UNC vs Duke vs Wakemed vs Rex

U.S.A. North Carolina

Published

I am very interested in moving to the Raleigh area. I'm getting inconsistent and outdated reviews of these hospitals per these forums, so I think it's time for a more current one! I have a year+ of experience on a CV step-down unit in a teaching hospital with 705 beds. I work rotating shifts, self-scheduled (which is amazing), and every 3rd weekend. Our shift differential is $3 2nd shift, $3.50 3rd shift, $2 weekend diff. I think my hourly rate is around $23? Pretty great benefits as well.

I'm looking to hear current shift differentials, hourly rates, overall nurse satisfaction, and surrounding area reviews! Thanks everyone! :nurse:

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Hey, in the last 2 weeks i have interviewd for an icu job at duke and a floor job at unc. I was strongly leaning toward duke b4 the interviews (because it was an icu). Afterward I much prefer unc. I know nothing about rex or wakemed but have heard they're both great. Duke would not work with my school schedule and wanted me available 24/7 with no flexibility during orientation. Unc was willing to work with school schedule. Plus floors at unc keep a 4:1 ratio with plenty of techs/NAs; the RNs all said they leave work ontime and rarely are stressed. Unc offered $2.50 more an hour base pay(which is $360 a month more so it adds up; I also have 1-2 years experience step down). Duke pays diffs by majority of shift worked so even though there is 3-11 evening diff, if you work 7a-7p you get no diff the last 4 since majority was day hours. Evening and night was same diff of $4. Weekend was $4.50. Unc pays diffs in 4 hour blocks so 7a-7p would make a $4 an hour diff from 3p-7p making at least another $192 a month in diffs if you only work 12 hr days during the week.(so unc was at least $550 a month more, but really for my rotating shifts $880 a month more bc weekends and night are more. Unc diffs are $4 and $5 for e/n week and $10 weekends(so weekend days $10, weekend evenings $14, weekend nights $15.) also unc state benefits so insurance was better AND way cheaper than duke( duke plans ranged from $20-something to $100-something depending on plan. Unc health ins plans were either free,free,or$8.14 a month for cadillac plan. Unc also pays PTO at ahigher rte (10.5 per pay period). Duke was gonna be about 5 weeks first year, unc 7.5 weeks first year. Parking at unc sucks(park n ride bus on day shify ) but it is cheaper than duke parking. So although i can speak to w/m or rex; my recent experiences with duke and unc left me with a very lop-sided opinion. Unc was more pto, better benefits for less payroll deductions, higher base pay and shift diffs much better and paid the way they should be. Duke left me with a "we r duke and it's your honor to work for us, our name on your resume is worth way less pay, more expensive benefits, leas pid-time-off, and u need to be available to work whenever we want you/no going to school one day a week every week!". Did not leave Duke with a good vibe. Left unc with good vibe. If you want the reputation on your resume go Duke but they'll make you pay for it. I didnt get interviews at rex or w-m but ive heard they r amazing, wo my opinion is "anywhere but duke"

Specializes in Cardiology.

So what was the starting pay for new grads both at UNC and Duke?

Specializes in ICU.

I am currently applying to Duke/UNC/Rex and have been invited for an interview at Duke so far - Duke states that CNI (aka new grad) starts at $20.74/hr. Not sure how much UNC pays, their postings don't say - but Rex's website states that the bottom of their pay range for RNs is $22.40 and Wake Med's minimum salary is $20.84.

I would love the extra money at UNC/Rex, but if Duke offers, I think I am going to take Duke. They are 4th in the country for cardiovascular and I applied for their CTICU. The experience I get there would be worth any hassle and pay cut, considering I don't plan on staying there forever.

Specializes in Cardiology.

Geeze, Im better off staying here in Cleveland and work at the clinic on one of their CV floors. New grad pay is much higher here and cost of living is low.

Specializes in L&D.

I work at Rex and pm you. Anyone else who would like to know more about Rex can pm me.

Thanks everyone for their replies!! I'm definitely leaning towards UNC over Duke I think. I will keep my options open to REX and Wakemed.

Sorry! I had kind of given up after a while because the replies stopped. I just randomly checked! This was my first post and I don't even know where to check messages. I'll try to find it!

I work at Duke myself and know a couple dozen people working in units/departments other than mine; I went to school in the area and also know people working at other hospitals here.

UNC and WakeMed both definitely pay more, particularly differentials (as MaleNurse indicated). Another thing to consider about Duke is that with few exceptions (the ED, I think clinical transport, and maybe the OR or a couple others) you will probably be subject to inhumane rotating schedules - the vast majority of the hospital departments do not hire for a specific shift. The schedule you get will depend entirely on the manager and work culture on your unit, even if it's theoretically a "self-scheduling" department. I have friends who have almost no control of their schedule, who get fewer than half the shifts they request, and who are routinely flipped back and forth from days to nights within the same week. On other units, newbies are theoretically rotating, but in reality get all nights. On still others, you have a certain number of nights/weekends you have to sign up for, but you get them set up however you prefer to schedule. My friends did not all get honest answers when they asked about scheduling during interviews - so beware. It is brutal to be stuck with two nights, one day off, then a day shift...going on like that for weeks kind of takes the joy out of life, no matter what you get paid!

Thanks for the info about Duke. Crossing them off my list...

Not my impression of Duke at all.. but what do I know? I just work there

UNC left me with a bitter taste in my mouth after my interview- and they were my dream hospital. Duke, I'd never seriously considered because I'm an ADN, and I'd heard they only hire Duke grads. My manager works with my school schedule, orientation let me leave to go to class, and I'm able to request whatever days/nights I need off (schedule is currently made 4 weeks in advance, trying to move to 8 weeks). I suspect you're hearing from people unhappy with their floors/hearsay.

Rex, only thing I know is a classmate works there - and has worked there as an ED tech during nursing school - and is looking for another job.

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