NP salary too low?

AundreFNP · Aug 15, 2011

Hello,

I am a new NP w/ 2 years of RN experience and have accepted a FNP position at a clinic in Florida with a starting salary of 80K/year, bonus incentive, loan repayment, full benefits, etc. This is a great deal for me considering I am a new NP. Clearly, the pay various geographically, specialty, etc. I do agree that we need to work together to improve the salaries of all nurses! :)

allennp · Aug 17, 2011

THis has always bugged me and other NP's I know. I work side by side with DO's and MD's, do the EXACT same job and though I get paid pretty well 125kplus I know they make more than me. Part of the curse is that we have nursing attached to our title, hate to say it. Around here in the Northwest its worse if attached to a large hospital system. Group Health for instance you have to be in the union to work as a NP, and are tied to a pay scale 1/3 less than I make in a private practice. University of Washington his the same, you are under Nursing administration. Though my hats off to UW as they are now hiring NP's under the school of medicine as faculty and paying them a bit better. Hopefully it will be changing.

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studentNP-AL · Aug 17, 2011

I am a NP student in AL---graduate in May (FNP). I think that the pool will be significantly lessened when the DNP is the requirement...which is coming. My school is already revising curriculum to convert to a BSN-DNP program. allennp I am pumped to hear you make that much. Sad to say...and I am not sexist...but our society pays women less than men, and most NPs are women, and most PAs are men...just saying (I don't agree with this)...and I am a guy. If you are willing to travel there are jobs everywhere. Try national health service corps...most of them offer competitive pay (average 70k) with full tuition reimbursement and moving/housing cost. Some are lower (around 58-59k) but hey, I will take that for a rural area with the benefits that are offered. allennp---I am looking at WA because of the freedom and because I love the outdoors...and AL is boring...Also DO NOT WORK in AL or GA. The "good ole boys" government we have is run by the AMA and their lobbyists. And no one in AL is progressive :)

studentNP-AL · Aug 17, 2011

I also don't think we should make as much as an MD...they work much harder and have much more loans than we do. My cousin is in Med school...it's hard. And he has 200K in loans! I wouldn't mind six figures one day though.

mammac5 · Aug 17, 2011

I live in the South. I was offered a position at $60K annual, 2 wks vacay, 1 week and $1500 for CME, bonus if I "earned my keep" according to wRVU system. No insurance, no disability, and only 2% 401K match AFTER 2 full years of employment. None of this, I found after hours of research, was negotiable.

globalRN · Sep 20, 2011

'I live in the South. I was offered a position at $60K annual, 2 wks vacay, 1 week and $1500 for CME, bonus if I "earned my keep" according to wRVU system. No insurance, no disability, and only 2% 401K match AFTER 2 full years of employment. None of this, I found after hours of research, was negotiable. '

That is pretty discouraging!!

mammac5 · Sep 20, 2011

It is pretty discouraging, globalRN! I am just now seriously starting to search - just graduated, passed ANCC, went on vacation - so hopefully I'll get some interviews lined up in the next week or so. It's a tough market here because I am not in a metro area (just 3 hours down the road, for instance, in a metro area salaries are more like 75-85K with loan repayment, etc.) and I am not open to relocating.

nomadcrna, DNP, CRNA, NP · Sep 20, 2011

This is a big part of our problem. WTH, they work harder and have more student loans?

Pure BS and so wrong.

I also don't think we should make as much as an MD...they work much harder and have much more loans than we do. My cousin is in Med school...it's hard. And he has 200K in loans! I wouldn't mind six figures one day though.

TheOldGuy · Sep 20, 2011

I agree nomad. Compensation should be based on services provided and level of independence.

It is true that nursing schools are mass producing NPs - much as they're mass producing RNs. Educators get paid to educate and so the more they educate the greater the revenue to the school - consequently the academics have no motivation to tighten up. Hospitals want an unending source of cheap labor. Docs want to maintain control and leverage themselves by hiring NPs at less than half of what they're worth. The result is that literally thousands of new RN grads can't find jobs and new NP grads are having a really hard time - and NPs are paid about 1/2 of what we should be getting paid!

globalRN · Sep 21, 2011

I agree with nomadcrna...I work as hard as the docs I work with ...often I work harder!

angel549 · Mar 3, 2012

Late in commenting, but this is what I just posted about! I am about to graduate in May 2012. I make $73,000 as a n RN right now, with 8% matching 401K, 6.5 weeks paid vacation. The pay in Florida is anywhere from $60,000 - $78,000. A few hospital ARNPs might get offers of $80K.

This is INSULTING people. We do the same dang job as the doctors, and the revenue we generate for the MD and hospital is 4 times our pay....

DON'T SETTLE FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TicAL · Mar 4, 2012

Late in commenting, but this is what I just posted about! I am about to graduate in May 2012. I make $73,000 as a n RN right now, with 8% matching 401K, 6.5 weeks paid vacation. The pay in Florida is anywhere from $60,000 - $78,000. A few hospital ARNPs might get offers of $80K.
This is INSULTING people. We do the same dang job as the doctors, and the revenue we generate for the MD and hospital is 4 times our pay....
DON'T SETTLE FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most NPs state that they are not the same as MDs, one is practicing nursing while the other is practicing medicine. MDs are paid for their expertise and skill that they have acquired over many years of academic and practical training.