So, an acquaintance of mine who lives in Florida's Space Coast area, a newly minted psych NP, e-mailed to ask for my thoughts about a full-time psych position that she is considering applying for.
In the spirit of fraternity and goodwill, I'm not going to tell you how much the pay is yet. First, you need to be sitting down and with no hot beverages in your hand. And all who take medications for blood pressure and nervous conditions should have had taken these.
What shocks me the most about this isn't so much the position itself, but the fact that she's seriously considering it. Her family situation is such that she is unable to move right now, and she cannot find another NP job though she has been looking for quite a while. I want to tell her that she would be better off staying at the bedside as an RN (where she's currently making more money anyway) than to stoop to applying for this job. But maybe someone else has a different opinion for a new grad in her type of situation who can't find an NP job.
Vaguely recall a nursing assistant earning more than $42,000 yearly about 15 years ago and I was upset because I had to work full time at two jobs to make that amount at the time. Hard to even imagine an experienced APRN settling for such an insulting wage that could be bested by nursing assistants that work overtime.
I just left 6 years of bedside nursing in Florida. As such, I caution all nurses to carefully consider before working in FL. The attitude toward nurses in central FL was the worst corporate environment I have ever encountered. Pay is in the basement, nurses are still treated as hand-maidens to doctors, and the state (the docs) continue to repress APRNs ability to practice at the full extent of their scope. There are so many nursing schools in FL, and people move to FL everyday, that there is an overabundance of nurses. They are paid terribly and treated that way too. It's a 'right to work' state and that means they have the right to treat you any way they like and can fire you at will. Longest 6 years of my life. Further, it's not inexpensive to live well in FL. I'm not surprised she got low-balled.
As so many others have said, H3ll$-to-the-no. I know new grad RNs who are making this without any call or overtime pay. Just exactly how "part time" is this part-time job anyway?
Right now I work in rural GA and that is far more than I receive. In fact, my employer told me last week that I am not even worth that much! He (owner, not even a MD) told me that since reimbursements are so low my salary may be cut in half. Yea, 25k for part time. No thanks. Sadly, the PA agreed to it. Its close to her home and she wants to concentrate on family so she is cool with it. I can't make ends meet now so it would be impossible on 25k. I work another NP job that pays $45 an hour. My total earnings though is below 70k with no benefits. Remember, this is a low cost of living area that is highly saturated with retiring NP's wanting to work part time.
Just exactly how "part time" is this part-time job anyway?
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
Vaguely recall a nursing assistant earning more than $42,000 yearly about 15 years ago and I was upset because I had to work full time at two jobs to make that amount at the time. Hard to even imagine an experienced APRN settling for such an insulting wage that could be bested by nursing assistants that work overtime.