Need Advice from Nurses!

I am a first year RN grad. I have worked almost 1O months on an ICU floor and have been so unhappy. My hours are awful and I have no life. I have wanted so badly to have a better schedule. I applied for a job at a state of the art cancer center and to my surprise I was offered the position. It's more money than I make now and I know I was chosen over other applicants. They also offered days only, no weekends, all paid holidays and 3 weeks paid vacation to start. I was pretty happy but now am having doubts. All my friends that I went to nursing school said I should stay the year and come do travel nursing. They said I will ruin my chances for other things of I don't stick it out. I am just really confused right now. Anyone out there have any thoughts? Also if I take this job they are allowing me to take 2 weeks and go with a team of doctors to Africa....But if I don't stick it out for the year I have been told it will look bad and hurt my chance for other positions. Very Confused! I really was excited about this new position and opportunity.
God, no, TAKE IT!!!!! DO IT!!! In this economy, you need to jump on that before they change their minds. Travel nursing and agency nursing contracts are getting fewer and farther between. Those benefits sound amazing, and if you are into day shift M-F, even better. I think you would be making a huge mistake to pass on that. Because for all you know, when you finish your year, you might not be able to find travel nursing and end up stuck in this current ICU position that makes you so unhappy.
Quote from Jeweles26God, no, TAKE IT!!!!! DO IT!!! In this economy, you need to jump on that before they change their minds. Travel nursing and agency nursing contracts are getting fewer and farther between. Those benefits sound amazing, and if you are into day shift M-F, even better. I think you would be making a huge mistake to pass on that. Because for all you know, when you finish your year, you might not be able to find travel nursing and end up stuck in this current ICU position that makes you so unhappy.
More money, fantastic hours, a chance to get experience for oncology RN certification, a once in a lifetime volunteer experience. What crazy juice are your classmates drinking? Why are they so fixated on travel nursing? Is that what YOU want to do?
All my friends got travel positions but I am not sure with what company. I guess I am feeling that left behind feeling. They are all excited about the prospect of exciting assignments and travel.
You are giving up opportunities for say...CRNA school if you transfer. Was that something you were interested in? What are your career goals? Hard to answer when I don't know what you want...
You also need to keep in mind that some hospitals and departments are not super friendly to travel nurses. They will take you because they need the staff, but will treat you terribly while you are there. That is not to say everywhere is the same, but one of my nursing school teachers did travel nursing and she said in some places, they would consistently, purposely give her the worst assignments, would not help her, not allow her bathroom breaks, she would rarely get lunch break, etc...You do have to look at what is important to you. Stability? A future? I mean, you talk about exciting assignments...Going to Africa with a team of doctors seems pretty exciting to me! And with travel/agency nursing, nothing is ever for sure. You might get offered a 3 month contract now, but after that is over, nothing is available. What then? Do you have the savings to support yourself if you don't get any offers right away when your previous contract expires? And I don't know about US based agencies vs Canadian ones, but 3 weeks paid vacation seems pretty unlikely given the current healthcare situation...
Go!!! It sounds like an opportunity you will kick yourself in the a.. for not taking in the years to come. It is not like there is that much difference in 10 and 12 months. It is not like it is not nursing experience. Maybe your friends like travel. Maybe you wouldn't. Who knows what will happen in the future. There is a whole world of cancer nursing and maybe THAT is your calling.
Take IT!!! YOU (not your "friends") shape YOUR nursing career!!!
Tell your friends to worry about themselves. Take the job.And I've traveled and trust me it is HARD! You get crappy assignments because you are the travel nurse and make more money. Not always but it happens quite often. And no weekends too. Tell your friends to send you a postcard. Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com
Thanks everyone I accepted the new position. My friends are going to travel nurse in California for 3 months and I wish them well. I think they think I'm crazy being so young and taking a 9 to 5 job but I was just not sure on the travel nursing and I'm excited to do this Africa trip.
CONGRATS!!!! You are in an exciting time in your career and your life!!!
Thanks a bunch! I am going to miss my friends but I didn't feel comfortable signing with a travel nurse company. We are all first year nurses and I have heard that you really need to be able to hit the ground running.