Which unit to work on as new grad?

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 27, 2010

IMO if you have an offer in the OR, take it, even if it isn't your first choice. Personally I'd prefer to start in med-surg because it's a good foundation for all areas of nursing, but I'll take whatever I can get. Somebody talked to me about an L& D position and I'll take it if I get an actual offer, even though L&D isn't my first choice.

freeflowchi · Dec 28, 2010

Take any job you can get...

popgoesweasy · Dec 29, 2010

Ditto to previous people. Take it!!

RadBSN · Dec 31, 2010

I would actually advise you against taking the OR position, especially if it isn't your first choice. The drop out rate for our new grad OR program is 50%. I know people in it who hate it and one friend dropped out she was so miserable.

I would find out more. For example, how long do you have to make the decision to actually commit to the OR? My friend had to decide after 12 weeks. What kind of support will you have if you decide not to continue? Will they help you find another new grad position? Or, will you be on your own?

Yeah, it's bad out there, but I don't think it's THAT bad. I graduated earlier this month and was just offered a position. It's not my first choice, but it's on a good floor with good people. The majority of my class either has a job or are getting offers.

opossum · Jan 1, 2011

If you were offered the position, for the love of all that is good in the universe, TAKE IT. It's a terrible time to graduate from nursing school, and if you have this opportunity, I think you should pounce on it. Remember, you can always leave if it truly is not a place you can tolerate. You should always be looking for other opportunities but in the meantime, you'll have a job and gain some experience, even if it's not your first choice. Take it. I graduated in June 2010 and will work in a coal mine if it meant I'd get ANY kind of nursing experience under my belt.

RadBSN, I'm not sure where you live, but where I am it's that bad for new grads. And I'm not just saying that because I still don't have a job. I think about 1/3 of my graduating class (50 people) have jobs now. You also mentioned a 50% drop out rate for new grads in the OR program? Sheesh.

RadBSN · Jan 5, 2011

It's hard for me to judge how horrible it is for new grads in my area. Yeah, it's not as good as it used to be, people aren't getting job offers before they graduate, but they're getting jobs. I think pretty much everyone in the May graduating class has jobs and at least one-third of the December class does. I think hospitals are a lot slower than they used to be.

Personally, I wouldn't take an OR job based on my friend's experience there. The surgeons yelled at her, she got stuck in her first month on the job, she felt like she wasn't doing any actual care of patients or what she was trained to actually do in nursing school. She was lucky enough that after she left they worked with her to place her in a new position.

Ilovethe80s · Jan 7, 2011

Thanks for the info. I am actually fortunate enough to be in a new grad orientation program where I will rotate through med-surg, ortho, ob, peds and then interview for which unit I would like to work on and I may or may not get the place I would like. I may pick med-surg or ortho so I can eventually work my way up to the ICU. I love the OR, but it's a very narrow path (for me) and I'm worried that as a new grad I may feel kind of trapped there b/c I won't have any other nursing experience for that. I'm absolutely terrified of med-surg and ortho b/c of the high patient to nurse ratio, but I know I need to get some self confidence and give it my all. Thanks again for your response!