Erlanger Behavioral Health Hospital
Specialty hospital in Chattanooga, TN
- Sign-on bonus up to $15,000 on 4 roles
- Hiring days and rotating
From 4 postings and nurse reviews · Employer research Sep 22, 2026Sources
The short version
This is a behavioral health hospital where the posted RN starting rate is $36.00 an hour, and where staff reviews center on workload and safety rather than perks.
Employer research, Sep 22, 2026
Nurses here describe carrying 12 to 15 patients, so come in with a plan for how you triage and document under that load.
For experienced nursesSources
As of 2025-11-20Source: indeed.comReviews point to disorganized onboarding, which tends to matter less if you are used to landing on a unit and finding your own rhythm.
For travel nursesSources
As of 2026-08-12Source: indeed.comCoworker reviews are split: some call the floor staff friendly, others say the work is unevenly shared.
For experienced nursesSources
As of 2026-08-22Source: indeed.com
Who it fits
Best fit
- Psych nurses: 3 of 4 roles
Not a fit
- New grads: 2 of 4 roles ask for nursing experienceNew grad jobs near Chattanooga
Nursing here
Published pay and benefits
- Hourly pay
$36.00/hr
Starting pay for Registered Nurse (RN)
As of 2026-09-22
What nurses say
Themes from public reviews
Summaries of published reviews, with the original sources.
- Staffing and workload ratios
- Staff report severe understaffing and heavy patient loads, with nurses handling 12 to 15 patients each.
Sources
As of 2025-11-20Source: indeed.com- Workplace safety and security
- Multiple employees cite safety risks, lack of dedicated security personnel, patient aggression, and inadequate intake screening.
Sources
As of 2026-01-31Source: indeed.com- Management and organizational culture
- Reviews describe high leadership turnover, disorganized operations, favoritism, and an unsupportive management structure.
Sources
As of 2026-08-22Source: indeed.com
More review themes
- Training and onboarding
- Workers indicate that training for new hires is disorganized and insufficient for managing high-acuity behavioral health patients.
Sources
As of 2026-08-12Source: indeed.com- Peer teamwork
- While some reviewers praise friendly coworkers, others note an unequal distribution of work among floor staff.
Sources
As of 2026-08-22Source: indeed.com
The hard parts
Employees repeatedly raise safety concerns — patient aggression, no dedicated security presence, and intake screening that misses acuity — alongside heavy patient loads and leadership turnover.
Sources
As of 2026-01-31 · 2025-11-20 · 2026-08-22Source: indeed.com
What to ask
- How is base pay set for the role, and which differentials apply?
- When would a sign-on bonus have to be repaid?
- 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 Chattanooga, TN
Framed by Lookout Mountain and the Tennessee River, Chattanooga delivers an outdoor-first haven for nurses off the clock. Stroll across the Walnut Street Bridge, explore Southside dining, and settle into walkable Northshore. With a cost of living about 8.5% below the national average, your nursing paycheck stretches significantly further here.
Browse roles in Chattanooga- Metro price level · Chattanooga area
- 8% below the national average
- BEA index 91.5 (100 = national)
- Median gross rent
- $1,256/mo
- rent and tenant-paid utilities
- Median household income
- $64,523/yr
- all local households, not nurse pay
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · 2024 metro Regional Price Parities · Census ACS 2024
Common questions
Does Erlanger Behavioral Health Hospital hire new grads?
2 of 4 roles ask for nursing experience, and none says it welcomes new grads.
Is there a sign-on bonus?
Yes, on all 4 roles, up to $15,000.
Which shifts are open?
Of the 3 roles with a stated shift, 2 are day shifts and 1 is a rotating shift.
How do I apply?
Choose a role and press Apply. Your application comes to our team, we send it to Erlanger Behavioral Health Hospital, and we tell you what happens next.
Current openings at Erlanger Behavioral Health Hospital
- Sign-on bonus
- RN
- Sign-on bonus
- RN
- Days: 7:00am - 7:00pm Nights: 7:00pm - 7:00am
- Tuition reimbursement
- Sign-on bonus
- RN
- 12-hour rotating
- Tuition reimbursement
Registered Nurse (RN) - $15k Bonus
Chattanooga, TN
- Sign-on bonus
- RN
- 12-hour days
- Tuition reimbursement
Sources
- indeed.com/cmp/Erlanger-Behavioral-Health-Hospital/reviews
The short version, What nurses say, The hard parts · as of 2025-11-20
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
Let your preceptor finish explaining, then ask why. Understanding the reason will help you remember the next time.
A feed full of bad shifts isn't the whole picture of nursing. Ask people about the ordinary days, too.