PICU Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Taking Call

Children’s hospitals across the country continue to adapt to meet the needs of the ever changing structure and demands of our nation’s healthcare.  Many of the PICUs nationwide are moving to 24-7 coverage because of the changes in resident/fellow hours, and the subject of Nurse Practitioners taking call has recently become a hot topic.  Many NPs who are unfamiliar with the changing structures have questions about what is now (or soon could be) expected of them.  Some questions include: Are NPs taking call from within the hospital?  Are NPs being asked to take call from home?  How are NPs being compensated for taking call?

As the leader in Pediatric Nurse Placement, Melnic Consulting Group ensures that all of their nursing candidates receive the best salary and benefits that appropriately correlate with the specifics of each job.  Without the proper knowledge of contracts, job candidates can easily overlook essential elements that advanced practice nurses are entitled to receive.  As the landscape of our healthcare system rapidly changes, it is also necessary to stay current on all employment aspects such as salary, expectations, scope of practice, benefits, insurance, etc.   

To gather insight on Pediatric Nurse Practitioners taking call, Jill Gilliland, President of Melnic, reached out to highly respected Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Judy Verger, currently working in the PICU at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  In response, Judy provided the following information:  “In the PICU at CHOP, we work all holidays (one summer, one winter.)  Nurse Practitioners get credit for the holiday if they work the night before the holiday, and the night and day of that holiday.  Off shift is not compensated for separately.  The reality is that it's part of working in an ICU, and at CHOP we do build that into the NP’s salary offer.  We require no more than an average of 1 weekend in a 4 week block, no more than 3 nights in a week, and no more than 9 nights in a 12 week block.  If our PNPs want to do more nights and weekends that is fine, but it is not mandated. They are also free to switch but they must do a minimum of 2 nights and 4 days in a 12 week block.”

Some children’s hospitals are currently hiring Pediatric Nurse Practitioners to work only nights or weekends. There are Nurse Practitioners who love that schedule, but they are few and far between. Due to the uniqueness of the schedule, it is important to keep those NPs engaged as part of the team.  While Melnic Consulting Group has not yet come across a job request for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners to take call from home, there are a few facilities that may already be testing it out.  This is a complicated process, and requires a well-defined plan and accountability structure. 

From nationwide salary research, in general, salaries for Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioners in the PICU with rotating shifts are around $90,000.  Salaries can range from $85,000, on the very low end, to $100,400, on the very high end.  Regarding compensation, most hospitals fall in line with the feedback provided by Judy Verger, from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  Melnic Consulting Group has worked with one individual hospital that offers a 10% call differential.  In the end, Pediatric Nurse Practitioners who are either taking call, or working a rotating shift, should be and generally are compensated with a higher salary. 

Are you a PNP with experience in the PICU?  Take a look at these PNP - PICU job opportunities: 

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, PICU, Experienced PNP-AC - Plano (Dallas), TX

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, PICU, Experienced PNP-AC - Baltimore, MD

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, PICU, Nights, Experienced PNP-AC - Baltimore, MD

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, PICU, Experienced PNP - AC - Fort Worth, TX

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, PICU/PCU (Step Down), Experienced PNP-AC - Philadelphia, PA

To inquire about these jobs visit Melnic Consulting Group or contact: Jill Gilliland 800-886-7906 jill@melnic.com