Turning down a position - ok to email?

[sweetER]

I recently had an L&D interview (I am a new grad) and was given the opportunity to shadow on the unit after the interview. The staff was incredibly nice, and I loved the floor and the unit and was very excited about the position. However, the more I thought about it after, the more I realized I actually did want some time caring for a larger, more diverse kind of patients before I specialized. I've been very torn about it, because I am excited to get a job offer, but I know I would regret it a little if I didn't work med-surg first to gain experience in that population first. So, the nurse manager called me yesterday and I was sleeping (I work as a tech night shift) and she was gone by the time I could call her back. I planned on calling her when I woke up today, but she was already gone again, but she also emailed me today to offer me the position. My question is this, is it ok (polite, professional) to email her to turn down the position? Or do I need to call early tomorrow to do so? Thanks for your help.

[SnowStar4]

I would call, but that's just me. Sometimes when I make a call like that I call in the evening when I know the person is not there so that I can leave a voicemail.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I would take the job. You can always get into Med-surg, but it is very hard to get into L&D. Get your L&D specialty chops and then you can pick up Medsurg. Otherwise you may never get the chance again......

Just a thought!

I think e-mail is fine though if you are going to turn it down. Make it a super nice e-mail and follow up with a thank you card.

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

I personally would call because I think it is more professional. You never want to burn any bridges.

[systoly]

I believe, by today's standards it's acceptable, however, my suggestion is to see the manager in person, tell how wonderful you think the staff is and explain your reason for declining the position. I believe you' d make a very positive and memorable impression.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

I agree with Crunch, you can always get a med/surg job but you can't always get an LD job. Besides, birthing babies is the coolest thing ever.

[Mulan]

Have you also been offered a med-surg position?

You might want to think again.

I would take the L & D job.

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

I would take the job. You will gain much more experience there then in med/surg IMO. I believe you might be a unsure of yourself.

The DON has faith in you. In any specialized field you will be doing many of the same things they do in med/surg but with a special focus. They're not going to let you lose on the floor without being sure you can handle. I say go for it.

In the end if you don't take it you need to let her know as soon as possible which ever route that is. People can play phone tag forever; an email with a follow up phone call is the sure thing.

[caliotter3]

If I were you I would accept this position, unless you have also been offered the position you are seeking. You might turn down the only job offer you get for the near future.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Actually, working in L&D IMO is a great place to start. I started off in L&D when I got my NAII cert while in nursing school. You do a lot of the same things you would on a med surg floor, because you are giving meds (although not a great deal of them), you are calculating drips (like Pit), you are doing dressing changes for new moms who are not stable enough to move to the floor, you are triaging, taking vitals often, putting in orders, and if the unit has ORs, you can learn how to scrub and circulate. You also learn valuable assessment skills. Granted, it was 13 years ago that I worked in L&D, so things may have changed. It really is a great place to work. You should perhaps reconsider. Just my two cents...

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

I would call because you can better communicate that you are really interested in the position and loved the department but decided you wanted a broader experience before specializing.

But....have you thought about taking the job and then after a little bit looking for a per diem med surg job to use more general skills? As others have pointed out, getting L&D jobs is a hard thing to do, but you could probably add on cross training to med surg after working in the L&D department.

[sweetER]

Yes, I do have an offer for med-surg. There's a few other things I considered as well. The m/s one is also about twenty minutes closer to home.