Torn Between Two Hospitals as a New Grad

Hello! I am seeking advice. I have been working in a skilled nursing facility for about two months so I am still considered a new graduate nurse. I currently have offers from two hospitals and I am having the toughest time picking one out. Both are offering the same amount of pay. One hospital is med surg tele, and the other is for an ortho/neuro unit. I am focused on getting my first year experience. I have heard some good and some bad about both hospitals but I feel that I will never know until I feel the vibe of both units myself. I will say I have already interviewed with both unit managers, and got a great energy from both. I know tele will give me a great base of knowledge for the rest of my nursing career, but Ortho/Neuro is close to what I am already doing in Skilled/Rehab. I don't want my choice to be the wrong one. Also, both are offering 12 weeks of orientation. Moral of the story is: please help! I have written out my pros and cons list for both and I am still stuck. 

[Wuzzie]

What is your end game?

[Erica Renee]

Wuzzie said:

What is your end game?

I don't know as far as specialties, but in December I will be moving to another state (not sure where yet)

[CalicoKitty, BSN, RN]

Erica Renee said:

I don't know as far as specialties, but in December I will be moving to another state (not sure where yet)

If you are moving in december, you will not get your first year of experience.  You may have contracts and be expected to repay the hospital for the orientation as you will spend more time on orientation than actual patient care, which would be about 2 months experience.

[Wuzzie]

Erica Renee said:

I don't know as far as specialties, but in December I will be moving to another state (not sure where yet)

If these 2 hospitals are not where you are moving and they don't know your plans I would not accept a job from them. You likely will barely be out of orientation or may even still be in it when you up and leave. This will not be looked too kindly on by them and you will have to explain yourself when applying for a job in a new state. Contrary to what you've heard HR can absolutely tell prospective employers what you did and you won't be bringing anything extraordinary to the table for them to overlook it. Or you could lie about "an unexpected move" but then you'd have to live with basing your new life on a lie and the possibility that your new employer finds this out. It wouldn't speak well to your character. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe you need to sell your soul to a hospital and pledge lifelong loyalty to it but what you're planning on doing is sketchy at best and reeks of usery. The world of nursing is very small. 
I would think long and hard about what you do next. If you are moving in December you will still fall in the new grad category and may be able to get into a quality new grad residency in your new state. But I wouldn't take the risk of attempting that with this little plot in your history. It may very well backfire on you and impact your future. 
Sorry, if my words do not go down well with you.  I've been a nurse a long time and have seen what happens to young nurses who do things like this. It never ends well for them and I would be remiss to let you continue on this path without warning you of the dangers. 

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

personally, I would wait until December, you are considered a "new grad" (in most instances) for a year. I was at an ortho rehab facility for 10 months and then got a job, in a new grad residency for orthopedics. It was awesome!  I learned time management at the rehab  place and got experience with ortho as well. 

As another poster said, if you sign a new grad contract and then leave before that is fulfilled, it's not going to look good 

[TriciaJ, RN]

I agree with the above.  If you're moving in less than a year it might be more prudent to stay put for the time-being.  Your resume is going to show 2-3 months at one job and 5 months at another.  Not a good look for a new grad because it shows no solid experience in the time you've been out of school.

[Spiker, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

I agree with all of my other well-experienced colleagues.  It makes no sense to change where you work, especially if you'd barely be off Orientation.  Be smart.  Stay where you are, learn whatever else you can there;  keep up with various online journals to further expand your knowledge base.  In other words, keep learning, and when you move to the new state you can apply for a job then.

[delrionurse]

Wuzzie said:

If these 2 hospitals are not where you are moving and they don't know your plans I would not accept a job from them. You likely will barely be out of orientation or may even still be in it when you up and leave. This will not be looked too kindly on by them and you will have to explain yourself when applying for a job in a new state. Contrary to what you've heard HR can absolutely tell prospective employers what you did and you won't be bringing anything extraordinary to the table for them to overlook it. Or you could lie about "an unexpected move" but then you'd have to live with basing your new life on a lie and the possibility that your new employer finds this out. It wouldn't speak well to your character. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe you need to sell your soul to a hospital and pledge lifelong loyalty to it but what you're planning on doing is sketchy at best and reeks of usery. The world of nursing is very small. 
I would think long and hard about what you do next. If you are moving in December you will still fall in the new grad category and may be able to get into a quality new grad residency in your new state. But I wouldn't take the risk of attempting that with this little plot in your history. It may very well backfire on you and impact your future. 
Sorry, if my words do not go down well with you.  I've been a nurse a long time and have seen what happens to young nurses who do things like this. It never ends well for them and I would be remiss to let you continue on this path without warning you of the dangers. 

The OP planning the move would be disloyal. If they didn't plan the move, I.e. the hospital  gives high acuity patients, no tech, 3 admissions and a discharge within the last 30 mins of  the shift, and then leaves - how can they stay a year with a patient load like that? I know that is not the point of the OP, but sometimes you can't stay a  year due to an unexpected high acuity and unrealistic expectations.  They sugar coat patient ratios and then dump the tech's job on the nurse (somebody has to do it?), and not providing adequate support. 

[Wuzzie]

delrionurse said:

but sometimes you can't stay a  year due to an unexpected high acuity and unrealistic expectations.

See the part of my post where I stated that I don't believe one should sell their soul to a hospital. 

Look, I don't disagree with you but let's not get off topic here. 

[delrionurse]

Wuzzie said:

See the part of my post where I stated that I don't believe one should sell their soul to a hospital. 

Look, I don't disagree with you but let's not get off topic here. 

Reread my post. It addresses your last statement. 

[Wuzzie]

delrionurse said:

Reread my post. It addresses your last statement. 

Sorry, that was meant to be a general request that we (collectively) don't go off tangent but it does look like it was directed at you. Mea Culpa.