I'm a new grad - should I accept patient advocate job?

Hi everyone,

I need some job advice. I might get a job offer to be a patient advocate. I would be working with psych patients, going to different SNFs in my county, and going to hearings. I'm a new grad and have been looking for work for 8 months now, so this job offer is really tempting to me.

I want to work as a new grad in a hospital, but I feel like it's foolish of me to keep hoping that I'll get a new grad position. People keep telling, just keep your head up, just be patient, but I'm thinking what if I never get a new grad job? There are hundreds of applicants looking for the same jobs, and more new grads will be graduating. I'm not a fresh new grad anymore and I don't have experience working in the health field. I'm scared of the uncertainty of getting a new grad job and want to take this patient advocate job because it's related to the health care and I can be happy with it.

On the other hand, I'm thinking about the limits it will put on my career path. If I take this job as a patient advocate, I will have no hands-on patient care experience and would lose all of my skills and knowledge. No hospital, clinic, or home health agency would ever hire me in the future. I am also interested in public health, so maybe if I could explore that, but other than that, I feel like my career choices would be so narrow.

So what should I take this job offer if I get it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Take the position and then maybe look for weekend or part time work that will let you get hands on experience.
In my state, the client advocates are people who are not necessarily nurses (in fact, most of them are not), but they have a lot of experience within the mental health system and are familiar with all the state/federal rules/regs and client rights and how facilities operate. I'm surprised someone who is a new grad would be considered for a position like that (unless you have a significant amount of healthcare experience in some other role), and that suggests to me that whoever is doing the hiring doesn't really care if the person hired can actually do a good job of advocating for the clients.You are also correct about starting off your career in a non-clinical position like that limiting your possibilities later on.On the other hand, It's certainly not my place to tell you you shouldn't take a job you get offered, when you've been looking for a long time. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, as they say. Wow -- tough call!I would sure like to see a new grad start out in some other kind of position than this one ... I agree that, if you do take this decision, you should continue to look for something clinical you can do "on the side" (at least). Best wishes for whatever you decide! :redpinkhe