Highlands Behavioral Health System
Health system employer · Based in Littleton, CO
On the floor
What the day-to-day looks like
- Shifts hiring now
- Days 2
Benefits
Full-time nights posting lists medical, dental, vision, retirement, and PTO; facility social posts mention tuition support, sign-on, referral, and shift/weekend differentials.
What stands out
New graduates
Day and night Behavioral Health RN postings explicitly welcome new grads into this 86-bed acute psychiatric hospital in Littleton.
As of 2026Source 1: linkedin.comSource 2: ziprecruiter.comSource 3: glassdoor.com
Experienced nurses
Posted RN Behavioral Health pay runs $38.87–$58.31 an hour with shift differentials, plus up to a $10,000 sign-on on days and a $10,000 retention bonus.
As of 2026Source 1: ziprecruiter.comSource 2: linkedin.comSource 3: facebook.com
Experienced nurses
Days run as 12-hour shifts 7am–7:30pm with rotating weekends; nights are also posted, and RNs note flexible hours and OT pickup.
As of 2026Source 1: linkedin.comSource 2: glassdoor.comSource 3: ziprecruiter.com
Moving here
You work an 86-bed acute psychiatric hospital at 8565 S Poplar Way in Littleton, with a typical local commute around 24 minutes and downtown and mountain access nearby.
More about working here
New graduates
Full-time nights postings list medical, dental, vision, retirement, and PTO, and facility posts also mention tuition support.
Experienced nurses
Some nurses describe coworkers, the patient population, and a central location as reasons the work still holds interest despite the pace.
As of 2020Source: indeed.com
Working conditions
- Scheduling
- 12-hour day shifts 7am-7:30pm with rotating weekends; flexible hours and OT pickup noted by RN review; nights role also posted
As of 2026Source 1: linkedin.comSource 2: glassdoor.comSource 3: ziprecruiter.com
- Pay and benefits
- RN Behavioral Health (Nights), new grads welcome; pay range $38.87-$58.31/hr with shift differentials
As of 2026Source: ziprecruiter.com
- Pay and benefits
- RN Behavioral Health Days; pay range $38.87-$58.31 per hour with shift differentials
As of 2026Source: ziprecruiter.com
- Pay and benefits
- Up to $10,000 sign-on bonus for Registered Nurse Behavioral Health Days
As of 2026Source: linkedin.com
- Pay and benefits
- Shift and weekend pay differentials mentioned by facility social post
As of 2026Source: facebook.com
- Pay and benefits
- Sign-on bonuses and referral bonuses mentioned on facility social post
As of 2026Source: facebook.com
Starting out and growing here
The city
Living in Highlands Ranch, CO
Highlands Ranch is a master-planned suburb just south of Denver, offering relocating RNs a quiet, family-friendly base camp. Known for its extensive trail networks and green spaces, the community features the Rocky Mountain foothills as a daily backdrop, blending suburban comfort with quick access to outdoor recreation and major metro healthcare systems.
Browse roles in Highlands Ranch
- State price level · Colorado
- 3% above the national average
- State index 103.1 (100 = national)
- Median gross rent
- $2,531/mo
- rent and tenant-paid utilities
- Median household income
- $159,307/yr
- all local households, not nurse pay
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · 2024 Regional Price Parities · Census ACS 2024
Who they are
You would be a Behavioral Health RN at Highlands Behavioral Health System, an 86-bed acute care psychiatric hospital at 8565 S Poplar Way in Littleton, Colorado.
- Hiring days
- Sign-on bonus · 2 roles
More about Highlands Behavioral Health System
Day shifts are posted as 12 hours, 7am–7:30pm with rotating weekends; nights are posted too, and new grads are explicitly welcomed on both. Posted pay for RN Behavioral Health sits in a $38.87–$58.31 hourly range with shift differentials. Days roles have been advertised with up to a $10,000 sign-on, and a $10,000 retention bonus for RNs is also listed, along with medical, dental, vision, retirement, and PTO on full-time nights postings. The work is real acute psych in a smaller freestanding hospital. Staffing numbers and recent reviews point to thin coverage—CMS staffing grade D, roughly 0.44 RN per bed and 2.4 HPPD—and some nurses describe one RN and one BHT on a whole unit. If you want psych volume close to Denver with a clear posted pay band and an open door for new grads, this is the setting; go in with eyes open on workload.
Working here
Culture and working life
Themes from public reviews
Summaries of published reviews, with the original sources.
- Overall poor employee ratings
- Glassdoor overall about 1.9/5 from 43 reviews; only ~12% would recommend; low scores for management and culture.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
- Understaffing and burnout
- RN review cites understaffing and burnout while praising flexible hours and OT; BHT review says facility is going downhill and understaffed.
- Indeed overall ratings low
- Indeed overall 2.4/5 from 71 reviews; work-life 2.6, pay/benefits 2.5, management 2.1, culture 2.2.
As of 2026Source: indeed.com
More review themes
- Severe unit understaffing
- Recent BHT review describes one BHT and one nurse covering a whole unit and calls the job very difficult.
As of 2026Source: indeed.com
- Positive patient population and coworkers
- Acute care psych RN review likes coworkers, patient population, knowledgeable staff, central location, and work-life balance.
As of 2020Source: indeed.com
- Nurse-BHT role tension
- Former BHT says nurses treat techs poorly while techs do more direct patient work.
As of 2025Source: glassdoor.com
- Salary negotiable for some roles
- Director review notes ability to negotiate salary with effort.
As of 2025Source: glassdoor.com
What to weigh
Staffing is thin—CMS staffing grade D with about 0.44 RN per bed and 2.4 HPPD, and recent reviews describe one nurse and one BHT covering a whole unit, with Glassdoor around 1.9/5 and Indeed around 2.4/5.
As of 2026 · 2025Source 1: allnurses.comSource 2: indeed.comSource 3: glassdoor.comSource 4: glassdoor.comSource 5: glassdoor.com
The reality check
Before you decide
Quick facts
- Relationship
- Umbrella organization
- Roles last seen active
- Sep 5, 2026
Weighing a first job here?
The license clock and the job hunt run at once, and new-grad windows do the deciding. Residency commitments carry fine print worth reading before you sign.
Work here?
This page is built from public postings and employer research. Help us get it right: corrections, photos, and the story of the floor itself.
Improve this page →The units
A closer look at the units
Open counts come from the live roles below. Source links show where unit details were reported.
- PsychDays 2new grads2 open
Behavioral Health / Acute Psychiatric
Employer posting describes an 86-bed acute care psychiatric hospital in Littleton, CO for RN Behavioral Health roles.
- Equipment and technology
- 86-bed acute care psychiatric hospital
Behavioral Health / Psychiatric
allnurses lists CMS staffing grade D, RN per bed 0.44, nursing HPPD 2.4, daily census 56, occupancy ~64-62%.
- Reported ratio
- RN per bed 0.44; HPPD 2.4
- Equipment and technology
- Psychiatric; CMS Grade D staffing
Behavioral Health units (BHT/RN)
Indeed review states facility severely understaffed; one BHT and one nurse often cover an entire unit.
- Reported ratio
- 1 BHT and 1 nurse per entire unit (reported)
Open roles
Roles from Highlands Behavioral Health System
Refreshed throughout the day.
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) - Behavioral Health Setting - Day Shift
$32/hr
Highlands Ranch, CO · Posted 6 days ago
- Sign-on bonus
- LPN
- 12-hour days
- Tuition reimbursement
Registered Nurse (New Grads Welcome!) - Behavioral Health - Days
$39/hr
Littleton, CO
- Sign-on bonus
- RN
- 12-hour days
- +$4/hr differential
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