Thursday, October 28, 2010

So much for leverage or decisions

** Note: I’ve changed the name of Hospital A to Hospital F and Hospital B to Hospital E. If you’re a local you’ll understand why and it will hopefully be less confusing.

I just talked to the nursing director at Hospital E and they have no full-time permanent positions to offer. They do have positions in ICU but they don't hire new grads (but I'm not interested in ICU anyway). I'm frustrated and sad that I don't have more options. I mean, Hospital F’s offer looks promising, but I was really hoping I would have options AND leverage when I graduated. I DO have lots of options... just not in my city. I'm also especially frustrated because I'm doing my preceptorship at Hospital E, with no apparent chance of a job there. Had I known I didn't have that option I would have chosen the Hospital F for my preceptorship. It means doing a month at the Hospital E, learning the ins and outs of the department and then having to start all over again when I start at Hospital F in January.

She said she could meet with me near the end of November and when I told her I already had an offer from Hospital F so I would like to meet earlier, she said I should take the offer from Hospital F because she wouldn't be able to make me an offer anyway. How is this even possible in the midst of a national nursing shortage?! Is it silly that I'm so upset over this?

For the last few months our professors keep telling us: choose wisely because your first year is crucial. Choose a hospital that offers lots of support for new grads and Hospital E has a better reputation in this department than Hospital F. Now it seems it’s not even a choice.

I’m being over dramatic, right?

1 comment:

Our Life With Two Boys said...

i've been thinking about this lots and how to respond without being all "nurses eat their young"...

has it been common in your area for the hospitals to really "out do" each other with offers? because, in 10 years of nursing in 3 different provinces, that has never been my experience... the signing bonuses (when they're being offered) and the jobs have always been comparable... it's hard to get real leverage in a unionized environment...

also, while it's nice to get into the area or hospital you want right off the bat, the fact of the matter is, it doesn't always happen... even when they're "crying" for more nurses... personally, i wouldn't think twice about doing my preceptorship in one hospital and then working in another... if the preceptorship goes well, you've got an in if a line ever opens up... but sometimes moving from a student to a co-worker isn't an easy transition to make when you were a student one day and a co-worker the next... i've seen many new nurses struggle with the dynamics of the switch... in the end, it's more experience and exposure and you'll be better for it...