No Pay iincrease for new ACLS?TELE cert??

[RunnerNurse09, BSN, RN]

I currently work on a med-srug floor that will be going tele/medsurg. Of course we are required to get tele/acls certified for this. When I asked if we would get a pay raise I was told no. However, I have talked to some other RNs who work tele and they say they do get paid more.

I just want a general opinion from other tele/specialty nurses: Do YOU get paid more for your certs? Shouldnt I expect it with more work/ sicker pts?

[grandmawrinkle]

My hospital has NO differential for specialty areas. I have heard some do, but I think it's facility specific. I'm an ICU nurse, CCRN certified, etc. and I didn't get diddly squat for tele and ACLS - it's a job requirement. ACLS is pretty much mandatory for anyone that works on a floor with cardiac monitoring. My base pay is the same as someone with my years of experience that works on one of the rehab floors or on the inpatient hospice unit, which is much lower acuity.

The surgical ward in my hospital recently implemented tele and I don't think they got anything when this happened. They had to learn it and take tele patients if they wanted to keep their jobs. A lot more straight medical/surgical wards are starting to implement tele on their floors, I've heard of places where the entire hospital goes to tele.

Whether you are going to get sicker patients or not depends on what your hospital has planned for your ward. Some places that do tele will just watch the monitors, but a lot of them start taking drips (antiarrhythmics, etc.) after the nurses get trained in. You might want to ask your manager.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

In todays economy it doesn't surprise me that you will not be getting a raise. Should you? Of course.

Our "old" tele nurses get paid more. Those new ones being ACLS certified do not.

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I've never worked anywhere that pays extra for ACLS, TNCC, PALS etc. Our pay is based on experience, no difference in CCU, med surg, OR etc. We do get a whopping $1.00/hr for CCRN, CEN etc,...but only one cert pay,.so if you have three certs you still only get $1.00. BSN is only worth 50 cents!

[RNperdiem, RN]

No extra pay, but ACLS certifications and tele experience do make you more marketable in the job market.

The more skills you have, the more jobs you are eligible for.

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Our pay is based on years of experience, not the unit you work on, but we do get $1.00 for one specialty certification, $1 for BSN, $1 for MN. Any mandatory training such as ACLS is paid for.

I can't imagine trying to decide how much compensation for each unit: Med/surg versus, ICU versus ED, L&D, etc. We all work hard and have different skill sets.

It also seems like for higher acuity, nurses generally take a smaller patient load, so you could look at that as sort of compensation.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Never heard of a pay increase for ACLS or PALS. It is a job requirement and we're all happy to have jobs these days.

[caliotter3]

If it is a requirement, you shouldn't expect an increase. And most employers lately look for reasons to cut back on pay. These incentives would be a good target.

[ObtundedRN, BSN, RN]

My hospital doesn't give any additional pay. Its a job requirement, so if you want the job, you have to have it. Just like GrandmaWrinkle, my hospital doesn't give any pay differential for specialty areas. They pay for the ACLS class and the time you're in the class, but that's about it.

[belgarion]

I didn't even get an increase when I passed my one year anniversary. I'm not about to ask about a raise for the ACLS and PALS I completed a couple of months ago. Why go asking for a kick in the butt?

[April, RN, BSN, RN]

Even before the economy went downhill, my hospital didn't give raises for any certifications. I wouldn't expect a pay raise for something like ACLS. I will admit that at this point in my career, I wouldn't go for CCRN unless it came with a pay raise.

[APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP]

My hospital is trying to go for Magnet status, and they don't pay for additional certifications/training/experience. The only thing that is recognized for pay grade increases is education. ADN to BSN to MSN.