cowgrl44

Hello to you . I have a background in acute care and not so much Psych, as far as full time, I do not know what the rates are, based on my years of nrsg(26+) day rate as flex staff is 29.00. Yours would probably be more. Since I haven't looked anywhere else for a job, I can only tell you that Fayetteville , Ar and Fort Smith have psych units the full time pay would be less because you would have benefits. I understand that Sparks Medical Center in Fort Smith has an outreach as well as a Geri-psych unit but I do not know the pay scale. Probably the Little Rock area would pay more and have more facilities. There are other units that are more like rehab and child and adolescent units, the last I heard Charter Vista was only paying 18.00 for full time psych nurses. Hope that is helpfull. You might try some of the travel nurse ads, they could give you a better idea and they would advertise in the Arkansas state board of nursing magazine. Good luck cowgrl44 :)

I also live in the River valley, pay is much higher in Fayetteville and Bentonville,I have 28 yrs exp but they don't compensate for anything over 8 yrs. I just resigned from an Ltach unit where my base rate was 24.00 plus 2.00 for evening, increasing to 3.00 after 11pm. The shift differential on weekends is 5.00. plus if you are charge another 2.00. BUT Fayetteville is paying 26.00 for day shift plus the shift diff and if you are in an icu or er it is much higher. I have worked agency at the same facilty that I later went core staff in (a sad mistake) for 33.00 plus shift diff. I would much rather work agency. No scheduling hassles If you don't have to have full time a good agency is a great way to learn where you really want to work.. Also Pysch nursing does not pay as much in Arkansas. Hope this helps :)

my state has no union. it is a right to work state. i have been harrassed and defamed by 2 nurses especially and the buddy of one of them. i have been charge at this facility for about 18 months, just got my evaluation which was fine and several small atta girls from my coworkers. i had a prn nurse try to take over care of my pt. telling me i needed to give meds to hers, my pt was in resp distress and a new admit, i refused (remember i am the charge nurse) while i am trying to get the admission assessment done, get the cultures and set up the fluids and meds. i get a phone call from my boss, who says don't get mad or upset but i need you to hand your pt over and clock out, i will pay you for the rest of the shift. (now ,i didn't call him)i can't send the other staff home, but i will deal with them later. i did what i was told. and guess what , i learn today that i am marked off the schedule and my documentation on my patient has disappeared. i do not want this job anymore anyway but since this is all being done without a word to me, and my documentation has disappeared ( i do have both the original and the notes on the pt, but not the official nurses notes that go in the chart) i am wondering just what they are trying to pull. i have called the companys hotline and will call human resources tommorrow. what do you think?? edited to add: posts split off from another thread so other much older thread could be closed.

My sympathy is with you, I am a very experienced nurse in an acute care setting,in fact in charge up until last night. We have a nurse who is a pathological liar and has had confrontations with familys and nearly every member of the staff. She spends all her time telling tales on the staff and the patients and their familys. we have had a paper trail a mile long on her and still no one will do anything about her. I have been lied about so many times and accused of wild things all of which have been proven to be unfounded , that I am resigning my position the work place, lay about and the gossips seem to be administrations favorite . people.