Fairly new RN with Medical Assistant interview

I've become really anxious about this decision. For those of you unfamiliar with my situation..I am a fairly new RN. It's coming up on one year since I graduated. I've had my license since Nov '10 after passing first time, and I've been job hunting for four months now. In my original post, I didn't mention that the job is 11 hours away in another state. It's with the Dept. of the Army, in the emergency room, and the pay will range from 27k-36k (GS-4). I'm sure I will be given the lowest wage (27K)? And that's not a whole lot to support myself and my 2 younguns with. Who's to say I'll be offered more just because they see I'm also an RN? My kids' medical and dental will be covered under their father's insurance, but I don't know a whole lot about the area in order to find a good neighborhood and housing for me and my kids,etc. and I don't know anyone in the area either. If I went on the interview, I decided that driving would be alot cheaper and less stressful than taking a plane, renting a car, and getting lodging,etc. What if I waste money and time to actually go to this interview and isn't offered the job? If I were offered the job, I wonder how long would they give me to relocate? What if a position of RN in that hospital never becomes available for a while, and when it does, who will want to hire me since I still won't have RN experience? My biggest fear is that I will get stuck in a Medical Assistant position and miss out on opportunities to finally get an RN position here or wherever I decided to relocate to. There are several positions of RN which I qualify for that I'm applying for today that I could possibly get....I just don't want to miss out on an RN position after working my butt off just to get an ADN degree. I'm about to start back to school to pursue my BSN all online in two weeks. I don't know what to do about this..the interview is on Monday. Not alot of time left to prepare for it all. I appreciate the advice from the writers who have replied so far. I certainly understand the advice about taking a step back in order to move forward, but I'm sure if I can take that risk and risk being stuck behind. Would I be setting myself up to become stuck?..I welcome all the advice I can get. I've never had such a decision to make. THANKS for all the insights well in advance.
Wow girl!! those are a ton of "what ifs" what if this, or what if that?? I know I can't live my life that way. God has presented an opportunity for you here for an interview. Who know's what may come of that, or who you may meet. Nursing is all about networking. It's who you know, or how well you shmooze someone to make them think you know them. Go on the interview, and TAKE IT FROM THERE. Don't worry about the what ifs...yet. After the interview, pray that God uses you how He sees fit, and VOILA! Things will come together nicely. IF you are offered the job that's 11 hours away, you could always ask the people that interview, and then hire you, their oppinions...they obviously like you

I think moving for a payrate of $27k is risky - can you live in this new area on that pay?I live in a fairly low cost of living area and that would be below the poverty limit for me. Have you considered an MA position in the area where you live now?Other option?Leave your kids with your husband and then you won't have the expenses associated and you can also check out the area to see if its feasible to even move there?

i say go for the interview. if you don't get the job then at least you got to practice the interview process and you can use that to your advantange for the next one. if you do get the job, you are not stuck. number 1, you're getting experience in the medical field. it may not be rn experience, but it is some. plus employers are much more willing to hire someone who is already employed versus an unemployed worker.like the other poster said, use this as a networking experience. you'll be exposed to lots of people in the medical field and that can open up a lot of new doors for you. plus, you can always keep applying other places and take an rn job when it comes along. also being with the dept. of army will look amazing on a resume so will working in the emergency department.i know the pay doesn't sound that wonderful, but i do believe you will get great benifits. the rest of your questions like pay and relocation time is something they can answer for you when you're offered the job.good luck!

If you already knew that non-nursing experience would not help you find a RN job, then what would you apply for the MA position in the first place? Stop wondering "what if", be a little more patient, and keep applying. You will get a job! Good luck!

I personLly wouldn't do it. 27k is not enough to move my whole family to a place that they have no idea what is like. I say keep applying in places that are affordable to you in case you have an interview. Having a family changes everything.Good luck!Ps: have you tried to work as anything in a hospital in your area? How about nursing homes? Agencies? There must be something for you to do.

You may also want to look into the nurse practice act in the area. If you are an RN, you may be held to RN standard of care even if you are employed as a medical assistant-- this could be a problem in many ways. I would find out whether the employer knows that you are an RN and if so if they have a definite plan to employ you to your licensure. They can't hire you as an MA and then give you RN work to do, either.

I believe in making lists:Cons: *2-3 days and $$$$ out of pocket to interview, plus childcare, while you're gone.*No guarantee of a job*Potential move into an area where your potential earnings could be less than poverty level (as per TraumaRus's guess)*Potential job working below your license while potentially being heldto your RN license*No guarantee of RN position*Uprooting children, presumably from fatherPros: *Potential MA job

I feel the need to add this to the comments others wrote: can you do everything a medical assistant is expected to do? I think it's risky to take the job, and personally wouldn't do it, for all the reasons roser wrote, above. I also wouldn't drive 11 hours for an interview for a job I wasn't gung-ho about. That's expensive and stressful for little payback.

I am curious how you described your education in the application that got you the interview in the first place. From what you wrote, it doesn't appear that you have been completely honest: "... Who's to say I'll be offered more just because they see I'm also an RN? ..." Are you in fact a medical assistant? - CMA or RMA?

I would save the money this interview will cost you and continue to look locally. If you are desperate enough to move 11 hours away for an MA job, look locally for retail or food service jobs that you can work around a job hunt schedule. Make use of your school's career center to look over your resume and cover letter and interview technique. Apply to your state's department of health: I "scored" super low on my state's application score because I had no experience and they use degree and experience instead of a civil service exam for nurses and I've still gotten two calls for interviews for part time positions. Contact your clinical professors and ask if they have any leads. Volunteer as a nurse with the Red Cross to network and put some kind of nursing experience on your resume. Keep applying everywhere and following up on your applications. 4 months is a long time to job hunt when you have expenses you're not meeting, but in this economy it's really not THAT long. If things are truly grim, if your kids are going to be hungry, march yourself down to the local welfare office and apply for everything you qualify for.

you could work retail for that amount of pay and continue looking where you are...it take ppl on average 6 months to one year to get a job in this economy where i live so be patient and dont uproot your family for such low pay, I would no waist money going on the interview either.

THANKS everyone for all the insights. I ultimately called back and declined the interview. There were just too many cons and they certainly outweighed the pros. I'll just have to keep on applying everywhere and anywhere for RN positions. @Maikranz: Yes, I am a certified Medical Assistant (RMA) as well. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions, especially since I still have a job to get, and when I do, I'm sure I'll have many more questions and opinions to ask for.