Quitting a Job after a few weeks for another? - New Grad

[truecascades]

I recently accepted an Urgent care position, which is not my true passion nor in a desirable location. It was a really tough decision as I was waiting for an ortho (my passion) interview at the time of accepting, and I tried to push back the offer deadline as much as I could. HR for ortho got back to me today (3 weeks later) to go out and interview, and I just don't know what to do at this point. I would be interviewing at a hospital that has already interviewed me for another ortho position in the past (but ultimately gave it to someone with experience), so the hospital seems a bit invested in me (they flew me out last time and are willing to do it again)? They have also expressed the need to fill this position quickly and that it is so far an "inside opening" because the current PA is not working out (I will ask details). I understand that if I were to get/sign an offer, hospital credentialing may take a few months, so I could potentially have a few months of work under my belt in Urgent care before the ortho job starts. It is also a bit difficult to move forward with the ortho interview right now as the urgent care does not allow any missed days during the probation training period (working 4x/week) and don't have my schedule yet.

I did not want to do this with my job search as I know it's very unprofessional, but this is just really crummy timing. My questions are:

1. How bad is it to quit after a few weeks? I understand the PA community is small..

2. Should I let HR know my intentions of having a current job but willing to leave for this ortho job? I am thinking about calling to figure out a rough timeline also.

3. How would I best approach quitting? Every one has been very pleasant/supportive so far.

Thank you guys so much for the help!

Edit: Jobs are in different states, so I can't ease my way out of Urgent care by going PRN unfortunately

Edited November 12, 2019 by truecascades
additional info

[SedRate]

Firstly, Ortho can pigeonhole you as a new grad. Think long and hard about limiting your practical knowledge after spending so much time, money and effort learning all that you did this last 2.5 years. Why not spend 6-12 months in UC and then consider a specialty? This will allow you to time things better and not tarnish your current record so much compared to leaving a newly accepted position almost immediately. 

Secondly, the Ortho dept has already chosen not to accept you as a candidate once. So what's not to say it won't happen again? So as far as investment, they've invested little at this point. A plane ticket is nothing to them, no offense. Furthermore, if they were needing to fill a position quickly, why would it take 3 weeks to get back to you? That doesn't seem to scream "quick" to me, especially for Ortho. To me, this says something more like, "We can't find a better candidate and settled on reaching out to you."

Thirdly, the comment about their current PA not working out is a little concerning. Definitely look into that. It doesn't sound like that individual lasted very long if they were the one with experience that they chose over you the first time. 

Your current position has been supportive and has chosen YOU as their best candidate and best fit, which says a lot. So unless it becomes a negative place to work, I would urge you to reconsider leaving so quickly. Sure, go ahead and interview to see what's up. But Ortho can chew you up and spit you out, so think carefully about leaving a position at 4 days per week (!) in a field that will help cement your training for something else that is heavily surgeon-dependent.

Good luck!

-Someone who went into Ortho trauma as a new grad, has moved on to a new field, is now having to relearn everything, and has seen many posts about new grads going into Ortho and regretting it.

[Mayamom]

What Sed said above.  Even though its in a different state you don't want to burn any bridges at anytime in your career.  

[sas5814]

How bad is it to quit after a few weeks? I understand the PA community is small..

 

It isn't the PA community so much as employers. Do you want to explain this short stint at every job application or do you want to try and omit it (which I really really don't recommend)?

That said a small stumble early in your career is unlikely to do you much harm especially if coupled with a reasonable explaination. It will be less important as the years go by.

It is no small thing to be happy in your work. The reverse is true too. 

Act ethically and honestly and follow your heart. You will have a hard time making too big a misstep.

[ANESMCR]

I think you should only entertain the interview (and hopefully subsequent job offer) if you are able to do so without jeopardizing your current position. One thing you mentioned struck me. You said everyone has been very pleasant and supportive so far at your current UC job. Just my two cents, but as a new grad these days that is increasingly hard to come by. Much less land a job in the first place. The times in which we had the luxury to follow our hearts as new grad PAs sounds more like folklore at this point. GL.  

Edited November 13, 2019 by ANESMCR

[bovineplane]

Bottom line. You haven't been offered a job. Thinking about quitting seems a bit premature. If you want to interview there is no harm in that unless it requires missing time at your full time job. As a new grad I would not put your first job at risk by taking time off to interview for another job after a couple weeks. 

If an offer is made, then it would be a better time to consider your options. You are more employable when you have a job. Right now you have a job so how is when you have a higher chance of being offered a job. Only you can weigh your options when a new offer comes.