ICU pay differential?

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So I'm moving to our surgical ICU next month and have found out that I'm getting no pay increase for intensive care. I'm not the only one, the last couple of people I know to have transferred down there haven't gotten anything extra.

Is this happening anywhere else or is my hospital just ripping us off? I guess the rationale is that floor nurses are just as valuable in patient care......in which case we should be making the same as doctors too. I'm happy about moving but this has put a real damper on my anticipation.

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
Up until this year, our hospital DID pay more for intensive care nurses

I see. I was wondering why someone would expect an ICU differential, but if that's what your facility did (and I'm not saying I agree with the practice; I don't) I can see where you'd have that expectation

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Specializes in ICU.

Never seen an ICU differential myself, but I heard the hospital I used to work at had one two years ago (before I started). It was $5/hr... that's a lot of money. I could have used that.

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Thanks for the input. I guess it makes me feel a little better knowing it's not uncommon. Up until this year, our hospital DID pay more for intensive care nurses, and I thought it made sense. Most people around here are surprised there's no differential too, so it must be a regional thing I'm assuming.

Yes, floor nurses are just as valuable in the grand scheme of patient care, but intensive care nursing is more specialized. You are required advanced certifications and more specialized knowledge than general med/surg nurses. There's a reason floor nurses are never pulled to the unit when their staffing is short (where I work they're not anyway, unless they've had unit experience), but between all med/surg floors we float frequently (oncology, surgical, cardiac, medical, renal, etc). I never had a problem knowing the unit nurses made a higher base pay than me because I felt like they deserved it. It's not that they worked harder, but the job requires a different and usually more learned skill set. Also, intensive care experience makes you a more valued and versatile nurse on the job market.

The doctor comparison was a little sarcastic, but if the idea is that everyone is paid according to how valuable they are in the paradigm of patient care, then it's fair to say the doctors are just as dependent on us as we are on them.

Either way, I wasn't throwing a fit about it, to me it just made sense that a more specialized field would pay more.

Umm... I think you should be grateful that you are being given the privilege and PAID training to take care of your hospital's sickest patients. Yes, it is obviously specialized training, that they are paying for you to receive. You can take that training anywhere, to other facilities. I work in the ICU and I was very appreciative that I was given the opportunity and training which I think is more valuable than a 2 dollar differential. We are not required to have ACLS and my work only highly recommends getting certified after 2 years of experience, the M/S floor I worked on also strongly recommended getting certified as well after 2 years. And in my opinion, M/S is a lot more stressful and difficult to work and there is a high turnover because of it... and I think M/S deserves higher pay if anyone is getting a differential for the unit they work on!

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Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.
Umm... I think you should be grateful that you are being given the privilege and PAID training to take care of your hospital's sickest patients. Yes, it is obviously specialized training, that they are paying for you to receive. You can take that training anywhere, to other facilities. I work in the ICU and I was very appreciative that I was given the opportunity and training which I think is more valuable than a 2 dollar differential. We are not required to have ACLS and my work only highly recommends getting certified after 2 years of experience, the M/S floor I worked on also strongly recommended getting certified as well after 2 years. And in my opinion, M/S is a lot more stressful and difficult to work and there is a high turnover because of it... and I think M/S deserves higher pay if anyone is getting a differential for the unit they work on!

Umm ACLS not required? Seems like that hospital likes to cut corners, they won't pay for ACLS, not surprised they won't pay differential. Wouldn't want to be a patient there.

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.
Umm... I think you should be grateful that you are being given the privilege and PAID training to take care of your hospital's sickest patients. Yes, it is obviously specialized training, that they are paying for you to receive. You can take that training anywhere, to other facilities. I work in the ICU and I was very appreciative that I was given the opportunity and training which I think is more valuable than a 2 dollar differential. We are not required to have ACLS and my work only highly recommends getting certified after 2 years of experience, the M/S floor I worked on also strongly recommended getting certified as well after 2 years. And in my opinion, M/S is a lot more stressful and difficult to work and there is a high turnover because of it... and I think M/S deserves higher pay if anyone is getting a differential for the unit they work on!

Your ICU doesn't require ACLS?? That is terrifying!

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

I was a flight nurse and didn't get any extra pay.

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Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.
I was a flight nurse and didn't get any extra pay.

This is a shame, hazard pay should be industry standard there.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

They really don't have to pay extra to lure people into the job. Never mind the fact that I had to list my clergy of choice on a special form to use in case I smacked into the earth from 2000 feet.

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Speaking of certifications, I have been surprised that most acute care facilities are wanting some form of specialty certification and want that along with a BSN for entering the facility. I have been torn about a specialty certification, I want something kind of general that I will be able to use for the rest of my career. Any suggestions? I will be starting a weekend option position on a tele unit, so I am excited to return to acute care.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
Umm... I think you should be grateful that you are being given the privilege and PAID training to take care of your hospital's sickest patients.

I was at work last night thinking, "I can't believe I get to work here." :)

That is odd your ICU doesn't require ACLS though. Even the LTACH I used to work in required it after one year.

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Specializes in CCU, CVICU, Cath Lab, MICU, Endoscopy..

Different pay for critical care like icus, cathlabs, ir, er vs med surg. But then again its rough for both but medsurg can always call rapid response when the pt goes bad and they take over. The rest you run like a chicken head cutt off and hope you have good team players! So yes well worth it!

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Specializes in Quality, Cardiac Stepdown, MICU.

I was told basically that if I wanted a pay raise, I either needed to leave and come back, or change my status from FT to per diem and then switch back.

My hospital does pay $3 an hour for CCRN, so I'm working on that.

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