Is this true? Salary Question

Specialties NP

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Hello everyone-

I often hear/read many NPs saying that if they were to work as normal RNs they would make more money than what they make as an NP; I even have read/heard of some NPs that went back to bedside RN because they made more money this way.

What if you were a PA? Would these population still be making more as an RN than a PA or is it specifically that they make more money as an RN than an NP?

In all honesty, how are FNPs in general weaker or less advantageous than PAs?

I live in California, in the Central Valley area.

I am going through the same dilemma and dont know what to do.

I started my FNP program this August, but I also got into a PA school and decided to defer my acceptance, so I have a seat to start on Summer/Fall 2016 if I want to.

If I decide to stop my FNP and start my PA in 2016 that means that I ll be finishing my PA in 2018 and if continued I will complete my FNP in 2017, so that is a year behind.

Also, if I go to PA school, tuition for the PA program is 60,000 more than what I will be paying for my FNP (20K compared to 80K) and means that I will use all of my savings in living expenses for the next two years since I wont be able to work.

Looking at it from a LONG TERM, opportunity wise and finances, is it work stopping my FNP and starting my PA program?

What do you guys believe? Non biased answers please.

Specializes in Urology.
I am going through the same dilemma and dont know what to do.

I started my FNP program this August, but I also got into a PA school and decided to defer my acceptance, so I have a seat to start on Summer/Fall 2016 if I want to.

If I decide to stop my FNP and start my PA in 2016 that means that I ll be finishing my PA in 2018 and if continued I will complete my FNP in 2017, so that is a year behind.

Also, if I go to PA school, tuition for the PA program is 60,000 more than what I will be paying for my FNP (20K compared to 80K) and means that I will use all of my savings in living expenses for the next two years since I wont be able to work.

Looking at it from a LONG TERM, opportunity wise and finances, is it work stopping my FNP and starting my PA program?

What do you guys believe? Non biased answers please.

I would continue with your FNP. I am biased more towards NP's rather than PA's and I'll tell you why. PA's will never have independant practice rights as where NP's have full independant practice in 18 states and counting. The pay is pretty even in my state (Pennsylvania) for NP/PA. Its really down to the individual to sell themselves. NP's start in the low 6 figure range in my area for any hospital related specialty/group. PA's are in the same boat. CRNA range in the 140k+ range, most come close to 200k with overtime. As I am not yet and NP, my nurse salary is very well compensated. With all of my call time and current pay I will make low 6 figures. You might ask why I want to be an NP if I'm already making that kind of money. That answer is different for every individual but for me its the practice element. I also want less of the nurse drama and all of the junk that comes along with it. Being a guy in this field and the only one in my current nurse practice area I can only take so much!

I agree with many of the previous posters about the motivation to further my education and go for an FNP is due to being not intellectually challenged by my position. Five years and no advancement in my field, I really did not want to start again in another area of nursing. We have PA's that round in our outpatient clinic and they are very good, but do not have the background in the treatments that a nurse has. I really want to educate and be able to give them my full attention instead of being dragged away by yet another technology issue or another fire that needs to be put out when you are floor nursing. I know there will be many challenges and as was said, "the grass is greener", but I am enjoying the learning!

Specializes in NP, ICU, ED, Pre-op.

Oh my.....May I ask what "state" this is.....

California is my state

Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

This seems to be a common misconception. While some tenured RNs may make more than novice NPs, the vast majority of NPs make far more as NPs than RNs. If you compare an RN working 2 extra 12s a week with overnight/weekend differentials then perhaps they earn more but an NP working those hours will probably do better. In the end the ceiling is higher as an NP. So is the responsibility so don't bother doing it for just money.

Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Nationally, based on several annual reports, the PA salary and NP salary numbers are equalizing.

If if you look at gender distribution this is all about gender.

I would never spend 100k on a pa program. my school i went to had a PA program. cost like 100k. my np was like 24k. both have good reputation so job market was relatively similar for each.

Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ICU.
Surveys I have seen are relatively similar if you compare specialties. Primary care NPs tend to make a similar pay as primary care NPs. I think the reason that PAs tend to have a higher mean salary is that they tend to work in specialty areas that pay higher (ie. surgery), whereas many NPs work in primary care.

I recognize that female employees can have lower wages than their male counterparts. However, I have always wondered if this is due to a traditional lack of negotiating when they are hired. Anecdotally, I have known plenty of female colleagues that will NOT negotiate and just accept whatever salary they are offered. They just do not seem comfortable with this skill. My male colleagues on the other hand always seem to negotiate a higher starting wage. Again, this is anecdotal, but negotiating can have a big impact on your salary trajectory after you are hired and even with later jobs.

Wrong on so many levels. Women that negotiate for a larger salary are often times punished in some way shape or form, so you can't pin that on them. "Women who negotiated faced a penalty 5.5 times that faced by men." Source: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/cfawis/bowles.pdf

Women are negotiating less frequently for good reason and it certainly isn't their fault.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Wrong on so many levels. Women that negotiate for a larger salary are often times punished in some way shape or form, so you can't pin that on them. "Women who negotiated faced a penalty 5.5 times that faced by men." Source: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/cfawis/bowles.pdf

Women are negotiating less frequently for good reason and it certainly isn't their fault.

Yeah not buying this as a reasonable reason why women don't negotiate. This article although interesting has many flaws namely that it was scripted and I personally could give a rip about the "social cost" of negotiating.

If the prospective employer thinks I'm pushy or undesirable for requiring an appropriate wage then I don't want to work for that organization. In fact I rarely negotiate I normally let it be known up front what my wage requirements are and if they want my services that is what I will receive.

Wrong on so many levels. Women that negotiate for a larger salary are often times punished in some way shape or form, so you can't pin that on them. "Women who negotiated faced a penalty 5.5 times that faced by men." Source: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/cfawis/bowles.pdf

Women are negotiating less frequently for good reason and it certainly isn't their fault.

What exactly about my comment was so wrong? It sounds like your post supports my sentiment that women often do not negotiate their salaries. The research also bears this out. We can speculate all day why this may be the case. However, the reality is that at the provider level, negotiation is expected and I have encouraged female colleagues to be more assertive about their salary needs.

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

I make double the local RN salary. As for negotiating, Jules is right. NPs should negotiate, not just the base salary but everything from number of vacation days, number of CME days, getting employer to pay for DEA etc.

I have learned to turn down jobs that will not negotiate. I think as new grad I was not comfortable, but that lasted only a couple of years. Also, locally we have a very active NP group and we have learned to talk about money, it gives us power as a group to know what the market place/local salaries are. Not everyone is ok discussing job offers or current salary but if you don't ask, you don't know if you are being lowballed. I have never heard of an NP going back to work as an RN.

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