NP & PA payscale

Kibby · Sep 3, 2005

I am desparately seeking advice from someone who has been through the trenches. I have posted a couple of messages without response so I hope you guys don't mind that I impose here.

While working full-time, NICU, RN, BSN. I will soon be starting an NNP program and the hospital I work for will cover the costs in return for payment in working for them when I have completed my degree. However, the neonatologist group at the same hospital has offered to sponsor me and have one of their NNP's precept me throughout the NNP program also in lieu of working for them on completion of receiving certification. I am to meet with them next week to go over their offer.

My concern since I have never dealt with anything like this before: What do I need to be aware of, (i.e.), fair salary while attending school, tuition, books, health insurance, Liability Insurance, length of service after completion of school, etc.

Any advice, tips, etc. will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Kibby.

There's no such thing as a "scale". PAs/NPs around here (midwest) can do the same stuff for the most part (NPs a little more autonomous) so they get the same offers. Catch is the offers can vary from $50-$100+K/yr depending on a lot of things. You probably would be hard pressed to find anything over $70K the first year until you prove your worth. After that, it's all based on what you can generate (or it ought to be). Hospitals will try to put you in a salary then give you a 3% or so raise a year forever. Forget that! Negotiate with your employer whether they're a hospital, a doc, or otherwise after proving you generate a bundle of money (or not). You should be getting around 30-40% of what you bring into the practice. So, if you can generate only 100K/yr gross, then you're only worth 30-40K/yr. But, if you can generate $1,000,000/yr, then 300-400K/yr should be yours.
This is what I did and I got exactly what I asked for. You should make twice as much as the average NP/PA if you do this.

MS._Jen_RN, ASN, RN · Sep 19, 2005

While working full-time, NICU, RN, BSN. I will soon be starting an NNP program and the hospital I work for will cover the costs in return for payment in working for them when I have completed my degree. However, the neonatologist group at the same hospital has offered to sponsor me and have one of their NNP's precept me throughout the NNP program also in lieu of working for them on completion of receiving certification. I am to meet with them next week to go over their offer.
Thanks, Kibby.

OMG Kibby, I am so glad that I ran into your post and I am going to intrude too. I was thinking of trying to strike such a deal with my hospital and/or a practice here, but I had never heard of anybody doing it and didn't know how to go about it. Who did you approach at the hospital? What department? How? Did you have a written proposal? Is this a program that the hospital had already established? I plan to start my ACNP classes in Jan and your info might help a lot.

OMG!!! You have got to answer me . . .I'm Dying here!! (Ok, a little dramatic but you get the point, please let me know.)

~Jen

tizmonster · Sep 21, 2005

OMG Kibby, I am so glad that I ran into your post and I am going to intrude too. I was thinking of trying to strike such a deal with my hospital and/or a practice here, but I had never heard of anybody doing it and didn't know how to go about it. Who did you approach at the hospital? What department? How? Did you have a written proposal? Is this a program that the hospital had already established? I plan to start my ACNP classes in Jan and your info might help a lot.
OMG!!! You have got to answer me . . .I'm Dying here!! (Ok, a little dramatic but you get the point, please let me know.)
~Jen

Sorry about the timing of this response - I've had clients actually take RN's in a nephrology setting as a nurse manager, sponsor them (pay for their schooling), have them hired as a full time employee (clinical coordination working around their school schedule) and then upon completion of their NP, invite them into the practice as a nurse practitioner, after one year - they would participate in the practice revenues. It can be done. Hope that helps.

Nephrology is a great practice to pursue NP role.