Help! I can't stop looking at new RN openings and wanting to jump ship

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Specializes in Home Health,Peds.

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Hello. I don't know what is wrong with me, but it seems I am always looking on Glassdoor, Linked In, and Indeed and seeing jobs that have better wages and benefits  than the one I am currently at. Then I apply and get the jobs, only to see another  job with even better benefits and pay. So I jump ship and work for a few months or so until an even better one comes along.

This has been happening since 2021 for me, where every job I apply to and work has better benefits and pay than the last one.

I have 19 years experience and stayed at one job for 13 years (and still counting as I work there per diem). The current job I have now I just started in February, but the one I start in two weeks has better benefits and pay and a $10,000 sign on bonus. Prior to starting that job I worked at a facility for 7 months but left for the current job.

Me being me, I saw an  ad yesterday on Indeed offering a $20,000 sign on bonus with even better pay and benefits than the one I start in two weeks. I am so itching to apply and I know for a fact I will get the job. Hence why I am writing this. 

How do you all keep from jumping to job to job?

(I live in NJ but have RN licenses for NY,PA,NJ, and now Delaware. So I am not particularly worried about any of them finding out me doing this, as I live in a major metro area of over 10 million people)

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
1 hour ago, Googlenurse said:

How do you all keep from jumping to job to job?

When I found a place that didn't fire me early on, I stayed there until they did.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

I have a similar malady, although not quite as extreme. For me it's not wages and benefits, but a new challenge. Once I've been at a place for a year, I start getting bored and looking for the new challenge. And I can tell you that this pattern did cost me one job opportunity last year (in retrospect it was a good thing, but I know that my resume scared them off).

OP, what I can tell you is pretty soon, your job-hopping WILL catch up to you and nobody except the VERY desperate will want to touch you. You also have to ask yourself why they're offering such a tempting sign-on bonus. If it's a desirable place to work, they don't have to offer that much, even in this market.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

And I can tell you, OP, that with 40+ years in the field, your job hopping will NOT necessarily catch up with you.

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I have remained with my job long-term because the conditions are good, management is reasonable, the commute is near and my per diem schedule is completely flexible, plus I got a very good a raise this year.

I would wonder what kind of "catch" there would be for a $20,000 sign on bonus? 

Overall I see nothing wrong with moving from job to job for better wages and benefits. This seems to be common knowledge for a younger generation.  If you are switching jobs to better your situation and don't mind change, why not?

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, Critical Care.

If you are already thinking of applying for a job and leaving the one you haven't started yet, do the employer a favor and tell them you're sorry but you have accepted another offer. Then, go forth and apply for the other job if that's what you want to do. I have sat in many job interviews and we DO LOOK at the duration of employment. It costs an average of $40,000 (and up depending on the specialty), to start a new hire RN. Employees who don't stay at least a year or two cost the organization a lot of money. Money that might go toward improving salaries for retention, supplies etc. You definitely need to look out for yourself and make your best deal, but be ethical about it.

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Specializes in Home Health,Peds.

It is funny you mention retention bonuses. I never understood why employers won't give the staff that has been with them awhile a retention bonus instead of paying new staff sign on bonuses.

From looking at the ads for nurses,it seems the bonuses and wages keep rising. 

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Specializes in Home Health,Peds.
16 hours ago, klone said:

I have a similar malady, although not quite as extreme. For me it's not wages and benefits, but a new challenge. Once I've been at a place for a year, I start getting bored and looking for the new challenge. And I can tell you that this pattern did cost me one job opportunity last year (in retrospect it was a good thing, but I know that my resume scared them off).

OP, what I can tell you is pretty soon, your job-hopping WILL catch up to you and nobody except the VERY desperate will want to touch you. You also have to ask yourself why they're offering such a tempting sign-on bonus. If it's a desirable place to work, they don't have to offer that much, even in this market.

I am not so sure. Very few nurses want to work with ventilators.  Also,the gov of NJ,Phil Murphy, probably worsened the nursing shortage in this state by requiring Covid boosters.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Psych.

I've done my fair share of hopping, not necessarily for better wages, but to find the perfect fit for me. The best way to stop is to avoid looking at the postings just for fun. Try to find happiness and challenges in the position you are in, then only look at job ads when you have loss the happiness. 

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Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

Sign on bonus of $20K is usually a huge red flag. Why are they offering a sign on bonus? why do they have to pay people that much just to take a job there? What's the turnover rate? These are the kinds of things you should be wondering. The grass is not ALWAYS greener, and eventually someone might ask you why you keep changing jobs so often. 

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Specializes in Emergency Medicine.
19 hours ago, DrNurseCNS said:

It costs an average of $40,000 (and up depending on the specialty), to start a new hire RN. Employees who don't stay at least a year or two cost the organization a lot of money.

This is literally not the nurse's responsibility to consider, and no one should ever be guilted into staying at a crappy job because it costs "an average of $40,000" to train them. What needs to happen is that hospitals need to start looking at safe staffing, and better pay and then maybe the retention would improve. We all know that bedside nursing at this point in time is in shambles because of the lack of qualified nurses willing to work in the conditions that hospitals provide for the money they pay right now. This is a whole different conversation, but for anyone reading this: If you aren't happy or your job just sucks, or your unit is totally toxic... one thing you don't need to consider is how much it cost to train you. That is not your problem. 

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, Critical Care.

 AlwaysTired, I'm not trying to guilt anyone into anything. The OP never said her job was crappy and I never said anyone should stay in an unhappy or toxic situation. I'm just pointing out that if organizations are constantly spending money to hire new employees it doesn't leave as much available to improve the staffing and the pay. It's a bit of a circle jerk, know what I mean? Also OP was talking about the advantages of another job she was going to apply for before she even started her most "next" recent job in 2 weeks.  By all mean, if the work place is unsafe, toxic , or unsatisfactory in other ways, move on.

As I said, "You definitely need to look out for yourself and make your best deal, but be ethical about it."

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