Out of my circle of friends from school, only one gets my theory, but I'm really praying I am making the right choice.
There is so much pressure to take the first job you get offered because the job market as a new grad RN, even with a BSN & PHN, is fucking tough. You submit the resume and letters of recommendation along with thousands of other new grads, with that number growing every few months, in hopes of at least landing one interview so they can put a face to the name and, if nothing else, remember you for another position. Trying to stand out in the sea of other eager, new graduates is something proving to be more challenging than expected.
My job submission list is reaching close to 50 at this point, with one interview, two rejection letters, and no offers. About every other day, the career services center at my school sends a mass email for possible job opportunities, and off we go, all of us, once again, applying for the same positions along with the rest of the entire community of new grads, and at this point, most of us don't expect even a letter of rejection. Of course, any job sounds good right about now, or at least that's what everyone tells me. I had been ignoring the emails from the career services department regarding skilled nursing facilities because I hear complete horror stories, but after feeling frustrated in Hawaii, I decided to put in my resume for the next SNF opening.
As luck would have it, the nursing manager emailed me with a scheduled interview time. I saw it and immediately thought well, shit. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to at least hear back from a possible job, but deep down I don't feel that I should just take what I can get, like everyone tells me. From the stories I hear about SNF's, they are underpaid, required to work insane hours beyond their contracts, and their nurse to patient ratio is borderline dangerous. As a new grad nurse, I want to be challenged, but damn I also want to keep my license too. To be perfectly honest, I don't even want to interview for this position because I feel I might be tempted to take it, and I don't know if it's a risk I should be taking.
I would be opening up a new facility, so I don't even have much to go on as far as day to day operations as of now. I assume I will have to manage a team of LVN's and CNA's, which would be great as far as teamwork and delegation on my resume for future opportunities, but am I ready for that? I feel like I would need training much longer than I might be offered. Or I could just take the position if it was offered to me, increase my malpractice insurance, and tough it out...
I don't know. I feel like I need to listen to my gut instinct on this one. I know a hospital RN position would be best for me, so why should I settle? Or even put patients in danger when I don't know if I would be ready? I know what I'm worth, and not for nothing but I know what my degree is worth, and I didn't bust my ass stripping through school to pay off a $127K tuition and end up at a SNF feeling untrained & underpaid. Maybe if I was younger and I had time to waste, but I feel like my first job is crucial. I mean, what if I couldn't even get into a med/surg position after the SNF experience? And since the OR is my ultimate goal, I know I still need acute experience for that.. will reputable hospitals even count a SNF as acute experience? And if I start my master's program by the summer for my NP, I will have to disclose that looking for another RN position at a hospital, and hospitals don't want a master's student, only a graduate.
UGH.
My head hurts just thinking about it. I wish I knew the right choice to make. Or maybe my thinking is so way off and I should just take a SNF position. This is where having parents would be really great. Also, a way to look into the future would be nice.
In any case, I'm going to go to the interview. If nothing else, I can practice answering disease process questions and medication recommendation scenarios.
It can't hurt, right?
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