Huntington vs Charleston hospitals, salary?

[Leanne62499]

I will be moving to WV, Charleston area(husband job), I am an ICU RN. I read somewhere on a different forum that Huntington hospitals pay better, and have better reputation . Is it true? should I look into living somewhere in between these two cities?

Thanks for answers!:)

[Redneckmedic63]

I work at both Huntington hospitals - one fulltime, the other per deim. Both enjoy good reputations in the state, but like anything else, it depends on who you talk to. The pay is generally several dollars higher to start, and the benefits are all paid much more generously than CAMC. The only thing CAMC has thats higher that I'm aware of is the shift differentials. But otherwise, much more profitable to be in Huntington. Also, both Huntington hospitals have just done major expansions, so both have REALLY nice new ICU's. If you want to do pediatrics, PICU or burn - try Cabell Huntington. If you like cardiac, go to St Marys. Both do trauma well. There's lots of options available. Personally - I know people who work in Huntington and Charleston both (I have too) - I think those from Huntington are happier. But talk to others, too - it's all who you talk to... good luck! :wink2:

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

Everyone I know who have made a move to the Huntington facilities are happier in their jobs. One lady I used to work with needed a big change after a sudden divorce(yep, she caught him cheating when she came home from work unexpectedly one night) and moved there to get out of the area and out of his radar loves it. She said she made the right decision and will never move back closer.

[PiPhi2004]

Run, dont walk, to Huntington. I am an ICU nurse at CAMC in charleston, it is horrible. My friend is an ICU nurse at St Mary's and she is treated wonderfully. I will be leaving for higher education soon, or I would run to Huntington too!

[HezzRN]

Hi, I am a ICU RN at CAMC. I have worked at CHH and was an NE at SMMC. I will say that hands down you will make more money/hr working in Huntington and your benefits will be much cheaper and better. Although I like the unit that I work in, CAMC in general, doesn't treat their nurses as well as the Huntington/Ashland KY market does.

As a new grad in 2007, I was making almost $24/hr at KDMC and my firends were very close to that working at CHH and SMMC. In 2008, when I started at CAMC, they started me out at $18.50/hr. Now I am PD there working 36 for $36, but I also started working PD at CHH for the same money, but wasn't required to work as many hours in order to make $36 on the hour.

CAMC, in my opinion, thinks that they can pay their employees next to nothing. They are not located in a competitve market. Although, St Francis and Thomas are stepping up their pay from what I hear.

[Streamline2010]

Run, dont walk, to Huntington. I am an ICU nurse at CAMC in charleston, it is horrible. My friend is an ICU nurse at St Mary's and she is treated wonderfully. I will be leaving for higher education soon, or I would run to Huntington too!

I am not in nursing yet, but I lived in Charleston a number of years. From what I read (past tense) in the papers, CAMC has a real long history of ramping up the staffing and hiring and spending like there is no tomorrow, only to be crying the blues about "no money" and laying off everyone a year or two or three later. Seriously. I can recall at least three huge boom/bust cycles like that in about 12 - 15 years. They'd go through there and cut programs like diabetes education, etc., and toss out all of those people that they'd brought in specially from out of state. Like I said, I never worked for them. But as a casual observer, a patient, and a resident of the community, I certainly got the impression that CAMC treats employees like dirt.

And speaking of DIRT, that Women's & Children's Hospital was absolutely FILTHY! the last time I walked through it, and that was shortly before I left Charleston in 2006.