Clinical Coordinator

Vegan_RN · Mar 28, 2013

A Clinical Coordinator is a huge responsibility. I'd have a very difficult time accepting it without extra compensation. You are in charge of all the patients. You have to keep reports of the trending of lab values, anemia management, new admissions, quality control reports, teammate schedules, quarterly reports, and oh so much more.

Marisette, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2013

Have you watched the Suze Orman show on television, the guru financial counselor? I don't recall everything she said about women and asking for a salary increase ... But the gist of it was that women should value their time, skills and contributions, and ask for a salary increase. I'm not sure what a clinical coordinator is, but suspect the non clinical coordinator, MBA or administrator sharing job responsibilities is getting paid well. Perhaps, you are being volunteered for the job, because you have been doing it without the title or the pay. It's time to ask for a salary increase if you are offered title. (I'm guessing you are female, if not disregard message).

Joni's Mom · Mar 30, 2013

Well, just today, I did agree to this position and I was told this is a (lateral) position meaning no pay increase.

I did ask for a raise and the management told me no, no pay increase because I was already doing it.

I was also told that if I didn't accept this title, that the other nurse who is in line to take my job, will be offered this position. I should have told her she could have it, now I feel like emailing my FA and telling her I thought about it and really don't feel right about this position it's not right for me. What are they going to do, but make my life miserable, and send me to another unit that's managed horrible.

Do I feel like I have been taken advantage of? YES

Do I feel like a loser? YES

Am I a female? YES

I was told that when my evaluation comes up in Sept. that they'll adjust my wage, to reflect a nurse of my experience. I'm not holding my breath. I'm sure it will be a whopping 48 cents, 2% increase and they'll think I should be so greatful for that since times are tough.

Seriously thinking of emailing my FA to cancel this position.

Now I don't know how long a person has to decline a position.

DialysisRN12 · Mar 30, 2013

Times are not that tough anymore, especially for experienced nurses. The Clinical Coordinator position is a another position with more responsibility and is not the same as being a Staff or Charge, and as such, you should be compensated appropriately. Management is taking advantage of the situation and using scare tactics (eg "other nurse will do it") to enforce compliance. Although dialysis is a small world, there are many opportunities. You have to follow your instinct and ultimately, do what is best for you and what you can live with.

Joni's Mom · Mar 30, 2013

They mentioned that they need that title on the paycheck in case they get checked up from the state or other entities that indeed there is a clinical coordinator at this facility. Again they both said I will be doing nothing different than what I have been doing such as monitoring lab trends, vital signs, weight and such, I am the anemia manager, infection control manager, adequacy manager, back up FA, head nurse and more that I can't remember.

I already agreed to this position on Friday, don't know if I can refuse anymore.

I guess it will look good on my resume.

Yes I do know that management is taking advantage of me, since this position was posted. I did get in touch with the recruiter,the one that called me at the facility, but one of the managers got in touch with him first and he would only say I needed to talk with R and B and why was I not talking with R and B, I told him R said that this position would not pay anymore and that she said I was already doing this job so why would I receive an increase in wage. I asked him if he could at least tell me the job class or grade and he again said I needed to talk with R and B about that. So no help from him. I asked if R contacted him and he did say yes.

I don't know where to go from here, except I agreed to this position.

Thanks for responding

Marisette, BSN, RN · Apr 2, 2013

I just can't imagine working for an FA, having a large load of clinical responsibilities, and not getting compensated for it. I don't know what the FA responsibilities are, never having worked with one. However the, facility administrator, non nursing, position appears like a way to take advantage of an RN. If you are mostly happy in your present position and already performing the job, you may want to continue working with the coordinator title for awhile, so you can use it if you decide to apply for another position in the future. Working for Corporate America today, is almost like swimming with the sharks. I was asked to train my replacement for a position once. Of course, I refused to do it. Too bad it didn't work out for the company or my replacement.

Joni's Mom · Apr 2, 2013

That's what I thought just continue working with the Clinical Coordinator title for awhile and I plan on applying elsewhere d/t the fact that I can't take too much more titles with no pay. Who can be happy when you know that your being taken advantage of.

I am told over and over again that this is not the way this company is suppose to run, but there is no one that I can turn to. Why is there such a tight budget for some facilities, and others can have a larger budget where they can hire a separate Clinical Coordinator which is suppose to make there own 60,000 to 70,000 per year, and why do they even have a recruiter if he is not there to protect the employee.

NDXUFan · Apr 2, 2013

As an Economics major, I would not take the position, if there was not a big jump in compensation. Tons of extra work for no money, no way. This sounds like a company that only cares about what you can do for them, not vice versa. If you cannot tell these people to fly to the moon, right away, do the job while looking for another one. Yes, I have been in management and once, the higher ups wanted me to take a higher position as Head Supervisor of 7 locations, for a very small increase in pay. I knew the guy that was leaving and he told me it was not worth it, so I told them, "forget it." I do have a life and I was not going to tolerate being called, 24/7, for a small increase in salary, not going to happen. Yes, I could have done the job, but, the small increase in pay was not worth the major hassles. Yes, it was a great title, but, not worth it in the end.

NDXUFan · Apr 2, 2013

The recruiter and HR are there to protect the company, not the employees. Trust me.

NDXUFan · Apr 2, 2013

Times are not that tough anymore, especially for experienced nurses. The Clinical Coordinator position is a another position with more responsibility and is not the same as being a Staff or Charge, and as such, you should be compensated appropriately. Management is taking advantage of the situation and using scare tactics (eg "other nurse will do it") to enforce compliance. Although dialysis is a small world, there are many opportunities. You have to follow your instinct and ultimately, do what is best for you and what you can live with.

Exactly, 100 percent agreement. If the other Nurse will do it, I say, "Let her or him." You do not need more titles for the same amount of money. If you are not satisfied in how they are treating you, know your worth, and start going up the chain of command. If you have the skills and experience, and it sounds like you do, explain to the powers in charge, that it is tough to replace skills and experience. In other words, training costs money and firing people is very expensive, have heard that from many CEO's. You could also pay an excellent attorney to negotiate for you or pay that attorney to teach you the skills of negotiation. If it is for a big salary increase over many years, it is worth it. I would hire a business attorney or employment attorney to go to bat for you. Yes, it is done in law enforcement. In a major county, correction officers hired an outstanding attorney to work for them to deal with the sheriff in a Union contract. Not sure if you are an At-Will- Employee? You can call the local bar office for a reference. Most attorneys will let you consult with them for free in the first office visit or for a very minor fee of $50.00 or somewhere in that ballpark.

Marisette, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2013

Why are some facilities willing to hire more employees or clinical coordinators and pay them well, and other facilities choose not to hire and compensate appropriately. I suspect some of the management is getting a huge bonus for the facility coming under budget. These large companies can be different depending in which state, and county that you work. I was in a situation once where I was given a very high nurse to patient ratio, and I went to my managers and discussed my concern for quality care and safety. I left the position because they ignored my objections. They hired someone to do my old job and that RN quit three months later. So management hired One RN and a technician to perform the job . Still, quality goals and "production" was not what they wanted. They hired another RN so now they have two RN's and one technician performing the job, I was asked to perform. I was working 10 hr days, six days a week and stressed to the max. I was ultimately hurt by the situation because I felt forced to quit my job. They hurt temporarily, but they were able to recover. There was a title to my position that I did not accept when initially offered to me. However, I went on to perform the job for years until I could no longer do so efficiently and decided to leave. I wish I had accepted the title so I could use it on my resume. My loyalty and hard work did not pay off. Perhaps, I sound ruthless. But my advise is take the position, work a few months with title and look elsewhere for a different employer if you are unhappy in that position. Don't bother training a replacement or provide helpful information, if you feel the need to leave. Don't burn bridges, but perhaps your too busy to give complete report during your last two weeks. They can use the savings on your salary, to train the next RN, or the next, or next. The coordinator position, anemia management, staff schedules, etc... does not sound like an easy job. Turnover may be high. But ultimately, they will find a suitable replacement.