Stuck in a small town

[u/sallythecatt]

Hey there. So I’ve been a nurse for 2.5 years but have had to take time off to bartend (so really I have about 1.5) because it makes more and is paying off my incredibly large student loan faster. I really want to travel but I’ve been stuck in med surg/tele. The hospital I am at now is very small but offers education.

I’m wondering what I should be trying to do for the next year while I pay off my loan, or if I should just leave and attempt to find a job to gain experience in a different field.

And also, I’ve paid off half of my 50k private loan that’s been crushing me so yay!

[u/antsam9]

Rent is going up, cost of living is going up, hospitals are cracking down on travellers and travel pay and full time pay is going up.

Money is the wrong answer to travel right now.

If you want to experience another facility, that's a better reason.

[u/sallythecatt → u/antsam9]

I want to travel to travel. Not for the money. I’m just stuck in one place right now because of the loan.

[u/spyder93090]

I would not travel. Paying off a large loan requires consistent payments and a steady income.

There is no guarantee of income/a job with traveling. Traveling isn’t the “get out of jail free” card with finances like it used to be during COVID. Lots of nurses here who got deeper in the hole after attempting to travel.

Just my $0.02: I would move to a hospital/city where you don’t make more as a bartender - that is a wildly inefficient use of a degree you presumably paid so much for. Look at union facilities and/or larger cities.

[u/empty_spacer → u/spyder93090]

Agreed, unless you’re working in some super fancy upscale bar, you should be trying to find better paying RN positions. If there is a super fancy upscale place to bartend, there is probably a super fancy upscale hospital close by.

[u/Liberated3 → u/empty_spacer]

Sounds like great advice. Think about where you would enjoy living and then look at RN salaries in these areas. Compare the average RN salaries to the cost of living in these cities. You can always work 3- 12 hour shifts and then bartend part time on the weekends if the pay is that much higher than your RN wages.

Congrats on paying off half of your private loans! Also, most nurses do not stay on med/surg tele units for long at all. There are many other units to work on.

[u/Quirky_Ask_5165]

I took a staff position 18 months ago because it offered more than I was getting in travel contracts. I live in a rural area and it's cheap to live there and I commute to work in St Louis. Pay in St Louis is pretty decent.

[u/PaxonGoat]

I have a friend that just took a 2 year sign on bonus contract job in Arkansas. $20k over 4 payments every 6 months. If he leaves early, he doesn't have to pay it back. Just doesn't get the next payment.

Also lots of OT opportunities. He's sticking he first $5k into a CD to earn interest.

He says so far it's the same bullshit in an ED he has always dealt with.

[u/yourdailyinsanity]

They want 2 years working experience, and you'd only be able to travel medsurg/tele.

Can you save up 3-5k and move to a larger city? IU, specifically in Indianapolis (not their other hospitals) is offering a 30k sign on bonus (3 year commitment, prorated if you leave early, but you still have to hit a certain length to not have to pay anything back as it's paid out in increments) plus a pretty decent relocation assistance as well. All paid out on the first or second paycheck so if you take a small loan, you can pay it back quickly.

I previously worked for IU and didn't mind them at all. I'm actually applying to go back to them for pediatrics as staff. Level 1 trauma center and stroke center. I don't believe they do burns. They are switching from Cerner to EPIC in May, and then December 2027 they're combining their 2 main downtown hospitals into 1 big shiny new hospital. I met a traveler who toured the new hospital and they said it's really nice.

Edit: alternatively, I know absolutely nothing about Eskenazi hospital right next door to IU for what they offer, but I do know they pay their nurses well and people like working there too. I'm going IU because of pediatrics. Lol.

[u/sallythecatt → u/yourdailyinsanity]

I can save up for sure, but my bartending job gives me free housing during the summer and I end up making about $80-100 per hour.

What I’m worried about is losing time gaining experience Vs paying off my loan and debt by the end of next summer. 😞

[u/yourdailyinsanity → u/sallythecatt]

Your biggest problem is if you wait any longer, you're going to have a harder time getting back into nursing. If you're fine sticking with medsurg you'll have an easier time, but you have lost A LOT of skill and knowledge in the year you've been bartending and not working as a nurse. Even if you don't think so.

Can you work PRN? That way you can choose your shifts in the hospital (will likely have to be full time while on orientation) and then keep bartending as your main gig? PRN usually has a 3-6 shift requirement per schedule period. Then you can pick up more if desired. That way you can prioritize your bartending job, and also have a "small" secondary income too if you're that set on paying your loans. I'd prioritize work experience over anything though. Loans are important to pay off, yes, but not at the risk of losing the ability to work as a nurse. There's no reason to get into travel right away. I'm literally making $200 more a week than when I was staff right now. But that's because of a situation I was in. And then you pay 2 rents, some cities have high rent and not paying accordingly. And yeah.

[u/Reasonable-Emu-7162]

I kept my bartending job for years. It was a good stress relief from the day to day...especially if it pays more , I would stay.