Feeling Bad Looking for Another Job

[motor_mouth]

Does anyone else feel bad when they are thinking about changing jobs? Even when I wasn't a nurse, I always felt so bad/guilty about looking for another job.

I've been at my current job for ~2 years and there is little to no chance of advancement. No clinical ladder so incentive to better yourself is limited. Little to no reimbursement for tuition, continuing education, etc. The pay is also the worst in the area, with new grads at other hospitals making more than those of us who have been with this place for 2 years.

I'm considering applying at another hospital that offers much more money, better benefits, opportunities for advancement, etc, but I feel SO GUILTY for thinking about leaving.

(Please excuse any typos. I worked 16 hours yesterday and only have about 4 hours sleep right now. Another 16 hours today)

[Feelgood RN]

Don't feel bad. Like others have stated, they probably wouldn't feel bad if they let you go, unless you're in with some of the management. The hospital I'm at now has basically taken the whole ED staff of another hospital because they refused to give them incentives/raises and because their management was....eh. If there's something better and the place you work isn't going to change then go...they'll learn, or they'll train the new grads up so the rest of the market can take them!

[motor_mouth, MSN, RN]

I listened to everyone and put in my application. If I had more time, I could, and would have, done a lot more but that's the best I could do.

At least I did it and if I don't get the job, I'll keep looking.

[CCU BSN RN]

I felt really guilty about quitting my old job because our staffing was so abysmal, and I got along so well with all my co-workers, and about 5 of us left all at once. I didn't feel bad for the institution or my boss, I felt bad that my co-workers were going to have another 6 months of even worse staffing, without the benefit of the 5 of us relatively senior nurses who all left at once. I felt bad for the patients being cared for by new grads who have 8 or 9 telemetry patients (we were supposed to be staffed as 1:3 or 1:4 ratios) because of the mistakes that would inevitably be made.

But you can't hold back your own happiness or professional development just because your hospital's management is weak. If your manager/institution cared about you, and valued you, they would pay you competitively and offer you benefits. If they valued nurses, they would want to support your educational endeavors. Why wouldn't you want better educated nurses? So no, I wouldn't feel guilty. To me it was like leaving an abusive boyfriend. Boy bye.

[justjamesthenurse, BSN, RN]

I wouldn't feel bad at all. It sounds like the hospital you work for is the bare bones kind of facility. There is nothing wrong with looking out for yourself. If you want a better quality of life and the better things that go with advancement for your career then go for it.

[motor_mouth, MSN, RN]

Just wanted to updated everyone. I ended up interviewing for the position I mentioned in this post. They were taking too long to hear from so I applied to another position, was offered it, and took it. :) Still better pay, better benefits, opportunities for advancement, etc. I've decided to stay at my current place as a per diem for the time being. I really do love it there. But, I gotta take care of myself first.