East Tennessee Children's Hospital
Specialty hospital in Knoxville, TN
- Hiring days and nights
From 4 postings and nurse reviews · Employer research Sep 17, 2026Sources
The short version
A nonprofit children's hospital open since 1937, running roughly 90 specialized pediatric services and an emergency department that sees more than 70,000 kids a year.
Employer research, Sep 17, 2026
Short-term 13-week RN assignments pay an elevated flat rate, and the tradeoff is stated plainly: those assignments are not benefit eligible.
For travel nursesSources
Scheduling runs on 12-hour day and night rotations, with weekend-only evening/night blocks like 5p-5a available.
For experienced nursesSources
The hospital points to career advancement and upskilling programs for nurses moving into higher-level roles.
For new gradsSources
As of 2026-09-17Source: glassdoor.com
Who it fits
Best fit
- ER nurses: 2 of 4 roles
Nursing here
- Career development
Offers career advancement and upskilling programs to support progression into higher positions.
East Tennessee Children's Hospital · employer research
Sources
As of 2026-09-17Source: glassdoor.com- Charting system
Meditech, Epic
East Tennessee Children's Hospital · employer research
- Scheduling
12-hour shifts for day and night rotations; weekend-only evening/night schedules (e.g., 5p-5a) available; flexible scheduling frequently noted in staff reviews.
East Tennessee Children's Hospital · employer research
Sources
Benefits
Benefits noted include paid sick leave per staff feedback, career advancement programs, and shift differential and overtime eligibility on temporary RN assignments. Thirteen-week short-term assignments pay an elevated flat rate and are not benefit eligible.
Published pay and benefits
- Sign-on bonus
$10,000.00
Sign-on bonus for full-time night shift Registered Nurse (RN) in PICU with 2 years ICU experience (PICU preferred)
As of 2026-09-17
- Sign-on bonus
$10,000.00
Sign-on bonus for full-time night shift Registered Nurse (RN) in NICU with at least 2 years experience
As of 2026-09-17
- Benefits
Elevated flat rate for temporary short-term (13-week) RN assignments; not benefit eligible
As of 2026-09-17
Units hiring now
- ERDays 1 · Nights 12 open
- PICUDays 1 · Nights 12 open
Emergency Department
East Tennessee Children's Hospital · Knoxville, TN
ED treats over 70,000 pediatric patients annually.
Sources
What nurses say
Themes from public reviews
Summaries of published reviews, with the original sources.
- Compensation dissatisfaction
- Staff widely report that wages lag behind competing regional systems, creating staffing turnover, though some note local hospital rates are similar.
Sources
- Workplace culture and mission
- Employees deeply value caring for pediatric patients and highlight supportive teamwork and camaraderie across units.
Sources
As of 2026-04-24Source: glassdoor.com- Senior leadership communication
- Reviewers express frustration with a perceived divide between executive management and frontline staff, pointing to recent cultural shifts.
Sources
As of 2026-04-23Source: glassdoor.com
More review themes
- Breaks and rest
- Surveyed workers largely state that employee breaks are unpaid during shifts.
Sources
As of 2026-04-01Source: breakroom.cc
The hard parts
Staff reviews repeatedly say wages trail competing regional systems and that turnover follows, and surveyed workers report breaks are unpaid.
Sources
What to ask
- How is base pay set for the role, and which differentials apply?
- Which shifts are open, and what are the weekend, holiday and call rules?
- How long is orientation, and will I have one preceptor?
- What is the usual patient load, and how often do nurses float?
Living in Knoxville, TN
Framed by the Great Smoky Mountains and the Tennessee River, Knoxville lets you step off a hospital shift straight into the Urban Wilderness or Market Square's patio scene. With a cost of living about 7% below the national average, your nursing paycheck stretches significantly further while keeping premier outdoor recreation right in your backyard.
Browse roles in Knoxville- Metro price level · Knoxville area
- 7% below the national average
- BEA index 92.6 (100 = national)
- Median gross rent
- $1,191/mo
- rent and tenant-paid utilities
- Median household income
- $54,039/yr
- all local households, not nurse pay
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · 2024 metro Regional Price Parities · Census ACS 2024
Common questions
Does East Tennessee Children's Hospital hire new grads?
1 of 4 roles asks for nursing experience, and none says it welcomes new grads.
Which shifts are open?
Of the 4 roles with a stated shift, 2 are day shifts and 2 are night shifts.
Which units are hiring?
ER (2) and PICU (2).
How do I apply?
Choose a role and press Apply. Your application comes to our team, we send it to East Tennessee Children's Hospital, and we tell you what happens next.
Current openings at East Tennessee Children's Hospital
- RN
- Nights (7p-7a)
- ADN accepted
- RN
- Full time, Days (9a-7p)
- ADN accepted
- RN
- Day shift
- ADN accepted
- RN
- 12-hour nights
- Travel contract
Sources
- breakroom.cc/en-us/jobs/listing/39642963-east-tennessee-childrens-hospital-registered-nurse-rn-nicu
The short version, Nursing here, What nurses say, The hard parts · as of 2026-09-17
- credenzahealth.com/healthcare-facilities/east-tennessee-children-s-hospital-1519754
The short version, Nursing here · as of 2026-09-17
- glassdoor.com/Reviews/East-Tennessee-Children-s-Hospital-Reviews-E28054.htm
The short version, Nursing here, What nurses say, The hard parts · as of 2026-09-17
- glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-East-Tennessee-Children-s-Hospital-EI_IE28054.11,45.htm
The short version, Nursing here · as of 2026-09-17
- glassdoor.com/Reviews/East-Tennessee-Children-s-Hospital-Pediatric-Nurse-Practitioner-Reviews-EI_IE28054.0,34_KO35,63.htm
What nurses say, The hard parts · as of 2026-04-24
Help improve this pageShare what it’s like, fix a detail, or add a useful photo.
Hiring here? List this unit.
Claim or manage this pageFrom nurses, to nurses
“We tried to imagine how loved ones for whom we might be solicitous would react were they in the place of the patients whom we hoped to serve.”
Keep some distance from the chronic complainers on your unit. Of everything that spreads in a hospital, negativity spreads fastest.