Negotiating my salary is exhausting!

Specialties NP

Published

I was offered a full time job at an IM clinic. I asked for $48 per hour compensation with full benefits because i thought this was reasonable for a new grad in southern CA. The average is $44-46/hr.

On my second day of orientation, my boss told me that she is going to switch my pay to salary. She said she will offer me 75k per year. I was really shocked!

I told her that at the hospital, although without benefits, I get paid $52 per hour. Then she said that i shouldn't expect that much because being a nurse is different from being an NP. She also has to train me and that will take time. Then i countered and said i am willing to meet her at $88k. Then she said she can only offer up to $80k. Then i said i also have to make ends meet at home so I will think about it over the weekend.

Then she said she will call me back this weekend for a final offer.

Any suggestion or tips on how to handle this negotiation when she calls me back? Should i walk away from a low ball offer? Or is it worth it to get that experience for a year then go? This negotiating acitvity is exhausting! ;-)

I want to get an offer of at least 86-88k. I am better off working at the weight loss clinic at $60/hr :(

Thank you!

Specializes in Surgery.
I had to reply to this thread immediately when it was sent to my phone. I have to say you are all spoiled. I work for two high caliber hospitals in Los Angeles and only make $32 per hour. I work hard hours to bring home what I believe a nurse should make (80 hr wks to earn 115K)... Non stop work... 12 hr shifts... That's killer... And i have 3 years experience in ICU & ED with adults and kids. I can tell you this with my eyes closed... Take the deal. It is unheard of for new grads to make 60 per hour... Consider yourself extremely lucky.

Is OP suppose to feel badly that you 'only' make a certain amount and work 80 hours a week?

I never quite understand why some posters wouldn't promote the best for their peers...

By the way $60/hr is not unheard of for a new grad in certain specialities. She should most definitely try!

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

By the way $60/hr is not unheard of for a new grad in certain specialities.

My first year as a NP I made over $150,000.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I also don't understand why we aren't more supportive and transparent with regard to our earnings. That new grads often take low paying jobs because they don't know they can earn more is embarrassing. If you have been helped by someone else disclosing their salary to you please pass it along to others.

Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
I had to reply to this thread immediately when it was sent to my phone. I have to say you are all spoiled. I work for two high caliber hospitals in Los Angeles and only make $32 per hour. I work hard hours to bring home what I believe a nurse should make (80 hr wks to earn 115K)... Non stop work... 12 hr shifts... That's killer... And i have 3 years

experience in ICU & ED with adults and kids. I can tell you this with my eyes closed... Take the deal. It is unheard of for new grads to make 60 per hour... Consider yourself extremely lucky.

$32hr? In LA, 12 hour shifts at 2 hospitals? Are you an RN or nurse practitioner? The discussion is about a new grad nurse practitioner and starting salary for new NP.

Please clarify.

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

You say $48-$60 is twice your salary. The OP is a new grad Nurse Practitioner. From your profile & postings it appears you are an RN?

Specializes in ER.

Since there are so many great experienced-based answers in this thread, I thought I'd throw my rookie question in! What if you get a job offer, it's your only offer and you need a job like yesterday, they offer something, you say I need xyz . . . and they don't budge at all?

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Its difficult when you are in a financial jam and I try to avoid that position because I swear they can smell desperation. Personally if I knew my worth in the particular geographic area was substantially more than what they were offering I would continue working as a RN while looking for a NP position.

Some will say take what you can get and if that is what you have to do to keep bills paid thats a valid point but the problems I have with it include the fact that getting a better paying job becomes all the more difficult if you are working for peanuts. Who is going to want to give a substantial increase if you aren't making much now? If someone is willing to work for $50 an hour who is going to want to offer them $70 an hour?

Again I'd continue working as a RN rather than take a low ball NP offer. Personally I would be resentful if I felt my employer was insulting me with a crap offer and that doesn't make for a very good working partnership so I don't accept offers that are lower than I feel are appropriate. FWIW I am older, have tons of contacts and plenty of money so am not in the position of having to take work to pay my bills which I know not everyone can do.

Good luck!

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

Walk away. I agree that you can continue to work as RN to pay your bills while you look for a position that pays NP salary.

Specializes in ER.
Its difficult when you are in a financial jam and I try to avoid that position because I swear they can smell desperation. Personally if I knew my worth in the particular geographic area was substantially more than what they were offering I would continue working as a RN while looking for a NP position.

Some will say take what you can get and if that is what you have to do to keep bills paid thats a valid point but the problems I have with it include the fact that getting a better paying job becomes all the more difficult if you are working for peanuts. Who is going to want to give a substantial increase if you aren't making much now? If someone is willing to work for $50 an hour who is going to want to offer them $70 an hour?

Again I'd continue working as a RN rather than take a low ball NP offer. Personally I would be resentful if I felt my employer was insulting me with a crap offer and that doesn't make for a very good working partnership so I don't accept offers that are lower than I feel are appropriate. FWIW I am older, have tons of contacts and plenty of money so am not in the position of having to take work to pay my bills which I know not everyone can do.

Good luck!

Your advice makes sense! Personally though I am not working as an RN because we moved recently, and I'm 16 weeks pregnant . . . so realistically I am desperate! Not to hijack this thread, but if I do encounter this situation, which do you think it worse for future jobs - to have NP experience but low pay to counter another job with, or no NP experience and just continued RN experience?

Specializes in Peds OR as RN, Peds ENT as NP.
I had to reply to this thread immediately when it was sent to my phone. I have to say you are all spoiled. I work for two high caliber hospitals in Los Angeles and only make $32 per hour. I work hard hours to bring home what I believe a nurse should make (80 hr wks to earn 115K)... Non stop work... 12 hr shifts... That's killer... And i have 3 years experience in ICU & ED with adults and kids. I can tell you this with my eyes closed... Take the deal. It is unheard of for new grads to make 60 per hour... Consider yourself extremely lucky.

I hope you are aware we are discussing new grad NP and not RN. I would not tell anyone to take an NP job for 32/hr with their eyes closed. Please keep your eyes open fellow new grads :)

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Your advice makes sense! Personally though I am not working as an RN because we moved recently, and I'm 16 weeks pregnant . . . so realistically I am desperate! Not to hijack this thread, but if I do encounter this situation, which do you think it worse for future jobs - to have NP experience but low pay to counter another job with, or no NP experience and just continued RN experience?

Tricky because it would make sense to justify keeping your present RN job while finding the perfect fit for NP but taking a new RN job while an NP would probably look weird. Either way I'd do it soon before you are unable to hide the pregnancy. Is this place the only one who responded to you? How is the rate compared to other NP jobs in your area?

I may be too late for this but ... THAT IS WAY TOO LOW! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay under average for SoCal. New grads in community centers are starting over 90 at multiple locations in metro LA.

I know you are a new grad and need to get hired, but man oh man I would tell this doc to stuff it and call me when she was ready to discuss a serious salary.

You will never successfully renegotiate for lost income. Realistically you will do well to get 2-3% per year in most places unless you have an RVU structure in place. When you take the job is really your only moment to get what you want/need.

anyhow. PM me if you want to discuss the LA market.

I was offered a full time job at an IM clinic. I asked for $48 per hour compensation with full benefits because i thought this was reasonable for a new grad in southern CA. The average is $44-46/hr.

On my second day of orientation, my boss told me that she is going to switch my pay to salary. She said she will offer me 75k per year. I was really shocked!

I told her that at the hospital, although without benefits, I get paid $52 per hour. Then she said that i shouldn't expect that much because being a nurse is different from being an NP. She also has to train me and that will take time. Then i countered and said i am willing to meet her at $88k. Then she said she can only offer up to $80k. Then i said i also have to make ends meet at home so I will think about it over the weekend.

Then she said she will call me back this weekend for a final offer.

Any suggestion or tips on how to handle this negotiation when she calls me back? Should i walk away from a low ball offer? Or is it worth it to get that experience for a year then go? This negotiating acitvity is exhausting! ;-)

I want to get an offer of at least 86-88k. I am better off working at the weight loss clinic at $60/hr :(

Thank you!

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