critical care pay

Just wondering if any of you receive critical care differential? I have worked in a GI lab for the past several months. The hospital is closing and they offered me a job in a pediatric ICU (at one of their other hospitals). They dont want to pay me more than I was making in the GI lab. (GI lab work is a joke at this hospital - we sit around and talk all day because we dont have any pts) The GI lab was a cushy job . There is more liability and stress in the ICU. I told them that I needed more money. I dont think its unreasonable to pay nurses a little more for being in a critical care setting. I didnt beat around the bush with my employer - I told her that I could work at the hospital across the street making $2.00 more an hour. If Im going to be in a critical care area, I might as well do it where I can get more money.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

I receive a critical care differential through the local staffing agencies, but not through the hospitals themselves (how about that?)

[zenman]

Just wondering if any of you receive critical care differential? I have worked in a GI lab for the past several months. The hospital is closing and they offered me a job in a pediatric ICU (at one of their other hospitals). They dont want to pay me more than I was making in the GI lab. (GI lab work is a joke at this hospital - we sit around and talk all day because we dont have any pts) The GI lab was a cushy job . There is more liability and stress in the ICU. I told them that I needed more money. I dont think its unreasonable to pay nurses a little more for being in a critical care setting. I didnt beat around the bush with my employer - I told her that I could work at the hospital across the street making $2.00 more an hour. If Im going to be in a critical care area, I might as well do it where I can get more money.

Yes, get ICU pay! Why is the hospital closing, if I may ask?

[amorris1]

No differential except for night work at my hosp. We're all over worked and underpaid :)

[RN92]

Yes, get ICU pay! Why is the hospital closing, if I may ask?

The hospital belongs to a Medical University. It specializes in transplants: kidney, pancreas, liver. The University didnt want to be in the hospital business anymore, so they sold it to another large hospital in the area. They're are actually consolidating both hospitals.

[kirbybunny]

I get a $1.00 more an hour for working ICU. Better than nothing, I guess. Have a nice weekend!

~ Jen

[HJBeans]

I do, but only because I am a traveler. Other hospitals I work at did not pay me more to work in ICU (when I was on staff)

[Brickman]

No critical care pay here and I think that's how it should be. Med surge is usually more work from my experience. I'm one of those who while I don't want to work med/surg, I think of it as a specialty in it's own right.

[-jt]

No critical care pay here and I think that's how it should be. Med surge is usually more work from my experience. I'm one of those who while I don't want to work med/surg, I think of it as a specialty in it's own right.

I agree. I work in critical care & dont believe there should be a differential for that work either. Nursing in any area nowadays is just as hard as critical care. Because of insufficient staffing & high acuity levels, some med-surg nurses have it even harder than critical care nurses. We dont have a critical care differential & havent asked for one. Instead, we established a differential for specialty certification -- for all nurses who achieve certification in their area of specialty - med surg included.