I've been working agency on a tele unit that I love. I just love the people, they are a fun group. I work well with their system, and they really love me. I've socialized with several people there. It's a nice, fast pace that I love, so people don't have time to grip like my last job, that had a lot of down time. Yet the pt load is reasonable, generally between 3 and 5.
I did a 13 week contract there last spring and since then have been doing per diem agency, mostly there. I'm currently making $46 per hour and driving 64 miles each way to this hospital.
They've been hiring like crazy, mostly fairly inexperienced people, and are trying to, understandably, cut back on agency, and I have seen my shifts slow down in availability. The manager keeps mentioning that she'd like to hire me. I don't want to be tied to a schedule but I was thinking of trying to negotiate a wage that will compensate me for my drive there. I am concerned about the economy and how it will affect working agency. If I took a per diem job at this hospital, I could still work agency on the side at other hospitals.
I was thinking of what would be a good strategy and wage to try for if I tried to negotiate. At my last job I was making $33 and hour and I would want to make more than that. I've never negotiated like this before. I do, really love this unit, so it would be worth it to take a pay cut to secure shifts for myself there.
from what i know, hospitals nursing wages are NOT negogiable. they have set rates that help keep it fair across the board. it's not fair if X nurse with X experience gets 40 an hour, while Y nurse with the same level of education, experience, and skills is getting 30 an hour.
Maybe it varies from place to place? In addition to the negotiation I did when I was first hired I get the distinct impression that at my facility it is highly negotiable. Of course that is one of the reasons we are forbidden to talk about our salaries.
I believe in union hospitals, wages are more cut and dried than they are in nonunion hospitals. It is one of the reasons I love working in a nonunion hospital. Love merit raises based on ones own performance, instead of straight across the board raises for everyone.
This is a union hospital. I was able to negotiate based on my years as a nurse, even though technically some of that was in LTC and some facilities would not have counted it. However, I've been working agency on this floor since April, 3 months of that were on a fulltime day contract, so I was able to prove myself as a reliable, fun member of the team, and develop positive relationships with charge nurses and management.
Jules A, MSN
8,864 Posts
Maybe it varies from place to place? In addition to the negotiation I did when I was first hired I get the distinct impression that at my facility it is highly negotiable. Of course that is one of the reasons we are forbidden to talk about our salaries.