Torn on what is best...

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Hello,

I became a licensed RN in the state of Michigan in August. I only have my associates at the moment but in January I start classes to finish my BSN. I went on my first interview this week at a long-term care facility. The interview went really well and it was a very nice, clean facility. When I went to leave, the DON said she would like to offer me a position but had to wait until Monday after some moving happened with a few of the established employees.

What I am torn about is to take the job or not:

It is my first interview I have had since starting applications in August. Long-term care was something I personally never had a true interest in and thought it would be my last resort. It is the only offer I have had though, and its starting to look very discouraging. I need to move to that area by January at the latest for school but also need to be making enough (my job now just gets me by) to pay for tuition by December and rent.

My true passion is Oncology and where I hope to end up is in a hospital working on an Oncology Unit. I know that is unrealistic for my first job but would like something that helps me to get to my dream job. I am afraid if I take this offer I will not be happy at all and I have heard that most hospitals don't value long-term care experience as highly as previous hospital experience.

What makes me scared of not taking it is the fact that I have applied to countless positions in that area (a very large area) and the smaller surrounding communities and have be turned down, had the position fill internally, or the position closed for one reason or another. I had my resume and cover letter looked over by a main nursing recruiter in the area I live now, and she helped me make it the best we could. I do think not living in the area I am searching in is hindering my chances a little but I state very clearly in my cover letter I will be moving by a specific date and am able to move within a weeks notice if needed sooner.

I am torn and looking for any information anyone can offer me, maybe someone who has been in this position or someone who has worked in long-term care and transitioned to a hospital job after. It would be greatly appreciated.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Telemetry, Med-Surg.

If you don't think it will make you happy, then don't take it. I had a recent offer that paid $5/hour more than my current position, but I knew I'd be miserable in that facility, so I didn't accept it. Nursing is hard, and if you're not happy in your position, that makes it a lot harder. Also, I will say that I don't think LTC nurses are less valued; they just have a different skill set. I got my start in LTC and it taught me how to prioritize care and juggle multiple tasks. I spent a year and a half in the hospital, then returned to LTC. I enjoy it. Landing your "dream job" right out of school is a rarity. Your best bet - if you don't get an oncology offer right away - is to start on med-surg or tele or something else, then transfer to oncology when the opportunity arises. Best of luck to you!

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Thank you for your input. As I said I know that my dream job is pretty much not going to be my first position but would like something that gives me an easier in to my dream position. I just am very scared if I don't take this position I will be left scrambling to move with no job and no money in the bank. But like I said on the other side of things I am scared to take it and be miserable. I have a lot of soul searching to do. Thank you.

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Specializes in public health.

Take the offer. It's much easier to find a job that you like when you have a job.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Would it be possible to use a local mailing address & obtain a new cell phone # with the area code for the location you are moving to? This would eliminate the possibility of having your application/resume tossed aside in favor of someone local. If you are contacted for an interview, you would be able to schedule it to accommodate for travel.

Just a point of clarification - It's not that hospitals do not "value" LTC experience, but acute care is a completely different environment, so LTC does not count as hospital experience -- just as clinic experience would not be very relevant to Home Care.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

You said you would have considered taking this type of a job as a "last resort". From the things you outline in your post (no other job offers, tuition coming due, the need to move), it sounds like this is what a "last resort" looks like.

Take the job. Then keep looking. Even this experience as a nurse will count more toward getting you your "dream" job than working outside of nursing will.

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I'd take the job. You are doing your BSN anyway, which means that once you finish, you will be a new grad all over again. But a new grad with experience. Some hospitals don't care for LTC work (which is stupid because those nursing work HARD) where others take LTC nurses because they recognise how hard the work is. It depends on where you go. And I took an LTC job even though it was the last place I wanted to be (REALLY didn't like geriatrics and alzheimer pts in nursing school) but found out that I really liked working with the demographic. The only thing I didn't like about LTC was that with the extreamly high PT to nurse ratio, I really didn't get to spend more time with my patients other than their med pass. The rest was paper work and it was hard to get it all done in my shift. Many times I clocked out and then went right back to work. Almost all my coworkers did that because over time was a no-no. That was the biggest downside. But I fell in love with the patients and missed them terribly when I left. I remember one Portuguese lady who always gave me "Va-va" kisses. I made sure at every shift to get my Va-va kiss.

You can always look for jobs while you have a job. Better to have a job than not. And don't discount the experience. It is worth a lot more than you think.

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I agree with you that there are certain places in the hospital that really sound awful to work in. That'd be any med surg for me, I just hate it. Long term, I would never consider working in a unit I knew I would be unhappy in. That being said, sometimes the only way into the department you DO want is to get a foot in the door elsewhere in the hospital. I knew I wanted to work in the emergency department, but fresh out of school this wasn't an option. I settled for an awful job in the resource pool for a few months while I waited for an opening in my dream department to come up. It may have been a sucky job for a while, but I still learned from it and it made me that much better when I did get a job in the ED a few months later. Take the job. Getting the experience in better than sitting stagnant while you wait.

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