in, it seems to me that you could attend a reputable online BSN/MSN program or find a local brick and mortar accelerated program in your area.

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Specializes in ltc,hospice.

It sounds like you know what you want to do, go with your gut. We all have to take some chances in life, however, you don't sound comfortable with the "psych position". If you stay true to yourself, you won't go wrong. Good luck!

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I have been a LPN for 2 years, working in long-term care. I love geriatrics and mostly love my job. I've got great hours and a lot of autonomy, and most importantly I love my residents. I've not yet set a date to take my NCLEX, but will be taking it for my RN in the next couple of weeks. Though I've not applied to hospitals, I'm afraid I'm making a career mistake by staying where I am, as there's so much talk of needing the classic med-surg experience. Except for some petty problems, I really love my job...and reading what I do about the state of nursing in the hospital setting isn't motivating.

My goal is the become a geriatric nurse practitioner, so I am also continuing on with school. Nursing is becoming so competitive, though, so I feel the need to step out of my comfort zone...trust me, I understand your dilemma.

As for advice, as a new RN you're going to want to set yourself up for success as much as possible because you want good experience as well as references for the future. Good experiences and references in a so-so setting (experience-wise) is probably better than being in a job that doesn't suit you-even if it is in a hospital setting.

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Specializes in LTC, Med-Surge, Ortho.
i actually dont care much for pysche and i have a shy personality and am worried these men would sense that...i'd rather work med surg or anything else where my nursing skills wouldnt go to waste, pysche is just a different skill set.

i was just thinking that at least id be at a hospital and could transfer to med surg, etc after a year in the pysche floor if i lasted that long. hospital jobs are so hard to come by these days, but i dont want to leave a nice paying job where im comfortable for one thats not so easy and probly pays less than 30 per hour......im just trying to think in terms of long term career growth and also the hospital has great benefits including tuition assistance and on-site BSN/MSN.....BUT I JUST AM AFRAID OF AN ALL MALE AGGRESSIVE FLOOR....it's like putting dorothy from kansas inside a prison ward.....

Make your decision very carefully, because the hospital is a whole new different pace and setting compared to LTC, not to mention a decrease in pay.:nurse:

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