ICU differential pay

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.

Hey I asked this question on another thread but didn't receive any specific answers.

I am an ICU nurse with almost 5 years experience and have worked at total of 6 hospitals in various areas of the country. I have never worked somewhere where you get a special differential for working in an ICU area. I am wondering how common this is.

If any of you receive extra pay for ICU what area of the country are you in??And most importantly how much are we talking about, like 50 cents an hour or like 2 $ an hour.

Appreciate all replies. Thanks!!

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Specializes in ER/ICU/Flight.

i live in the south, our differential is a percentage of our base pay. i think it started out at 8%.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.

Thanks!!

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

When I was hired on, I was told I'd make 1/hr more ICU diff, but no one on my unit has heard of it (NICU). The adult ICU gets it, however... ????!

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.
When I was hired on, I was told I'd make 1/hr more ICU diff, but no one on my unit has heard of it (NICU). The adult ICU gets it, however... ????!

Thats sort of ridiculous. If they offer it for adult they should offer it for NICU as well. They probably just have a harder time staffing the adult ICU.

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.

My facility does not offer a differential, I don't think any place in our area does.

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Specializes in Tele, Home Health, MICU, CTICU, LTC.

The last place I worked offered at $2/hour ICU shift differential. The other ICU's that I have worked in have not offered a ICU diff.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

I'm in Canada and I get zippola.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

We dont get any extra money.

We do get to do about 75% of the IV starts on the Med Surge floor, we get to go to all the codes, we get to assist with any procedures on Med Surge that the nurses are having trouble with as in NG and Foley placements. We get to read and anaylize all the teles that are on the med surge side then consult with the MS nurse about any changes in those teles and question any meds that paitent may be on etc etc etc.

We also get to give all the baths in ICU because we dont have a CNA, and we get to put in all of our own orders and labs because we dont have a ward clerk. But we dont get any extra money....

You know what though---all and all I love my job and my unit and I wouldnt chose to be in any other place...

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Specializes in ICU, M/S,Nurse Supervisor, CNS.

I have worked in two different hospitals in the ICU here in Virginia. One hospital offered no incentive pay. The other hospital pays nurses in the ICU and ER an extra $2.50 per hour. I think this was a great incentive:yeah:

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Specializes in ICU, Cardiac Cath/EPS Labs.

Interestingly, my hospital only pays an ICU differential for its PER DIEM workers--I think per diem ICU nurses get $47 versus $45 for NON-ICU per diem nurses; however, a CCRN earns me a $3,000 differential each year--as would a Med-Surg certification for a med-surg RN.

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We dont get any extra money.

We do get to do about 75% of the IV starts on the Med Surge floor, we get to go to all the codes, we get to assist with any procedures on Med Surge that the nurses are having trouble with as in NG and Foley placements. We get to read and anaylize all the teles that are on the med surge side then consult with the MS nurse about any changes in those teles and question any meds that paitent may be on etc etc etc.

And we get to float to the ICU on a regular basis because they can't seem to keep staff happy over there, seems they are always thinking it's easier everywhere else in the hospital but on ICU, so they leave in search of the "better" arrangement. Which leaves them short enough to call on us "lesser than" (med-surg) nurses all the time....but we don't see any extra money.

In times of low census, our ICU nurses would rather call out sick than risk being floated to a med-surg where they'd have to take a full assignment. We can't do that, but we don't get paid any extra money for NOT doing that little trick.

I can't imagine ever calling on the ICU to get in a foley or NG. Ever.

We never see an ICU nurse on our floor unless it's a rare float, to pick up a patient load they complain about (too many! too much!), and we have to help them carry that load...but we don't see any extra money, either.

The "I'm better than you because I work the ICU" mentality is pretty useless, IMHO.

Point is, as hopefully now you see, the grass is always greener on the other side!

To the OP: our ICU doesn't get any monetary differential, just privileges the rest of us don't seem to get.

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