Critical care opportunities in Chicago

[nycreba]

HI all,

 

I'm strongly considering relocation to Chicago from the Washington DC area. I graduated from PA school in 2009 and have been working in critical care medicine since that time. Ideally, I'd be able to find a job in a major hospital in the greater Chicago area in a surgical ICU but I'd welcome some suggestions / feedback on the following:

 

- How's the climate right now for PA jobs in the Chicago area? PAs and NPs are used interchangeably (for the most part) at my facility and while some cities seem to have a bias, my sense has been they are both utilized in the major institutions in Chicago as well. Am I reading the room correctly there?

 

- Are salaries competitive? I'm used to an offshift differential and acuity differential in my current position and I realize these are the types of things that vary setting to setting

 

- How is the autonomy at the major medical centers? Has anyone had good experiences? Bad?

 

I welcome any input you have re: PAs in Chicago, in the critical care environment there, and about Chicago in general. :)

Thanks in advance.