nicu cedar sinai

calinurse316 · Jan 6, 2005

anyone know anything about working at cedar cinai??? specifically nicu? how does this hospital treat thier nurses
pay scale?
where do nurses who work at cedar generally live-i.e. closest affordable location

Hi Madam, i work at Cedars Sinai. To start off with it depends what position you are starting out at, are you a new grade or do you already have experience? It really depends what floor you land on because the training they offer depends on who'se working with you. Cedars isn't a hospital known for its friendly newbie introductions so it would be pretty hard for a newbie to start out here. For that i may suggest UCLA medical center where they do train you. At Cedars you will have to know how to do everything on your own because you will be very lucky to find someone that is willing to help. The starting pay at cedars compensates for this because you start with around $30 an hour which is about upper middle salary for an RN in California. Some places start out with about $25 and there are some positions i've heard of where nurses make more than doctors. So the pay at Cedars is about the upper middle level for a starting nurse. The hospital is located in one of the best areas in America, Beverly Hills, and it just happens to be one of the most expencive. Houses start in the millions. West Hollywood is also close to Cedars, although it's a bit cheaper than Beverly Hills, the houses start in the lower millions. A lot of the nurses that work at Cedars come from the valley which is about 25 min drive away but you can find a cheaper residence there starting about in the 500's. I don't know how you will take the driving because i live next to Cedars so getting there is about 5 min away. The area is great, the Beverly Center across the street and the hospital is used to treating upper class patients, you won't find that many uninsured patients, although may come up once in a while. The NICU is advanced in Cedars, it is a Level 4 nursery so you will find the sickest of babies, but the staff does a great job and they use the latest equipment so it is very modernized and the babies normally make good recoveries. If you have any more questions feel free to PM me or post here.

wannabrockstar · Jan 6, 2005

hey thanks for replying to my message. i am looking at nicu. i have about 3 years experience in the adult population so i would be "new" in the nicu-i guess i am worried about how well they train you in nicu-w/ no nicu experience

fergus51 · Jan 6, 2005

How do you define a level 4 nicu? I have never heard that term used. As far as I knew level 3 was the sickest infants (we use level 4 as slang for heaven).

prmenrs, RN · Jan 6, 2005

A level 4 does ECMO, level 3 does not, I believe.

calinurse316 · Jan 6, 2005

Yes i you're right it is a level 3 NICU i made a typo.... but yes madam like i said the training there is not that great with the newbies, but who knows if you get lucky you will get a good department manager who will help you learn, like i said it really depends on the staff you are working with. Once again, any questions feel free to write, where are you at right now?

fergus51 · Jan 7, 2005

Thanks for the clarification. We still call our ecmo facilities level 3s.

qanda2 · Sep 30, 2005

newbie at cadars, forget about it. i worked at cedars and their policy at orientation was totally different from the floor. in orientation they promised you the world but reality stepped in and the promisses were false. shop around. there are many facilities that pay better than cedars and are not unionized. i hate the union.

Ishandra · Nov 9, 2005

I would very much appreciate any input as well. I am comparing the NICU at Cedars to a much closer community hospital.

Cedars is a III the community is a II (but a very big and busy II). The community pays about 20% more up front but Cedars says after training and certification and a raise it will be about the same in a year. Cedars also wants a 2 year commitment. Cedars makes you work 13 shifts vs the community hospitals 12. Both require nights but Cedars wants every other weekend, which is acceptable to me. They pay a $6.00 differential on night weekends.

Do you think the experience in a level III is worth it? As I am starting a little later in my nursing career (30's) I want to get the best training and be the best NICU nurse I can. What would you do?

NURSEK84 · Dec 21, 2005

Hello all, I am starting the Nursing program in February 2006. My mom is an RN as well and she has been at Cedars for over 10 years in the ER and she loves it. She worked at UCLA and every other hospital you can think of and she likes Cedars the most. We also live in the Valley, much cheaper, but a longer drive.

CaliRN29 · Dec 10, 2007

Hi ... I am applyiing for a L&D training position and Cedars just called to offer me an interview. I have 1 1/2 years adult ICU experience and after reading some of the posts on this website I am worried about working at Cedars! I want a really good training program so I can feel comfortable and supported ... any suggestions?!?! Thanks!

babycatcher7 · Jul 23, 2008

Wow! I am happy to see all of these message! Any information on Cedar Sinai would be really helpful to me right now. I am thinking about moving to LA and was interested in CS because their nurse residency begins in September. I was initially interested in NICU, but they only had room for me in L&D. After reading some of these posts though, it is not sounding like what I am looking for (in terms of pay or training)

Since I am a recent graduate and just got my RN I am really looking for a good new grad program in LA. My first choice is NICU, then L&D, then post partum. Does anyone have any suggestions on hospitals or positive experiences to share? thank you!