LTAC vs Medsurg salary

Specialties LTAC

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I am currently employed in an LTAC for a year now and earning 32 dollar/hour. I started there as a new grad with the rate of 29 and they gave me a salary adjustment after 3 months so my hourly is 32. Now that I have a year, I applied for Med-Surg in acute hospital and I got the job. However, they are only offering me 30.50 dollars/hour. Is this fair?? Why would they offer me less even if I had a year of experience? Help Please! I want to transfer to an acute hospital since the patient ratio is 1:5 rather than 1:8-10 in LTAC with LVN and CNA. Is it worth it to get that 1.50 dollar cut from my pay just to be in acute hospital?

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Your ratio in 1:8-10 with an LPN and an CNA? That's pretty good. In the hospital you will have all 5-7 by yourself and share a CNA with the entire floor. Hospitals do not count LTAC experience (out of ignorance) as acute care experience and they consider it equal to LTC/residential care, therefore, you will be paid as a new nurse with no experience.

I have found, in my experience, that LTAC's pay well because these patients are sick and you work hard, it at least gets help in the door. What do you feel the benefit of going to an acute care facility is? If you are going to med-surg you probably have taken care of more complex patients in the LTAC than most med-surg nurses. Does your LTAC have an ICU? have you though about that? What are you looking for?

Specializes in ICU.

I worked in an acute care hospital as an ICU nurse and in an LTACH as a nurse manager.

The new grad nurses in the LTACH were getting paid more than I was in the ICU, working there 5 years.

I really do not like how hospital discredit LTACH experience. Patients are being managed on drips and vents and don't get transferred out if they become ICU level. Some of these patients have always been ICU level, just long term ICU level.

I wish I could go back in time, and show my staff your ratio, if they had 5 its, they hemmed and hawed, but there were no LPN's.

What is your ultimate goal in an Acute Care hospital?

Specializes in PACU.

Generally speaking I'd rather work in an LTAC than on a med-surg floor. But to each his own. Consider what the pros and cons to you of each position are and make your choice.

It's fair for them to offer whatever pay they want (above minimum wage, anyway), whether it's $300/hr or $10/hr. They aren't forcing you to take the job.

The benefit is that I get less patients to worry about than 8-10 patients even if I have an LVN and CNA. I dont mind doing 1:5 as long as I only have 5 patients to worry about. Its too stressful in LTAC and the patient are very sick. My LTAC has an ICU. I am looking for a hospital where I can grow maybe I can go to ER or ICU. I heard that ICU in LTAC is considered DOU/tele in acute hospital. Where are you working now?

Specializes in ICU.

I would definitely try to transfer to the ICU of your LTACH.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
The benefit is that I get less patients to worry about than 8-10 patients even if I have an LVN and CNA. I don't mind doing 1:5 as long as I only have 5 patients to worry about. Its too stressful in LTAC and the patient are very sick. My LTAC has an ICU. I am looking for a hospital where I can grow maybe I can go to ER or ICU. I heard that ICU in LTAC is considered DOU/tele in acute hospital. Where are you working now?

Depending on your LTAC, but, the ICUs in the LLCs I am familiar with are hard core ICU's. The get all the ICU failure to weans from the hospital ICUs and open hearts that have had a complicated course. The ICU patients I have seen have drips, PA lines, a lines that ICU patients have in acute care. They are NOT tell patients (usually).

If you want ER or acute care ICU then take the position to get your foot in the door. They pay will be less because hospitals don't really know what LTAC are even though they send their sickest failures to discharge. LTAC patient do go home it just takes them longer.

I am not working now as I have a neuromuscular auto immune disorder for the last couple of years. The LTAC I am most familiar with is on the east coast in the north. I managed and supervised at the LTAC.

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