Which offer do I keep

Congrats on having multiple offers… it doesn't happen to all of us. My advice would be to discuss this with your family. I think it would be great for you to pursue your dream job but you will need family support.

Hey OP I'm right near you! First congrats because getting a job offer around here sucks so much! Aside from pay I would consider the hospital you are working for. If its not an ER that's known to be great with good staff I wouldn't take it. I have a friend who took a ER position in Riverside as a new grad and she says the Docs there are miserable to work with it. It was also her dream job. The Docs at my hospital in the ER are fabulous. I would also consider new grad programs, which one is going to to transition you the best? I got a lot education, time in orientation and support at my hospital and my friend only got 8 weeks and no extra education.

Having been an LVN in the ER I personally wouldn't do it unless it was known to be an amazing program with lots of support in an excellent in ER. Your dream job can quickly turn into a nightmare when it doesn't work for whatever reason. Also, you don't have to stay in the oncology position forever, you can get some experience and transition.

Good luck, I'm sure that is a really hard choice

Boy, tough choice. Myself I'd opt for the oncology position, better pay plus better benefits in the form of paid insurance..that's a huge benefit, especially since you have a family. But if ER is really what you want that makes it hard. Discuss this with your significant other before deciding. The paid insurance might just be too good to pass up.

I would take the commute into consideration as well. Two hours round trip adds up and can throw your work/life balance off big time. Throw an accident into the mix and that hour each way can increase substantially. Definitely a tough choice for sure, considering your goal is ER. I wish you luck with your decision and Congrats on two offers!

When faced with a difficult decision I often reflect on what is going to make me happy/be ideal now and ALSO where will this decision put me in 1, 3, 5 years?

Sometimes a "sacrifice" now leads to "rewards" later. Especially in terms of nursing experience and finding new opportunities.

Also if you lack passion/interest in a given specialty you won't be happy.

I learned the hard way (twice actually) that better pay is NOT worth my happiness. Look carefully at your family budget.

This decision is difficult, I've been there. Money pays bills but happiness cannot be bought. My daughter needs a happy mom and my husband a happy wife.

Are these both full-time positions? What is the call-off policy if census is low? What are the shifts? What was your "feel" of the units, managers, people? How is traffic for each commute?

I'm a fan of following your long-term goal, and if ED is it, and you are able to take that step, it may be worth the other short-term sacrifices (provided you have the support at home). But look at ALL of the other elements as well.

Congrats on the two offers!

Thanks for all the feedback. Both are full time postions, one is union so no call off's in that postion. The er job comes to about $12000/yr less and medical is $300 a month for the family, plus all medical appts would have to be done at the hospital which is an hour away from my house. It's such a tough choice, I really liked the director at the er! I wish I could combine the two offers.

WOW! $12k is no joke. That come out to about a $6/hr raise, which some nurses work many years to attain.

Still - ask yourself where you want to be in five years. Does ED get you there, or Onc? Have you talked to your family/partner about this?

Thanks for all the replys! In the end I chose ED. My end goal is to be a trauma NP, so I decided money can't be the biggest factor. Thanks for all the advice