Versant or the money?

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Aloha everyone. I am in a dilemma and would like help and an opinion from anyone!. To simplify my situation, i pulled out student loans for nursing school and owe $85,000 with interest while im paying it off.

Heres my dilemma. I got accepted into two new grad programs. Heres my options:

Option 1) One is a Versant new grad program. If you heard of this, this is supposedly a prestigious training which provides a 18 week paid residency and I will receive top notch training (heres their website if you never heard of Versant: http://www.versant.org/item.asp?id=81) and from what i hear is EXCELLENT on a resume and many hospitals would take me knowing i have Versant as my foundation in training. Magnet hospitals (in california atleast) such as Stanford Hospital and John Muir use the same exact Versant program to train their new grads. However, this hospital is 4 hours away from home which means i have to pay rent/electricity/internet/living/food etc on TOP OF MY student loans. the pay is decent. And this is in the med surge floor and a 2 1/2 year contract and i would work three 12 hour shifts.

or

Option 2) My second option is at a local private hospital also on a med surge floor but who "supposedly" does not have a stellar new grad program, BUT it pays TWICE as much hourly. literally twice as much. Also this hospital is 10 minutes away form my house, which means ill continue to live at my parents house. in other words, my hourly pay will be twice as much and will not have to pay rent/electricity/internet/living/food etc and can focus on paying my student loans and enjoying my money a little bit more. I do not know what exactly makes this hospital have a "bad" new grad program, i have spoken to a few who have completed their new grad training and their doing just fine. But i heard form a number of people that the hospital isnt good because they just throw you in with minimal training its up to you to manage. this hospital is still paper charting and i hear is very old fashioned. there is no cntract. and also five 8 hour shifts

So basically..of course there are other factors but generally i see it as should i take a 50% pay cut to recieve optimal training because this is my first job and my foundation in nursing will be built using the Versant new grad training which has been used for 10+ years on their test subjects ,and includes evidence based practice in use with their training style to receive the best training possible . Or should i go for the money to pay off my student loans and recieve a decent new grad training for the same exact position/department, but close to home with family and friends and get paid double than what i would be making in bakersfield?

Please dont take it the wrong way when i say "should i go for the money" because i promise you i did not enter nursing for the money. but i have the same exact job title/position while living at home which reduces my overhead cost to help pay my student loans. that is my intent when i say im choosing option 2 for the money, its primarily based on paying off my student loans so interest doesnt keep accruing.

to tell you the truth i am leaning towards the versant new grad because i can always move to my option 2 after i gain my experience. But if i choose my otion two and go for the money, i will never have the chance to have a awesome residency training such as Versant.So please share your opinions on if versant really is as good as they seem to be, or is any new grad training good enough to for me to become the best nurse i can be.

Mahalo!

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I would go for the best training versant option, you are correct because

later on you can move to where you want to live/specialize in.

I say this because it would make you more competitive in hiring now and

in the future. I am not familiar with versant program but wishing you the

best with which ever path you choose.

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Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.

Meh...verdant ain't all that. An after your first year of experience, nobody cares what your new grad training was. Nobody.

My critical care classes were offsite for 8 weeks. I've never had a SOUL ask me about them, not in interviews, not on resumes, not in conversations....

Girl, with your debt, and this economy, go for the job with the higher pay.

These are tough times...what if you hate it there, lose your job, etc. Then you have moved and are stuck.

Again, versant is not worth that to your life. NOBODY cares about new grad training, they just want to know that you are an experienced nurse.

And I've worked at hospitals with paper charting. I loved it!

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I would go with the second option, I have heard that once you have a year of experience it doesnt matter. However, follow your heart. May I ask what the pay rates are?

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thanks everyone for your opinions. i have spoken with previous nursing professors, current nurses at both hospitals, friends and its 50/50. half say you cant put a price tag on training and the way your trainined in the begining will define how you are as a nurse...and i also heard med surge is med surge so it doesnt matter which new grad program i have. so im sitll in the middle

Option 1 is $34/hr in central california

Option 2 is $50/hr in the bay area

i know i know, option 2 sounds like a no brainer, but seriously, the hospital has a HORRIBLE reputation and a decent/not so great new grad program. Ive also been told " if you want to lose your license, work at ____(option2) hospital. ive had other current workers there tell me they hate it there and its the worst, but i also hear from other employees that the hospital is good etc. so its prolly subjective to each person. but yeah the pay difference is pretty big, so i wanted to know if Versant/ stellar training is worth a move and worth it to decline $50/hr lol

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Specializes in Cath Lab/ ICU.

What's the hospital??? I'll go there for $50!

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Specializes in ED.

$50 as a new grad at a med surg floor? Wow!

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Hi. Just wanted to know what you decided to back in 2011. did you do the program or just work? Also, can you share your experience? thanks.

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Hi. What did you decide to do? program? or job? Let me know as I am interested on what you decided. Thanks

thanks everyone for your opinions. i have spoken with previous nursing professors, current nurses at both hospitals, friends and its 50/50. half say you cant put a price tag on training and the way your trainined in the begining will define how you are as a nurse...and i also heard med surge is med surge so it doesnt matter which new grad program i have. so im sitll in the middle

Option 1 is $34/hr in central california

Option 2 is $50/hr in the bay area

i know i know, option 2 sounds like a no brainer, but seriously, the hospital has a HORRIBLE reputation and a decent/not so great new grad program. Ive also been told " if you want to lose your license, work at ____(option2) hospital. ive had other current workers there tell me they hate it there and its the worst, but i also hear from other employees that the hospital is good etc. so its prolly subjective to each person. but yeah the pay difference is pretty big, so i wanted to know if Versant/ stellar training is worth a move and worth it to decline $50/hr lol

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What did you decide?? Are you happy with your choice?

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I would also like to know what you chose! :)

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Specializes in CNA, LVN, RN.

I'm assuming she stayed in the Bay. BTW $34 in central California is more like $70 versus Bay area pay. Rent is dirt cheap in central California . San Francisco has the highest rent in the country. And $50 isn't double $34 so when you compare cost of living you're still keeping a lot of what you make in central Cali.

Since you would be living at home, I'd take option 2 because no one cares where you did your residency as long as you have experience.

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