small hospital vs. large hospistal

[LizVA]

Hi everyone, I am a new grad from an ADN program (taking NCLEX soon!) and I'm currently looking for a new grad position. I have two choices - a rural 48 bed hospital at 15.50/hr or a large 500 bed hospital at 18.75/hr. I am so very torn at these choices. I am a very energized person and have goals to become a trauma nurse eventually. I want to apply the skills I know and learn as much as possible, including organization at an intense level. However, I feel starting out in a slower paced environment may be the best thing for me (the small hospital is just 10 minutes from home while the larger hospital is 45 minutes away) I want to get down my basic skills and be challenged, does anyone have any advice? or experiences they could share about starting out in a large hospital vs. small hospital????? Thank you so much

[HemoStat]

Run don't walk to the small hospital!!! If you want to get your skills down pat and learn organization, go to a smaller facility where they will have the time to mentor you!!!

At your stage of the game, it's not about the money, honey!!! Get a great (not good, great) med/surg mentor and suck up every bit of knowlege that comes your way. Get great evals and in a year or two, if you still yearn for trauma, transfer to ICU. Same deal, pick a great mentor and learn everything you can. Ask questions, volunteer for the hard assignments (what's hard at a small hospital is easy at a large one)Then transfer to an ICU at a large facility, and when you feel you are ready, go Trauma.

That's the route I took, and I NEVER regretted it!!!

Don't tell yourself "But that will take years!!!" Having a license does not a Great Nurse make.... It takes years to evolve into a great nurse - and once you do, it takes continuing education to keep yourself there. The learning never stops.

I thought I'd NEVER see graduation day, then I thought I'd NEVER pass my boards, I'd NEVER this or that, and looking back, it's been 25 years. Time flies when you are doing what you love!!!

Oh the money thing - consider gas prices, wear and tear on your car, and the fact that a 12 hour day when you work 45 minutes from home, is really, at it's shortest, a 14.5 hour day. Don't burn out before your flame is fully lit!!

Good Luck!!!

[cassioo]

right about that drive time. I work 27 miles from work which takes 30-45 minutes usually. I get up at 5 am to shower and get ready then leave the house at 6 so I can be in the parking lot about 6:45 and get changed to start at 7. I then work my 12 1/2 hours (that unpaid lunch) get off at 7:30 pm when on time and get home about 8:15 pm. I always hope to get to bed by 10 on work nights but that doesn't happen much.
I work at a 200+ bed hospital and have been there 12+ years. I have been at bigger places and offered full time at those places at the same time but this size really is good for me...but I'm traveling next year. In the long run the pay here was better then after the signon bonus when I started I more then made up for it...but 12 hours plus driving makes for a long time.

[mainelydad]

My first and only nursing job has been at a critical access hospital on the coast of Maine. 17 beds, and a 6 bay ED. I drive 45 min each way, which means after a day at work I only have time to come home, eat a bowl of cereal, brush my teeth and hit the sack so that I can get up at 4am and do it all over again the next day. But...... it has been the best experience of my life. Working in a small hospital means that you have to learn and DO everything. You will also learn the true meaning of Teamwork. But I think the biggest advantage for you is that you will have the time and place to "find the true nurse" in YOU. Nursing is an intimate relationship between you and a total stranger. A small facility will give you the time to experience those relationships and learn something from each one of them. Each patient is like a deposit in the bank. They add up over time, and you become the unique nurse that only you can be. There is no better feeling than knowing that a chronically hospitalized patient has asked if you're going to be on duty that day or night. Good luck in your career!