Speciality Differential?

purplemania, BSN, RN · Feb 6, 2003

critical care nurses in our facility receive a differential (ICU, ER) but not OR. Not everything that occurs in OR is critical.

altomga, ADN, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, APRN · Feb 6, 2003

doesn't matter where you work at my hospital...you get paid base pay + whatever annual raise gives you. Speciality doesn't give you anything extra

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 6, 2003

not either place i work. a nurse is a nurse is a nurse, i guess and if you think about it, we are ALL "specialty nurses" in our respective areas as it is. I am not sure it would be fair to pay specialty differentials at all.

delirium · Feb 6, 2003

The hospital where I work pays incentives for specialty CERTIFICATIONS, such as the CCRN, CEN, yada yada yada. Those RNs who work in specialty areas but do not have the certifications are not paid extra.

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 6, 2003

good point, Reb. Those holding certs make a bit more here too. But just cause I work in OB does not mean I make more than a med-surg nurse on the floor downstairs. I have no problem w/that.

OBNURSEHEATHER · Feb 6, 2003

I think that extra pay for extra certifications is good (which they don't make on my floor - real incentive to do it - eh?) but I don't think you should get paid more for working in a specialty area. As far as I'm concerned, med/surg is it's own specialty, as is every other type of nursing. So if you're gonna pay one of them more, you should pay them all more (now THERE'S an idea!)

Heather

kaycee · Feb 6, 2003

We don't get paid extra for any specialty where I work. I agree with that as has already been said every area is a specialty in it's own right. However they don't pay extra for CEN or CCRN either so why bother as Heather said!

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 6, 2003

My hospital went to paying a differential for ICU's and ED about a year ago after much agonizing soul searching. The reason for the differential was/is NOT because anyone believes those nurses are better or work harder, etc. It is simply that we have a shortage in those areas but not on our general care units. Our general care units have little trouble recruiting & retaining staff, but our ICU's and ED are always short-staffed. The extra money was an attemp to lure people to those areas and encourage the existing staff to stay. It's too soon to tell if it has worked.

llg

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2003

We have "pay for skill" so the more skills a person has the more money (in theory). i.e. certification gets you .50, ACLS gets you .50, a BSN gets you .50, other skills like precepting, doing charge, etc. are built in.

But we don't pay differentials for specialty areas.

But with the critical care nurse shortage more acute in some areas than the other nurses, I can see why they would offer it.

RNforLongTime · Feb 7, 2003

No differential for specialty units in my facility either. They are considering giving a differential for CCRN, CEN, etc once you are on a certain rung on the clinical ladder, I'm at the bottom of the ladder right now and won't be moved up until I have received Open Heart Orientation, which probably won't be for another 6 months at LEAST! I work in a Cardiovascular/Trauma/Surgical ICU Or as one of the CV surgeons likes to call it

Surgical

Heart

Intensive

Trauma

Orthopedic

Neurologic

Unit!!!!

Hee-hee!

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2003

Sorry Guys,

We are all specialists - we all deserve the pay.