South Carolina Level III NICU's

INFJ · Sep 11, 2005

Hey Kristina--

Sorry, I have no info for you on S. Carolina NICUs...but I did notice that you are from Alabama (ROLL TIDE!!!)...AND, you recently passed boards - CONGRATS!! Where are you currently working? I will graduate in May 2006 and am very interested in starting in NICU. Any words of advice???

Look forward to hearing from you!

Amy

KK7724 · Sep 11, 2005

Hey Kristina--
Sorry, I have no info for you on S. Carolina NICUs...but I did notice that you are from Alabama (ROLL TIDE!!!)...AND, you recently passed boards - CONGRATS!! Where are you currently working? I will graduate in May 2006 and am very interested in starting in NICU. Any words of advice???
Look forward to hearing from you!
Amy

Hey Amy,

I'm working at Baptist Medical Center South in Montgomery, AL.

Hmm...my advice for getting into a Level III--Interview and go for it! Take advantage of the shortage.....I feel really really lucky to be given the opportunity to work in a Level III straight out of school, because it's going to help me in the long run. Huntsville has a great NICU right?? I know there are only three Level III's in the state...I think Mobile, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Birmingham....do you want to work and live in one of those cities??

Hey, another tip is try to precept in the NICU. If your school is like mine, you might only get to do a small number of your hours in a specialty and the majority in Med/Surg..... Stay positive and go for it!

~Kristina, RN, BSN~

Jolie, BSN · Sep 12, 2005

There is also a Level III unit in Columbia. You may want to look into facilities in Savannah, GA as well.

I worked in a small town in SC a number of years ago. Most of our neonatal transports went to Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia. I was very impressed with the care they received there. The only babies I can recall sending to Charleston were the cardiac kids, and they were rarely returned transported to us, so I don't know much about that facility.

Good luck in your search!

KK7724 · Sep 12, 2005

There is also a Level III unit in Columbia. You may want to look into facilities in Savannah, GA as well.
I worked in a small town in SC a number of years ago. Most of our neonatal transports went to Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia. I was very impressed with the care they received there. The only babies I can recall sending to Charleston were the cardiac kids, and they were rarely returned transported to us, so I don't know much about that facility.
Good luck in your search!

Jolie,

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~

mac23 · Sep 13, 2005

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~

KK7724 · Sep 13, 2005

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.
There is another NICU in the area but it's a level 2.
As for Columbia, I'm more familiar with that NICU 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. Sorry not much help but if you have any additional questions send me a message.
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~

You're right! Pay at MUSC is low! I talked to the nurse recruiter through email today.....$20.00/hr for experience....I am in Alabama and as a new grad, you start at $18! The NICU I work in has 40 beds...we do nitrous oxide, but not ECMO. I have only seen this once at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, AL, so I would be brand new to that. My boyfriend went to USC in Columbia....I think he told me it would be about an hour and a half commute from Charleston....but, if I worked prn or did all my shifts in a row, I don't think this would be too terrible. Sounds like the hospital in Columbia has a much better reputation all around compared to MUSC. I don't know if I would consider doing Level II after being exposed to Level III.....I would be scared I would forget everything I learned and that it'd be that much harder to get back into it again. I guess this is part of the whole military thing...the spouse's career usually has to take a backseat.

I guess I will just have to consider all my options. I was thinking of talking to a travel company, but I'm unsure if MUSC uses travelers...my guess is "No".

Well, I thank you for replying to my post. Do you feel that after working at the Level III in Columbia, you would want to do Level II?? How long have you been doing NICU?? I love it! I'm just a little disappointed about the hospital situation in Charleston. Oh well, decisions, decisions!

~Kristina, RN, BSN~

mac23 · Sep 13, 2005

Actually MUSC does use travelers. However, if MUSC is part of the South Carolina Hospital association your pay will still be in the 23-25 dollar range as a traveler. I know a traveler who just recently left MUSC so I'll ask her tomorrow what they offered and then get back to you on the pay.

All our heart kids from Cola, got shipped to MUSC. They do nitric at Richland and have a transport team but you have to have worked there a year before you can do it. I personally would not exclusively do level 2--too slow paced for me. I like a mixture of both. I just finished NNP school but am currently just working as a travel Rn until my husband finds a job. So I can relate to the wife's job taking a back seat. Hang in there I'm sure it'll work itself out.

Bon Secours St. Francis and Roper Hospital both have level 2 nurseries. There was a travel company offering $38/hr for a level 2 in Charleston; I'm guessing it was for one of these. I had a friend that worked the level 2 she said it kept her very busy (she was a traveler) and she had to attend all deliveries. Also some level 2's take vents so call around and ask. You could always do prn at MUSC to keep your level 3 skills up. Good luck!

You're right! Pay at MUSC is low! I talked to the nurse recruiter through email today.....$20.00/hr for experience....I am in Alabama and as a new grad, you start at $18! The NICU I work in has 40 beds...we do nitrous oxide, but not ECMO. I have only seen this once at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, AL, so I would be brand new to that. My boyfriend went to USC in Columbia....I think he told me it would be about an hour and a half commute from Charleston....but, if I worked prn or did all my shifts in a row, I don't think this would be too terrible. Sounds like the hospital in Columbia has a much better reputation all around compared to MUSC. I don't know if I would consider doing Level II after being exposed to Level III.....I would be scared I would forget everything I learned and that it'd be that much harder to get back into it again. I guess this is part of the whole military thing...the spouse's career usually has to take a backseat.

I guess I will just have to consider all my options. I was thinking of talking to a travel company, but I'm unsure if MUSC uses travelers...my guess is "No".

Well, I thank you for replying to my post. Do you feel that after working at the Level III in Columbia, you would want to do Level II?? How long have you been doing NICU?? I love it! I'm just a little disappointed about the hospital situation in Charleston. Oh well, decisions, decisions!

~Kristina, RN, BSN~

sahmof2 · Sep 13, 2005

I delivered both of my children in Greenville in case something happened and one had to go to the nicu, we would be in the same hospital instead of 30-45 minutes apart. Thankfully everything was fine although my son was checked by the nicu for possible infection, he was fine. We were talking to a nurse at AnMed in Anderson about a month ago and she said they were working to become a level III within a couple of years. You can look at their website. They just opened a new women's and children's hospital about 2 months ago.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Sep 14, 2005

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

mac23 · Sep 15, 2005

Hi Kristina,

I talked to my friend who just left Charleston. They paid her $24.00/hr as a traveler at MUSC.

KK7724 · Sep 25, 2005

Hi Kristina,
I talked to my friend who just left Charleston. They paid her $24.00/hr as a traveler at MUSC.

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.