RN, Registered Nurse | Medical Psychiatric Unit
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Emplify Health by Gundersen is seeking a Registered Nurse to join our 22-bed Medical Psychiatric Unit.
Posted Oct 1 · New grads welcomed
- Shift and hours
- 8-hour day and PM shifts · rotating day and PM shifts Rotating 8-hour rotating day (6:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) and PM (2:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.) shifts24 hours a week
- Unit and setting
- Medical Psychiatric Unit · Hospital Provide Love + Medicine to patients with neuropsychiatric diagnoses, including dementia, autism spectrum disorder, Huntington's disease, and geropsychiatric conditions.
- License
- RN licenseCurrent RN licensure in Wisconsin upon hire
- Term
- Permanent 0.6 FTE | 48 hours every two weeks0.6 FTE
Do you qualify?
- New grads
- Welcomed New graduate and experienced RNs are encouraged to apply
- License
- Current RN licensure in Wisconsin upon hire Check your license
- Certification
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification for Healthcare Providers
- Education
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) required; BSN preferred
Preferred
- Education
- BSN
Your six-month RN application plan
Start about six months before graduation. Some programs open earlier; use each employer’s application dates.
6 months before
Shortlist units
Check application windows. Gather clinical experience, references and your expected graduation date.
Find residencies →4–6 months before
Apply as windows open
Apply before graduation when the program allows it. Keep the cohort date and license deadline with each application.
Explore new grad jobs →2–3 months before
Meet the unit manager
Ask about overtime, a shadow shift, preceptor continuity and the schedule after orientation.
Prepare your questions →Around graduation
Confirm your start
Coordinate NCLEX, the required license and your start date. Get relocation and repayment terms in writing.
Plan your license →
Why start this early?
Advocate describes a 6–9 month application runway for several regional RN programs. These milestones are a planning guide, not deadlines for every employer. See program calendars.
What it pays
- Against similar roles
- In range for La Crosse staff RN rolesLa Crosse staff RN postings that state pay run $32/hr to $39/hr, the middle half $32/hr to $39/hr, across 71 postings.
- Pay differential
- Shift, weekend, and holiday differentials Shift, weekend, and holiday differentials
- Extra pay
- shift, weekend, and holiday differentials
- Pay reviews
- additional compensation for experience Starting pay of $38.96/hour, plus additional compensation for experience
Benefits
- Benefitscompetitive retirement benefitsCompetitive retirement and healthcare benefits
- Benefitscompetitive healthcare benefits
- BenefitsCareer Development Center and Tuition Investment ProgramCareer growth opportunities through our Career Development Center and Tuition Investment Program
- Health insurance
- Opportunities for advancement
- Retirement plan
More benefits (2)
- Tuition Investment Program
- Career Development Center
The role and schedule
- Patients
- patients with neuropsychiatric diagnoses, including dementia, autism spectrum disorder, Huntington's disease, and geropsychiatric conditions Provide Love + Medicine to patients with neuropsychiatric diagnoses, including dementia, autism spectrum disorder, Huntington's disease, and geropsychiatric conditions.
- Day to day
- care for patients with medical and behavioral health needs, including substance use disorders and withdrawal management Care for patients with medical and behavioral health needs, including substance use disorders, withdrawal management, and co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions.
- Day to day
- develop specialized skills in coordinated, patient-centered care for medical and behavioral health needs Develop specialized skills in caring for patients whose medical and behavioral health needs require a coordinated, patient-centered approach.
- Day to day
- collaborate with an interdisciplinary team including hospitalists, psychiatrists, RNs, CNAs, social workers, and recreational therapists Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team that includes hospitalists, psychiatrists, RNs, CNAs, social workers, recreational therapists, and other healthcare professionals.
- Cross-training
- medical-surgical and psychiatric care
- Unit size
- 22-bed unit Emplify Health by Gundersen is seeking a Registered Nurse to join our 22-bed Medical Psychiatric Unit.
- Weekends
- every other weekend Every other weekend and three holidays per year
- Holidays
- three holidays per year
The workplace
Worth asking
- Can you walk me through base pay range?
- What should I expect for holiday, call, and rotation?
More questions to askFewer questions
- What orientation, preceptor time, and ongoing unit support are included?
- How are patient load, floating, and staffing support handled day to day?
Your fit
On your path
Psychiatric is open from year one. Behavioral health spans inpatient, emergency, and community settings.
Original listing
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Love + medicine is who we are, it's what we do, it's why people want to work here. If you’re looking for a job to love, apply today.
Scheduled Weekly Hours
24
Registered Nurse | Medical Psychiatric Unit
Emplify Health by Gundersen is seeking a Registered Nurse to join our 22-bed Medical Psychiatric Unit. This unique nursing opportunity allows you to provide both medical-surgical and psychiatric care while making a meaningful impact on patients and families in the beautiful Coulee Region of La Crosse, Wisconsin.
What You Will Work
- 0.6 FTE | 48 hours every two weeks
- Rotating 8-hour rotating day (6:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) and PM (2:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.) shifts
- Every other weekend and three holidays per year
Questions? Self-schedule a time to chat with a Nurse Recruiter
What You Will Do
- Provide Love + Medicine to patients with neuropsychiatric diagnoses, including dementia, autism spectrum disorder, Huntington's disease, and geropsychiatric conditions.
- Care for patients with medical and behavioral health needs, including substance use disorders, withdrawal management, and co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions.
- Develop specialized skills in caring for patients whose medical and behavioral health needs require a coordinated, patient-centered approach.
Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team that includes hospitalists, psychiatrists, RNs, CNAs, social workers, recreational therapists, and other healthcare professionals.
What You Will Get
- Starting pay of $38.96/hour, plus additional compensation for experience
- Shift, weekend, and holiday differentials
- Competitive retirement and healthcare benefits
- Career growth opportunities through our Career Development Center and Tuition Investment Program
- Daily support from your Clinical Manager, Professional Development Nurse, and Clinical Nurse Leader
- Opportunities to influence nursing practice through Nursing Shared Governance Councils
- A collaborative and supportive team environment where both new and experienced nurses can thrive
Exposure to a unique patient population that strengthens assessment, communication, behavioral health, and critical thinking skills
What You Need
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) required; BSN preferred
- Current RN licensure in Wisconsin upon hire
- Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification for Healthcare Providers
New graduate and experienced RNs are encouraged to apply
Why Join Emplify Health by Gundersen?
We're not just filling positions, we're building careers. At Emplify Health, we care for our teams while they care for their communities. Whether you are just starting out or looking for a change, Emplify Health supports you now and into the future. Join us and discover how a little empathy changes everything.
Join our mission to inspire your best life by relentlessly caring, learning, and innovating while making a meaningful difference as a Registered Nurse on our Medical Psychiatric Unit.
Emplify Health, a partnership of Bellin Health and Gundersen Health System, is a leading not-for-profit, patient-centered healthcare network based in Green Bay and La Crosse, Wisconsin. With 11 hospitals and more than 100 clinics, we serve communities across Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Join us in making a meaningful difference in the lives of our patients and communities.
Equal Opportunity Employer
I f you need assistance with any portion of the application or have questions about the position, please contact HR-Recruitment@gundersenhealth.org or call 608-775-0267.
We inspire your best life by relentlessly caring, learning and innovating. This is our purpose. Together with our values — belonging, respect, excellence, accountability, teamwork and humility — our pillars set our foundation and our future.
Equal Opportunity Employer
What's around it?
La Crosse, WIFrom Census ACS 2024.
Living costs about 8% below the US average
- Median rent
- $1,010/mo
- Household income
- $55,866/yr, all local households, not nurse pay