South Carolina Level III NICU's

Specialties NICU

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Hi,

I am relocating to South Carolina May 2006. (Most likely the Charleston area). I know MUSC has a level III NICU, but I need locals to reply and let me know where the other Level III NICU's are located in South Carolina and what you know about them...good or bad.

Thanks!

~Kristina, RN, BSN~

New Graduate as of May 2005

Well, I guess I just may be taking a pay cut.....seems like the NICU's are kind of spread out and driving from Charleston may not be worth it.....

Now from what I've heard about MUSC, I'm scared they won't hire me! I'll have a year of experience when the time for relocating comes around.....the only bad thing is that...I'll be applying for an NICU job the same time many new grads are graduating.....Plus, we don't have ECMO where I am now....

I'm concerned.

Well from what I know about MUSC the new grad thing will be to your advantage unless they are changing the way they hire. For the last few years they have prefered people with NICU experience. Don't worry about the ECMO thing. Before I could even take the test to do ECMO I had to have been a NICU nurse for a year, been on that unit for a year and have done transport for a year. I'm sure different places have different requirements but you won't be expected to do ECMO. In my old NICU the only responsibility you had if you were assigned an ECMO baby was to get meds, go get blood or run labs for the ECMO nurse. Just keep in touch with the recruiter and ask her when the best time to apply is. Also as I mentioned before they have some level 2's in the Charleston area and they may take vents so call around and see what your options are.

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Roll Tide and Good Luck!!

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Word on the street is that MUSC doesnt hire alot of their new grad because they have less hands on than alot of other schools. Which i find kinda weird...but its true. (I know people in the program and i was going to go into but went to a different school) so you never know...it doesnt hurt to apply. A year experience is better than none.

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I know the NICU in Charleston as recently as a year ago was only looking for people with NICU experience so if you move there you should be able to get a job since you will have experience. You have to stay on the nurse manager though if it's the same one I dealt with. Pay at MUSC is low; probably a lot lower than your current salary.

There is another NICU in the area but it's a level 2.

As for Columbia, I'm more familiar with that NICU (palmetto richland) as I used to work there. It's 56 beds + ECMO on the unit. 27 NICU beds and 27 special care beds and the 2 nesting rooms. I loved it there.

There is also Palmetto Baptist in Columbia, the sister hospital to Palmetto Richland. It also has a level 3 NICU that I heard they are getting ready to renovate. I liked Richlands NICU better. I think Baptists NICU was about 25 beds. Can't remember I only stayed there a short time.

If you're looking in the upstate Greenville Hospital system has a level 3 NICU as well as Spartanburg Regional. The GHS NICU is new and it's a nice hospital. Hated the dress code but I liked working there.

That wasn't much info but hope it helps some.

Thank you for replying. Do you think I will have a difficult time getting a NICU job in SC??? I will have a year of experience by the time I am moving there. Also, what kind of pay can I expect?? I'm working a "Limited Benefits" option right now and with night shift diff and ACLS, I'm making $26/hr from 7-11p and $27 from 11p-7a. Is SC pay comparable?? I have been told since day one of nursing school that Alabama is one of the lowest paying places...hopefully, SC will match?? I am new to Nursing, so I don't have much experience in the pay bargaining area. What are your thoughts/opinions??

Thanks!

~Kristina, RN, BSN~

hey mac 23....I am relocating to the columbia area next may....can you tell me anything about their the richland memorial level 3 unit...I have 27 years NICU experience ..how hard would it be for me to get a job there?..and do they use agency nurses?...I would prefer staff but the night shift thing makes me ill.....I would so greatly appreciate anything you could tell me....I'm really nervous about starting over...thank you so much

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hey mac 23....I am relocating to the columbia area next may....can you tell me anything about their the richland memorial level 3 unit...I have 27 years NICU experience ..how hard would it be for me to get a job there?..and do they use agency nurses?...I would prefer staff but the night shift thing makes me ill.....I would so greatly appreciate anything you could tell me....I'm really nervous about starting over...thank you so much

hi mac 23 again.....was also considering palmetto baptist if richland didn't work out....why did you leave?....I've been in the richland unit about 5 times...use to have a friend that worked there and she took me through each time I visited.....is palmetto baptist a nice place to work?.....really appreciate any info you could give me...sorry to bug you....

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Well from what I know about MUSC the new grad thing will be to your advantage unless they are changing the way they hire. For the last few years they have prefered people with NICU experience. Don't worry about the ECMO thing. Before I could even take the test to do ECMO I had to have been a NICU nurse for a year, been on that unit for a year and have done transport for a year. I'm sure different places have different requirements but you won't be expected to do ECMO. In my old NICU the only responsibility you had if you were assigned an ECMO baby was to get meds, go get blood or run labs for the ECMO nurse. Just keep in touch with the recruiter and ask her when the best time to apply is. Also as I mentioned before they have some level 2's in the Charleston area and they may take vents so call around and see what your options are.

can anyone tell me anything about richland memorial NICU in columbia?.....I want to work there next spring...I have 27 years experience in NICU...do you think I could get a job there?......thanks for any info

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can anyone tell me anything about richland memorial NICU in columbia?.....I want to work there next spring...I have 27 years experience in NICU...do you think I could get a job there?......thanks for any info

Sorry for the delay,

You should be able to get a job at Richland. They use travelers, not sure about agency, but have been trying to get away from using travelers. I'm not sure how that is working out so far. I liked Richland much better than Baptist, can give you more details in private, but since you've seen the unit I guess you know aobut it. 56 beds +Ecmo, transport team etc etc etc. Feel free to ask me more specific questions and I'll try to help.

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Hi everybody! Does anyone know anything about the NICU at Self Memorial in Greenwood, SC? I am from Greenwood and I am currently attending Lander University. My hopes are to work in the NICU somewhere. Any info can help.

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thanks mac23 for the reply.....I would really like some details if you don't mind talking to me......at Richland...do they hire straight onto days or am I just dreaming?....how about Baptist?....do you think I'd fit in since I am a Yankee moving to the beautiful old South?...how soon should I apply?...do they hire new grads early in the year and hold the postion for them till may?....should I apply in december or Jan or do you think that's too soon?....any advice would be appreciated.....are 12 hour shifts popular there also?.....thanks so much...let me know how we can talk privately if you will do that....Cindy

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I am currently working as a new grad RN in the aforementioned Spartanburg Regional NICU. We are a 28 bed LIII unit expanding to 40 beds next month. We'll be hiring 15 new RN's soon, I hear. We do everything short of ECMO, which we usually send those to MUSC. Some complicated surgeries we send to Greenville for now, until we open our PICU in November. At Spartanburg we have a shift auction system where managers post auctions for shifts needing an RN, and nurses enter the lowest hourly rate they'll work for. It usually ends up being $38/hr plus 50% of your base hourly rate if it's your 4th shift that week. It's a great way to make some extra money on top of your FT position hours. You can make $50+ an hour this way on an extra day. I love our open unit layout, you should come and visit! http://www.srhs.com

hey Steve....is your supervisor Leigh?...tell her Cindy said hi..she will know how I am...

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