What job offer to take?

Hello fabulous nurses, I am in need of some career advice. I am a new grad and have some options for employment. A little background- I am young, a quick learner, very adaptable. My goal is to go back to grad school for my NP in two years. I do not have a preference of what area of nursing I'd like to work, I can do whatever I need to do. I'm struggling deciding what job offer to take:

1) Telemetry days $21.49, nights $25, pt load 4-5, large nonprofit hospital
2) med/surg nights $25, pt load 4-5, large nonprofit hospital
3) ICU nights $28, pt load 2, small for-profit hospital

If I only cared about money, I would take ICU. I do not have kids, have no debt, so while money is nice, it is not everything. This position is in a small for-profit hospital. There are not many options if something does not work out. It is a one-floor hospital and the only other unit is med/surg. Telemetry days is attractive because, well, working days is nice, but with the least pay. As for tele or med/surg nights, those are also good options because it is slower paced with decent pay. I really love the large nonprofit hospital because there are so many options and it is a top-notch hospital. I also want to think about the skills that would help me in grad school. Which unit would be a good option for a future FNP?

If it were you, what job offer would you take and why? Last edit by tokyoROSE on Mar 12, '12
I think you left out some important details. How long is the orientation for each floor? How is the reputation for each hospital among other nurses that work there? Do you know any that work at these places? Are they staffed properly? How are the benefits? Less money might pan out if the benefits are better or less expesive, or if you can earn more pto. Do any of these floors have multiple position posted and lots of turnover?

Just based on what you gave us, I would take tele dayshift at larger hospital. If your plans are to return to grad school soon, then you probably will have more options with the larger hospital. While there are many who love nights, most of us don't function nearly as well on nights as on days.It will be easier to have a flexible schedule if you work days as well. I have taken 0800 classes after working a 12 hour night shift, and it is no piece of cake for sure!It's great that you have so many options. Don't take that lightly, especially in this economic climate.I do agree though that you need to investigate each area for turnover, length of orientation, etc. You should get a lot of good experience on tele that will prepare you for whatever you decide to do in the future. I started off as a new grad night shift in a small ICU and would not recommend it. Nights at a small facility does not offer the back up resources you will need as a new grad, and while you may luck out, it can really be scary out there running a code or other emergency without proper resources.Good luck with whatever you choose.

My apologies. The orientation for all three positions are around 6-8 weeks. The large, non-profit hospital has an excellent reputation and is one of the largest employers of my state. I also volunteer there and it is wonderful. As for the small for-profit hospital, it is quite new, and I do not know much about it. I know two people that work there, one is my former classmate who just started, one is my former clinical instructor. I will have to shoot her an email and inquire about how she likes it there, staffing, etc. although I'm afraid she may be biased. I have not received the benefits package for the small for-profit hospital but the large nonprofit has excellent benefits, lots of PTO. All three floors have one or two open positions currently. Turnover, I'm not sure.On another note, I was also given the option of med/surg nights at the for-profit hospital, paying $26/hr. Pt load is 5-6. I crossed that off my list pretty fast but just wanted to put that out there. The supervisor would really like to put me in ICU because she seems confident I would do well (she knows a couple of my references personally, that was her conclusion after speaking to them about my skills and abilities).

I would go with the telemetry position. Big hospitals offer more chances to move up the ladder, they may even help you with tuition for grad school. Besides, if you already volunteer there and like it, it seems like a safer bet in terms of liking your job. Best of luck to you!

Thank you peaches88. I will have to ask HR about tuition for grad school. However, would chances to move up the ladder in two years (and I am very very firm on that date) be that important when I am headed to grad school?

Big hospital for sure -- more options for moving to other units, probably a wider diversity of types of illnesses that you'll see -- and you've already volunteered there and know and like the place. I'd probably go for telemetry over med/surg, but I don't think that matters much with respect to your future plans. Day shift because you'll be dealing with other types of health care professionals more than you do on nights -- doctors (they're around at night too, of course, but there's more of them and you interact with them more on days), physical therapists, occupational therapists. That's what I'd choose, but you really can't go wrong with any of your choices.Good luck!

I'd take tele or med/surg. ICU is a tough place for new grads to start off in...not that you'd automatically be doomed to failure, but it's a steep learning curve. Plus you're familiar with the other facility and it sounds like it could have more options for you.Best of luck whatever you decide!

Dixielee, yes I am so very blessed. It is a tough world out there. Two weeks ago, I was depressed and panicking that I have had only one job interview since graduating in December (although to be fair, I've only had my license since mid February). I read a post on here about how a job seeker did some creative things to score her dream job. I followed her instructions and in one day, I got FOUR interviews. It has been such a fun ride. As soon as I finalize my employment options, I will share my experiences because it will help others looking for jobs. In the mean time, this is the post that changed my life!http://allnurses.com/success-stories...ob-532817.html

Congrats on three job offers!!!!

Thank you everyone. I am now leaning towards days on tele at the large hospital. The ICU pays great but putting everything in perspective, money isn't everything. Gotta look at the big picture.

Well, they would probably be more likely to hire you as a NP if you worked there before...

Congrats on your job offers! I started in the ICU as a new nurse (with some nursing experience, but little that was actually applicable), and I'm doing well, and so are the other new grads on my unit. We were given a good orientation, though. I also studied during my orientation, as well. Sounds like you're motivated, as well. If it's a small ICU, I'm not sure how much you'd see. They probably ship out the really acute cases, but you would still learn a lot, especially with how to be resourceful since you'll probably only have a hospitalist at night and not all of the specialized surgeons/docs that the teaching hospitals have (I work in a teaching hospital). So, point being, you'd still learn a lot there.It really just depends what you want. Do you prefer the smaller feeling of the community hospital or the large teaching hospital? A teaching hospital is for me since I love all of the educational opportunities available, etc. Best of luck with your decision! If your goal isn't to become an ICU nurse or acute NP, then I would take one of the other positions. If you really don't know what you want, then the large hospital is best as you can transfer to other units after a year or 2 if you decide to postpone the NP training or decide that you want to be a peds or women's health NP or something.