Offered an LTACH position. Should I take it?

[rninkentucky]

Okay, so I currently work in the ICU - been there 8 months. I'm just not happy with the hospital that I work at. I have been offered an LTACH position as an RN making around $40 an hour on dayshift which is around $15 more than what I'm making now and I'm on night shift. You get to make your own schedule at the LTACH facility and you get a $5000 sign on bonus.

I deal with ventilators and drips every day that I work, but I'm not sure what to really expect at the LTACH facility. Any advice? Should I accept this position?

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Truly, only you can make this decision. The $$$ increase seems incredible, quite a motivator.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Be cognizant that the huge pay increase will likely come with an increase in workload. In many LTAC hospitals, patient loads of 7 to 12 per nurse are the norm.

However, an extra $15/hour adds up to an additional $30,000 per year on top of what you already earn. Since money is important to me, I'd accept the LTAC job.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

Make sure you know what sort of LTACH you are signing for. They can be every level from "stable ICU" (3 to 5 patients/nurse, but all of them can be vented, on massive IVs and still with lines) and to what is mostly like subacute rehab (with 7 to 12 patients/nurse, half of them stable quads on total care). And Commuter is right, the workload is enormous.