Are starting wages negotiable?

[KSU-SN]

Hi I just verbally accepted a position as a RN Case Manager for visiting nurse services here in Ohio through a large hospital in the Akron area. When the woman from human resources told me the hourly wage I was stunned. She said it would be $25.50 per hour. They do also reimburse you $0.41 per mile. I make more than that now as a floor nurse at a hospital that I was told pays less than this Akron hospital. I was thinking I would be paid more in the $28/hr range.

I dislike the thought of getting less per hour and working more days per week. I work 3 days per week now and this new job is Monday-Friday. I was talking to my husband and he wasn't happy, he says I should talk to them about the wage and see if I can negotiate for a better hourly wage. Does $25.50 per hour sound about right for an RN Case Manager with home health and is that wage possibly negotiable?

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I believe some HR departments try to pay less for nurses not working directly with patients. They may see your job as more of a clerical nature, since rarely is there a nurse in HR. Yes, you can negotitate. Be sure to list what special attribute you have that qualify you for more pay. Try to find out what the market is in your area for that job. I had the same problem as an Educator. Wanted to pay me as Educator, not Nurse Educator. Finally reached a compromise, and 10 years later, have educated HR on why being a nurse is an asset to several types of jobs, including informatics.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Why not? All they can do is say no. Thinking you may have passed the window of opportunity by verbally accepting the initial rate.

[toomuchbaloney]

I agree, I would tell them what I minimally expect and then wait for them to respond.

Of course, you must be prepared for them to say no and then you have to decide...will you accept their anemic offer or will you wait for a more lucrative opportunity?

[Cheyenne RN,BSHS]

In all my years of nursing and having read salary surveys through the years, hospital nurses are usually paid more than any other group and the bedside nurse doing direct patient care gets the most by the time shift differentials and weekend and overtime are added in. This is a general rule of thumb.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Many nurses are willing to take a pay cut to get out of direct patient care. I think this is what you are seeing.

[Medic2BSN13, BSN, RN]

Yeah the negotiation generally and should come before you agree to an offer. It's not unheard of to negotiate after the fact, but you may risk losing the opportunity. As others have mentioned, try it to see what they say. You may be stuck at the offered amount or you may have to refuse the offer all together and stay where you are until another opportunity arises. Good luck!

[DoGoodThenGo]

For some time now bedside is where the one finds big money. This explains in some part why so many experienced nurses returned when the economy lost its collective mind and or aren't retiring/leaving.

Non hospital nursing employment in areas ranging from insurance to home care often paid less but then again many seeking those positions had reasons for seeking out of the bedside. Those reasons often provided enough compensation for any reduction in pay. That is if you want to work from home answering calls, want a 9-5 schedule with fixed days off and no weekends/nights, and so forth.

As for the balance of the OP's post normally but not always there is a salary range with each position. HR and or the person who runs a department often knows this number and will make wage offers within based upon certain criteria. That is a highly desirable candidate will receive an offer on the higher end versus others. All this often comes down to what sort of budget a place or department has to work with which determines what can be spent.

For what it is worth the following website gives $33/hour as the median for RN case managers in Akron, Ohio.

Salary.com Salary Wizard- Do you know what you're worth?

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

People usually leave the bed side for better schedules and less stress...rarely for more pay.

I would definitely try negotiating. The worst thing they can say is no.

[caliotter3]

Agree that you should have spoken up when she hit you with that offer. I knew case managers to get $28 an hour but that was 15 years ago.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

I can't speak to Akron area, but where I am it is standard for hospital nurses nurses to make considerably more than LTC and home health workers. Highest to lowest is generally hospital, SNF, LTC/Memory Care with Assisted Living and Home Health bringing up the rear. Even management and case managers in these fields receive quite a bit less than bedside hospital nurses. For many the trade off of no nights, weekends or holidays, a set schedule and getting away from bedside nursing makes the lower wage worthwhile.

My question ..is the wage for the case management position what should be expected when compared to the wage of the bedside nurse working for the same company? I turned down a management position in a SNF a while back because the pay was only $1.50/hr more than what I was making as a floor nurse supervisor and I didn't think the headaches associated with that job were worth that small increase in pay.