Which would you choose?

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  1. Which would you choose?

    • 13
      School Nurse (LPN)
    • 8
      Plastic Surgery Clinic Nurse

21 members have participated

School nurse, summer's off, pension, decent pay, close to home, low stress

or

A solo nursing position for a plastic surgeon, long drive, no benefits, crazy busy, but great pay and experience?

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I would take the one that provides the best for your family. I am sad to see that working in a doctor's office offers you no benefits. That's a shame.

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It is with an independent surgeon, and I would be his only employee, so that is why no benefits. I would get minimal sick, vacation and holiday pay, but no medical or retirement until his practice grows. I would do everything from nursing to insurance, scheduling and check in.With the school I would get 14 vacation days, 9 holidays, 9 sick days, pension plus 403b, paid medical and dental. The salary would come out about the same for either place, but the school is 12 minutes one way and the clinic is just over an hour.Both positions are hard to come by, and both have their pros and cons. I just don't know what to do.

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I would jump all over the school job.. if the money is the same and commute is shorter and you get benefits...I say go for it.. The surgeon office sounds good, but you will do a lot of front office work and I am not sure if that is what you are looking for.

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If the pay is the same, I would go for the school because you will be getting benefits. How much longer are you planning on working? And will you want to be a school nurse long term?

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I have quite a few years yet to work and I tend to stay at my jobs awhile. I do have insurance through my husband, but it would be nice to have double coverage and retirement savings if I went with the school. I do enjoy kids, but it's hard to say if I would stay in it long term or not. On the flip side I have strong interests in plastics with additional training in aesthetics, but adding 2 hours and 45 minutes a day in drive time for a job is what scares me, especially in the winter. I know it would be good experience and as the practice grows, maybe I could do more in the aesthetic area down the road when/if these services are offered there.Both positions are so different, and that is what is making this so hard. I just happened to have connections at both places and that is how I ended up in this predicament.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.

I think I would go with the school job, b/c Pediatrics is awesome & one of my favorite areas lol. Plus the job sounds like it comes with a lot of stability. However,the downside to school nursing is that you're pretty much the only person in the building when it comes to healthcare..and that is why I've been leery to take a school nurse position :uhoh21:

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School nursing. The commute with the other job isn't ideal.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

From how you talk about the situation, seems your choice has already been decided ^_^

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Specializes in retired LTC.
I think I would go with the school job, b/c Pediatrics is awesome & one of my favorite areas lol. Plus the job sounds like it comes with a lot of stability. However,the downside to school nursing is that you're pretty much the only person in the building when it comes to healthcare..and that is why I've been leery to take a school nurse position :uhoh21:
This is what I see as the downside to the plastics position--- you'll never, ever REALLY be able to take a day off for anything without causing a BIG BIG problem for the MD. Is he going to run the office by himself? Think about it --- how will any absence be covered??? Emergencies for both of you can come up and what happens if he's out for something? Will he close the office for that time and how will you be compensated?? And it takes a while for a successful practice to grow, so your long range goals may take much longer than you ever hope to realize. I wouldn't do it.

The school position has so many positives - bottom line is it would provide you financial stability and a lifestyle. Very, very desirous in these unstable times. And schools don't go out of business, new private practice ventures do.

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Thank you everyone for your insight. I am leaning towards the school position now. The hours and salary are guaranteed, where the other could vary, and that seems risky. I think the stress of the long and unpredictable commute along with being solely responsible for keeping the office running smoothly, and not being able to easily take time off, is a concern. I hate to pass up the opportunity because I may never get another chance in this specialty, but like the first post said, I need to do what's best for my family.Thanks again.

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