Negotiating Pay?

klone, MSN, RN · Mar 16, 2018

No. Every new grad has experienced an externship. Having completed one does not make a new grad any more experienced or qualified than any other new grad.

TheNurseocrat · Mar 16, 2018

Interesting feedback, thank you. This must be regional also? In our area, externships aren't a given across the board and are more competitive to attain. Thank you!

klone, MSN, RN · Mar 16, 2018

Interesting feedback, thank you. This must be regional also? In our area, externships aren't a given across the board and are more competitive to attain. Thank you!

Oh, externship. I apologize, I was thinking preceptorship (i.e. clinical practicum).

Even so, I would say no. Most facilities use a formula to determine the appropriate wage to start a nurse at, using their years of equivalent or similar experience. An externship, while a great experience, is not equivalent to experience as a nurse.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 20, 2018

Former successful nurse extern and now an experienced RN and hiring nurse manager here: I would be put off/insulted by a New Grad who thought he/she could negotiate a starting salary upon completion of an externship because nurse externships are a form of orientation and in no way should be thought of as independent licensed nursing work experience. In fact, nurse externs received a lot of compensation by being honored with the training and the designation at a time he/she could have been sitting at home unemployed. Thus, I think he/she should be very open to a job offer at the scale HR states is for New Graduate nurses unless there is room for negotiation within your organization.... There absolutely was no room for negotiation in mine.

klone, MSN, RN · Mar 21, 2018

I would be put off/insulted by a New Grad who thought he/she could negotiate a starting salary upon completion of an externship

That's an odd reaction. Why would you be insulted by someone placing value on their skill level and trying to negotiate based on that? I have a high level of respect for any nurse who tries to negotiate their starting pay when I offer them a job. It's a sign of self-respect and assertiveness that I value in nurses. It doesn't necessarily mean that I can or will give it to them, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask!

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 23, 2018

That's an odd reaction. Why would you be insulted by someone placing value on their skill level and trying to negotiate based on that? I have a high level of respect for any nurse who tries to negotiate their starting pay when I offer them a job. It's a sign of self-respect and assertiveness that I value in nurses. It doesn't necessarily mean that I can or will give it to them, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask!

I would pass on a New Grad that would negotiate a starting salary... I am one employer so it does not matter in the big scheme of things... However, to answer your question... I would not find the actions of a new grad wanting to negotiate a starting salary as lacking humility given he/she is a new grad and I will be putting in a lot of money to train him/her despite an externship. On other hand, there is such a thing as assertiveness in negotiations for experienced nurses and I fully expect to hear from them when I am giving them job offers.

Libby1987 · Mar 29, 2018

I wouldn't be insulted but it would be off putting.

Completing an externship (I completed one myself) could give a new grad increased consideration for the position over a new grad that I might dismiss without consideration. It certainly wouldn't give them any salary negotiating leverage and the fact that they thought it would elevate themselves enough to ask would smack of their inflated confidence and naivety of how little their additional experience scratches the surface. At least in my field where nurses with a great deal of experience struggle with the learning curve.

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 29, 2018

Over 50% of the new grads my hospital hires have either done an externship or some sort of special preceptorship as part of their school work. In many of our units, having the experience of one or the other is the minimal requirement to be hired. So having that experience doesn't set them apart. That's just what a typical new grad brings to the table these days.

I wouldn't hold it against a new grad who tried to negotiate a little -- but I would expect them to accept it graciously when I told them that we don't negotiate new grad starting pay.

K+MgSO4, BSN · Apr 2, 2018

I love that this is not even an option in Australia. We are governed by EBAs in both public and private sector hospitals.

NinjaNurse- · Nov 14, 2018

I also think this is an odd reaction. Definitely not setting the tone for the respected profession Nursing should be. Nurses, as in any other profession should be able to negotiate their pay no matter where they are in their career. Many new nurses bring skills that many experienced nurses don't have. Skills such as research, multilingual skills, managerial, quality improvement, project management and other skills that might make them a more desirable candidate and can contribute in the growth of their units and profession. Now a days, many nurses get into nursing as a second degree and as adult learners with many transferable skills that should be respected and acknowledged at the time of hiring. These Nurses might be your next leaders and are changing the culture of nursing.. Or would you prefer a union to negotiate nursing pay? Just my two cents

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 16, 2018

Many new nurses bring skills that many experienced nurses don't have. Skills such as research, multilingual skills, managerial, quality improvement, project management and other skills that might make them a more desirable candidate and can contribute in the growth of their units and profession.....

I run medical units. New grads might have knowledge that can help them in the future, but right now I have to spend a lot of money and spend a lot of time to get them up to speed. There are no new grads prepared to be independent and practice independently compared to that of an experienced nurse. With that said, I am very open to negotiation when they have more nursing work experience. Otherwise, you can end up in a very unfair situation where some new grads are being paid more for skills based on the opinion of a nurse manager that another nurse manger may find irrelevant within the same organization.

These Nurses might be your next leaders and are changing the culture of nursing..

I can negotiate salary when the nurse has nursing work experience.

I wouldn't hold it against a new grad who tried to negotiate a little -- but I would expect them to accept it graciously when I told them that we don't negotiate new grad starting pay.

Exactly!

I posted I would be put off by it because it shows no humility, but if the new grad accepted "graciously", this would show humility.