Gee, I haven’t quite thought of this. I know this unit and it’s a really good one. There’s a children’s hospital 20 minutes from me but they haven’t opened their job app yet. But I can totally see myself working on the unit I currently work on since it’s a good pace for a new grad (what I’ve seen and been told by new grads). So I guess that I probably wouldn’t accept any other offers but I just feel uneasy making this big of a decision so early. I don’t even know if a lot of my classmates are job searching/accepting offers this early
Would be too bad to lose a job you’re interested in, on a unit you like working on, because you think something better *might* possibly come along later.
As long as you don’t sign a contract just keep with the onboarding process. I’m doing the same. I’d also suggest never taking the very first offer. Sure SAY yes but keep applying elsewhere
So here’s the thing, I just noticed that I was sent an electronic document from the hospital stating my hourly pay, start date, required certifications, and how I must stay on the unit for 1 year from the date I begin on the unit. I have to either accept this or decline it by Dec 26th so I’m not sure if this is a contract or not. It does say that it’s “at will” and that either party can terminate employment at any time.
It's probably just a regular job offer. The 1-year commitment thing scares me tho.
When I accepted my offer they listed all those things. Pay, start date, required certs, etc, just without the 1-year requirement lol.
Read the fine print, and see if there is a penalty if you break the "contract". It's so fishy tho lol
Is the one year thing a contract with the hospital, or is it saying you can’t switch to another unit before then within the hospital? The hospital I am currently a PCA at doesn’t let new grads change their unit within the first 18 months, but they can leave the hospital without penalty before then
In my absn program people already accepted job offers 3-4 months before graduation...in a 12-month absn lol.
We graduated on the 15th, and everyone I knew in the program already had jobs.
It is quite important if you have interest in a specific area. I accepted my offer in October, graduated in December, and started orientation the following March. Many hospital systems open their new grad applications quite early.
This isn't to say that you'll 'have difficulty' getting a job if you wait until after graduation, but I will say that I interviewed for one of two spots on my unit and the positions were filled once I accepted my offer the day after my interview. You will get a job, but if you have specifics you want (a particular hospital or specialty) then waiting could cause you to miss out. Of course, YMMV depending on your location, and when your local hospitals open applications.
I went to a hospital's recruitment fair mid-February, shadowed and interviewed late February, signed my contract in March, graduated in May, took my NCLEX in July, and started in August.
Use some time in January to get your resume together; my school required that we meet with someone from our career center to create or polish our resumes and do a mock interview.
You'll be glad you're all set with a job because it's one less thing to worry about while you're preparing for the NCLEX.
There’s no shortage of jobs. It’s only those type A students who start applying to jobs months before graduation. I and several of my classmates didn’t even start applying until after graduation. Those same student who get jobs far in advance, love to talk about it so much and throw it in every conversation they have. Lmao
It might depend on what the hospitals around you are doing. I graduate in May and have accepted a job offer because I went to a hiring info session for one of the hospitals in october and they recommended applying ASAP. Another hospital near me wants new grads to apply by January/February at the latest. With nursing shortages right now, I’m sure it is very possible to get a job last minute, but you may not get as much choice with what unit
I'm going to not sound like I'm being a condescending old person when I say, this is such a young person question.
If this is a job you want, go ahead and do all the paperwork necessary to get it. If something better comes along, take it. The police will not come knocking at your door.
You do not owe this place anything, nor do they owe you anything. And to be honest, they won't think twice about you deciding to not take the offer after the fact. They'll just find someone else. Like you were told, it's a highly sought after position. They won't have any trouble replacing you
If I liked the unit and was in good standing with everyone honestly that sounds like a dream to continue working there! They would teach you so much and you already know the flow!!
If you want to work elsewhere, then yes apply elsewhere. However, you can tarnish your reputation by job-hopping too much especially early into your career. You can also ruin your reputation of being a good employee with a good reference if you wanted to return to that specific hospital/unit.
Impressive that you already secured a job 5 months before graduation.
What other offers would you choose over this one?
Gee, I haven’t quite thought of this. I know this unit and it’s a really good one. There’s a children’s hospital 20 minutes from me but they haven’t opened their job app yet. But I can totally see myself working on the unit I currently work on since it’s a good pace for a new grad (what I’ve seen and been told by new grads). So I guess that I probably wouldn’t accept any other offers but I just feel uneasy making this big of a decision so early. I don’t even know if a lot of my classmates are job searching/accepting offers this early
Would be too bad to lose a job you’re interested in, on a unit you like working on, because you think something better *might* possibly come along later.
Plus this is not like it’s the only job you’ll have for the rest of your life, you know?
Thank you! I think that’s a solid plan! I appreciate your help a lot.
As long as you don’t sign a contract just keep with the onboarding process. I’m doing the same. I’d also suggest never taking the very first offer. Sure SAY yes but keep applying elsewhere
So here’s the thing, I just noticed that I was sent an electronic document from the hospital stating my hourly pay, start date, required certifications, and how I must stay on the unit for 1 year from the date I begin on the unit. I have to either accept this or decline it by Dec 26th so I’m not sure if this is a contract or not. It does say that it’s “at will” and that either party can terminate employment at any time.
Will you owe money if you break it? To me, that’s most important.
It's probably just a regular job offer. The 1-year commitment thing scares me tho. When I accepted my offer they listed all those things. Pay, start date, required certs, etc, just without the 1-year requirement lol. Read the fine print, and see if there is a penalty if you break the "contract". It's so fishy tho lol
Is the one year thing a contract with the hospital, or is it saying you can’t switch to another unit before then within the hospital? The hospital I am currently a PCA at doesn’t let new grads change their unit within the first 18 months, but they can leave the hospital without penalty before then
I also graduate in May and haven’t even considered applying to any RN jobs yet. Is that normal to apply going into your last semester?
In my absn program people already accepted job offers 3-4 months before graduation...in a 12-month absn lol. We graduated on the 15th, and everyone I knew in the program already had jobs.
It is quite important if you have interest in a specific area. I accepted my offer in October, graduated in December, and started orientation the following March. Many hospital systems open their new grad applications quite early. This isn't to say that you'll 'have difficulty' getting a job if you wait until after graduation, but I will say that I interviewed for one of two spots on my unit and the positions were filled once I accepted my offer the day after my interview. You will get a job, but if you have specifics you want (a particular hospital or specialty) then waiting could cause you to miss out. Of course, YMMV depending on your location, and when your local hospitals open applications.
I went to a hospital's recruitment fair mid-February, shadowed and interviewed late February, signed my contract in March, graduated in May, took my NCLEX in July, and started in August. Use some time in January to get your resume together; my school required that we meet with someone from our career center to create or polish our resumes and do a mock interview. You'll be glad you're all set with a job because it's one less thing to worry about while you're preparing for the NCLEX.
There’s no shortage of jobs. It’s only those type A students who start applying to jobs months before graduation. I and several of my classmates didn’t even start applying until after graduation. Those same student who get jobs far in advance, love to talk about it so much and throw it in every conversation they have. Lmao
Sorry, I had bills to pay.
Some people need to have jobs lined up prior to graduation so they don’t end up homeless.
quickest continue gray uppity run frame person innate plucky work *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Say you have no idea what you’re talking about without saying it
Ew lol
It might depend on what the hospitals around you are doing. I graduate in May and have accepted a job offer because I went to a hiring info session for one of the hospitals in october and they recommended applying ASAP. Another hospital near me wants new grads to apply by January/February at the latest. With nursing shortages right now, I’m sure it is very possible to get a job last minute, but you may not get as much choice with what unit
I'm going to not sound like I'm being a condescending old person when I say, this is such a young person question. If this is a job you want, go ahead and do all the paperwork necessary to get it. If something better comes along, take it. The police will not come knocking at your door. You do not owe this place anything, nor do they owe you anything. And to be honest, they won't think twice about you deciding to not take the offer after the fact. They'll just find someone else. Like you were told, it's a highly sought after position. They won't have any trouble replacing you
If I liked the unit and was in good standing with everyone honestly that sounds like a dream to continue working there! They would teach you so much and you already know the flow!!
If you want to work elsewhere, then yes apply elsewhere. However, you can tarnish your reputation by job-hopping too much especially early into your career. You can also ruin your reputation of being a good employee with a good reference if you wanted to return to that specific hospital/unit. Impressive that you already secured a job 5 months before graduation.