Another new grad looking for your expertise.

Specialties NP

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

Hi there. I searched for this information and found good stuff on benefits and hourly rates, but there are a few odds and ends on which I'd appreciate some input from people who've negotiated contracts.

I graduate this spring and have been offered a few part time jobs. I'm interested because I like the variety. I expect that I may or may not have benefits, that my salary will go up or down depending on this, and that I can negotiate over these.

What I'm curious about is things like paying for licensure, DEA number, PTO, and education time/expenses. I appreciate that these are likely dependent on the market, which for psych in my area is pretty good (plenty of jobs, but not so many that we're printing our own money over here). If I work 15-20 hours per week, are there standard things I should expect to be refused or that I should definitely still expect to be able to negotiate for?

I've never negotiated a contract for employment (RNs are union here), but I want every dollar, hour, and benefit I can squeeze out of an employer. :)

Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.

HI, I looked at some of your other posts to see what NP specialty you chose, Psych NP. Well lately there do not seem to be enough Psych NPs, locally and from internet job forums in many parts of the country. Just visited Portland last September, beautiful country.

You should be able to find a couple of part time jobs that mesh and do not conflict. I currently have 5 part time jobs as a FNP & no I did not plan this, it just happened/evolved. The good thing is when one part time job is not working out, I manage to find another one to replace it.

I work at 2 different urgent cares, one is only 1-2 Sundays per month, the other 1-2 Sundays plus after hours from 6p-8p or when last patient is seen. I also started last year at local inpatient psych hospital doing the medical H&Ps/urgent care consults. Pretty interesting stuff you psych NPs do! Learning a ton, that started out one weekend per month and just now it will be 2 weekends per month as one of the NPs dropped out for a while as he has another full time job. I also work 2 days per week at an allergy/asthma/immunology clinic. That job actually replaced a part time teaching job at a "ahem" for profit LPN program, (what I learned about 'Proprietary Education' is the stuff people post about those for profit schools, what an eye opener that was, after having taught at the state university in a BSN program that requires a 3.0 GPA!!!) OK let's answer your questions. I do not have benefits but you may be able to get one employer to pay for one item (DEA is $731 for 5 years) or maybe offer to pay an amount towards a conference for example. I recently accessed the VA system for health care.

Try to get them to say you are an employee W-2 and not an independent contractor 1099. 1099 you pay all the federal/state/ss taxes. In New Mexico the state will also expect 8% Gross Receipts tax (yup they have come after me & a couple of other NPs in the past & they cleaned out my savings last time for about $8K in GRT). Unless you can get employer to issue a NTTC (Non taxable tax certificate which says gross receipts tax is paid by clinic so I will not have to pay it). Hourly salary for me ranges as W2 from $60, $65, & $90 but that will drop Feb 1 to $70 per hour. 1099 salary ranges from $60, $75. Full time locally for CEUs/CME 5 days to attend conference & $1500 is minimum (I attend an annual conference that is 3 days long, costs about $400 for the conference, plus hotel, & travel costs/time.) FT 2 weeks vaca with 5 days sick leave is standard. You did not ask about no-compete clauses but do not sign, EVER. I have seen them say the entire county which would have forced me to work in Texas for 2 years, one crazy contract I declined said if non compete was violated before 2 years you had to pay $50K! They also had a clause saying if you were ill & could not work for 30 days they terminated you, (& I am a cancer survivor). Full time salaries for FNPs start around $90K, $95-$100K, My friend who is a new Acute Care Gero NP just accepted an offer for $115K but she is expected to round at 2 hospitals, take call, work in the office some of the time and she does procedures such as central lines, chest tubes, intubate. Her skill set is way more then I do, I do not even suture, not mastered it. I grossed about $108K for 2015. If you do go 1099, you can expense mileage, cell phone bill if they call you on it/you use it to return calls while on duty, you can expense a home office if used for work.

Another friend when renewing her contract they would not raise her hourly salary but she was able to negotiate another week/5 days vacation. She is FNP doing Occupational Med/Disability/Workmen's Comp & as 1099 gets $70 hour. I just talked to a headhunter who is looking for PAs/NPs for a new project working with illegal immigrant children that will be sheltered in another town about 1.25 hours away& salary is $45/hour W2 which can sound low but is $94K annually. Anything is negotiable in this market. When the physician owner at one urgent care called me to ask if I could return to help out on weekends, I jokingly asked if I could get a raise (don't know what got into me!) he asked how much, "$5.00 per hour" & he agreed. Does not sound like much, but if I was full time that equals a $10,400 per year raise!!! Even if they agree to pay for half the DEA that's still a win for you. What about I pay my own through Marsh. Any idea what it will cost? Try to get employer to pay for this, if they won't you still need your own even if they say you are covered under their. Ask the insurance company what a tail policy will cost. PM me if you want more details. Congrats on this new journey. I have not seen JulesA on the board lately but she actually gives excellent advice on negotiations for NPs.

In addition to what Sailornurse said, if you're planning on just working part-time then you should expect that any benefits offered will not be great so go 1099 and max out on the hourly pay rate and whatever else you can get. Aim high, you would be surprised to know that you can get away with if you ask! The licenses, DEA, continuing ed, etc costs I wouldn't worry about so much because if the employer won't pay then you can pay it all yourself and take a tax deduction anyway.

Specializes in Behavioral Health.

Thank you both for your responses. I'll have to do some more research on 1099 and see what's best for me. I kind of hate the idea of figuring out massive tax deductions every year, but I can learn to do it if it's better. I'm a diabetic, so I have to get insurance somewhere, but for the first year I'll be covered by school. So, W2 may not be mandatory right off the bat... but if I plan to stay longer than a year I'd need to be thinking ahead.

Anyway, it sounds like everything is negotiable, and I just have to expect I won't get quite as much (e.g., maybe half of my DEA#) because I'd be part-time. So I'll aim high and haggle like I'm buying a new car. :)

Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
Thank you both for your responses. I'll have to do some more research on 1099 and see what's best for me. I kind of hate the idea of figuring out massive tax deductions every year, but I can learn to do it if it's better.

You are very welcome. It may be worth it to hire an accountant, ask around any NP's you run across to see if they recommend anyone. I hired one last year for the first time due to the 5 part time jobs, my sister is a CPA but she does not do taxes/tax law ( accountants also specialize just like nurses do). Prior to that I had always done my own taxes with turbo tax & she would review them, she taught me to do my own taxes since becoming an RN at 21. A good accountant will guide you, I cost me about $175 last year, so was worth it to me. He is the one that told me to track mileage to any 1099 jobs, etc. Good luck, keep us posted.

Specializes in Outpatient Psychiatry.

As a professional, you need an accountant. You'll do so much better financially.

As for perks, if you're merely part-time I cannot imagine an employer offering them. As a full-time Psych NP, you'd be in a position to leverage your demands in the present market.

Getting paid DEA is nice, and it's not cheap, but don't let that be a deal breaker. It really only equates out to 1-2 days salary depending on your income. Your time in CME should not be a designated bank of days but rather a fully paid work day. Paid CME is great. I shot for $1500 and got it, but honestly I can't find ways presently conducive to spending it. Pay for print journals with it. They're a blast and don't limit them or your CME to psych. You need to keep generally abreast of healthcare not necessarily to the point of PEs and PERC or latest and greatest erection pill.

Generally, in employment with

If you have to travel then get paid travel time. Mileage is a good bonus but don't drive unpaid. If you get a choice take the paid travel time.

1099 is not a great route. If you do this I STRONGLY suggest you talk with an estate planning attorney and develop your own trust and LLC.

Specializes in ER.

1099 is not a great route. If you do this I STRONGLY suggest you talk with an estate planning attorney and develop your own trust and LLC.

an estate planning attorney for a trust and LLC? Can you explain why?

Specializes in Behavioral Health.
As a professional, you need an accountant. You'll do so much better financially.

Yeah, I'm actively looking for one. Also someone who does medical contract law, to review any contracts for hidden pitfalls. My sister, a doctor, has someone, but she lives here and the position being offered is across the border in WA. A 20 minute drive, but the pesky Columbia river changes everything (including APRN -> ARNP).

As for perks, if you're merely part-time I cannot imagine an employer offering them. As a full-time Psych NP, you'd be in a position to leverage your demands in the present market.

I'm fine not getting everything I want... my goal was really to find out what the upper limit of benefits are for half-time work so that I have somewhere to start negotiating from, without appearing rude or irrational to the clinic by demanding the moon nor just accepting whatever they offer me.

Your time in CME should not be a designated bank of days but rather a fully paid work day. Paid CME is great. I shot for $1500 and got it, but honestly I can't find ways presently conducive to spending it.

You know, for $1500 you could subscribe to a few journals for a year. Individual articles seem dramatically overpriced. I've considered remaining a member of the APA (psychology) just for the journal discounts. If you're really having trouble, access to UpToDate is $500/year and automatically tracks articles you read for CMEs. :) I like the idea of having a bank of dollars rather than days, though. Thanks!

Specializes in Outpatient Psychiatry.

Money

Specializes in Outpatient Psychiatry.
Yeah, I'm actively looking for one. Also someone who does medical contract law, to review any contracts for hidden pitfalls. My sister, a doctor, has someone, but she lives here and the position being offered is across the border in WA. A 20 minute drive, but the pesky Columbia river changes everything (including APRN -> ARNP).

I'm fine not getting everything I want... my goal was really to find out what the upper limit of benefits are for half-time work so that I have somewhere to start negotiating from, without appearing rude or irrational to the clinic by demanding the moon nor just accepting whatever they offer me.

You know, for $1500 you could subscribe to a few journals for a year. Individual articles seem dramatically overpriced. I've considered remaining a member of the APA (psychology) just for the journal discounts. If you're really having trouble, access to UpToDate is $500/year and automatically tracks articles you read for CMEs. :) I like the idea of having a bank of dollars rather than days, though. Thanks!

I think you misunderstood. Get CME money but not a limited number of days to get it. Like schedule CME on a workday and get money from the class and get paid to gonlike a standa d workday

Specializes in Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Nursing.
Thank you both for your responses. I'll have to do some more research on 1099 and see what's best for me. I kind of hate the idea of figuring out massive tax deductions every year, but I can learn to do it if it's better. I'm a diabetic, so I have to get insurance somewhere, but for the first year I'll be covered by school. So, W2 may not be mandatory right off the bat... but if I plan to stay longer than a year I'd need to be thinking ahead.

Anyway, it sounds like everything is negotiable, and I just have to expect I won't get quite as much (e.g., maybe half of my DEA#) because I'd be part-time. So I'll aim high and haggle like I'm buying a new car. :)

Don't forget to check out state jobs for benefits for part-time jobs. My state will allow you to reap full-time medical and dental benefits for working a minimum of 17.5 hours per week. Then you can find private sector jobs to fill out rest of hours per week at much higher per diem pay rates that don't include benefits.

1099 can be more lucrative but you have to enjoy keeping meticulous accounts of your hours, expenses, taxes, pay quarterly estimated taxes, etc. But, you can enjoy some incredible write offs, potentially. I say potentially because if u know you're going to end up being sloppy with your books and tax planning then don't even bother and look to land W-2 jobs instead.

Specializes in Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Nursing.
Thank you both for your responses. I'll have to do some more research on 1099 and see what's best for me. I kind of hate the idea of figuring out massive tax deductions every year, but I can learn to do it if it's better. I'm a diabetic, so I have to get insurance somewhere, but for the first year I'll be covered by school. So, W2 may not be mandatory right off the bat... but if I plan to stay longer than a year I'd need to be thinking ahead.

Anyway, it sounds like everything is negotiable, and I just have to expect I won't get quite as much (e.g., maybe half of my DEA#) because I'd be part-time. So I'll aim high and haggle like I'm buying a new car. :)

Don't forget to check out state jobs for benefits for part-time jobs. My state will allow you to reap full-time medical and dental benefits for working a minimum of 17.5 hours per week. Then you can find private sector jobs to fill out rest of hours per week at much higher per diem pay rates that don't include benefits.

1099 can be more lucrative but you have to enjoy keeping meticulous accounts of your hours, expenses, taxes, pay quarterly estimated taxes, etc. But, you can enjoy some incredible write offs, potentially. I say potentially because if u know you're going to end up being sloppy with your books and tax planning then don't even bother and look to land W-2 jobs instead.

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