Thinking about changing floors

[LifesAJourney]

I have been offered a job on another floor at the same hospital and is strongly considering it. It is definitely less hectic and my patient load can range from anywhere between 7-13 patients including new admits. I mesh well with all the nurses and aides on the floor, so the transition will be pretty smooth. The problem is, I can't help but feel guilty about leaving my current floor knowing how short staff we are. We constantly get new admits at night and our census can jumped from 18 patients to 26 patients for one aide and our nurses help out as much as they can. This seems like a no-brainer, take the new position, but that guilt sets in knowing our current situation. I know that staffing issue is a problem that management needs to figure out, so I shouldn't let that cloud my judgement. My question is for those of you that have transfer from your floor to another, how well did your floor received the news? The people I work woth are like family to me since we are all a close knit group. My floor on the otherhand can either be rough, manageable, or pretty okay depending on the patient load, staffing, and if there is a full moon

[Mike R, ADN, BSN, RN]

You should make this decision based on what is better for you in the end. Don't judge this because you feel bad that your current floor is understaffed. Would your current management increase it's staffing because you decided to stay?

I recently changed floors myself. Not because of workload (actually, it got worse), but because it was a career move. I want to work this floor as an RN when I graduate, so I got a job here. Yes, some of the people I left were annoyed or upset at me. But this is MY life afterall and I need to look after myself.

If the new floor sets you up for your goals in life, or you think you'd simply be happier there, then I think you should switch.

On the other hand, if you like the people you work with, are content with your current workload and there's no other benefit in switching, then I might stay.