Got my latest Advance issue and salary wise........

[Bonosgrrl]

I see I make about $10 per hour LESS than the average pay for my area. Mental health in Massachusetts.

I have already asked for a raise a few months ago at my 1 year evaluation. but was turned down with the reason that nobody was getting increases at this time.

I have a few issues with the company I work for, such as not being paid on time for seeing patients. I am paid by my billing not by the hour. they convert the billing codes into units which are then turned into hours.

other than that I am very happy, like the work, like my boss.

but I feel like I am not really being paid what I am worth

would you seek out another job in this situation? or stick it out and hope for a raise?

at this point, though I will always be significantly lower than average if I stay with this company.

I don't work full time either, so no benefits. I work only part time 8-10 hours a week.

[MissDoodaw]

Look for another PT position. This will ensure Advance is correct for your local market. Then once position is attained review with your employer (before accepting new job) that you like work and like the boss, but you have another offer for x$ and are hoping they would be happy to match that and see what happens...but you have to be prepared to walk.

Some caveats:

Advance may not be specific to your area and population. Talk to local NP's doing what you do. Obtaining another offer at your desired salary may negate this arguement.

I do think many NP's are underpaid. I am not sure why our profession accepts this. Perhaps we have the personality that we want to help, even to the point of self-sacrificing (in this case our income).

I personally have decided this trait is not professional for me -I am a professional-I behave like one, and will be reimbursed like one. A prospective employer that does not offer a salary and benefits that recognize my value would not be a good fit for me. This does limit some of my opportunities. I am ok with this decision, but I think we all have to decide for ourselves.

[westcoastgirl]

It is sad to me that nurse practitioners as a whole seem to be underpaid given the level of education and also responsibility.

I was in a similar situation as you where I liked the job and people and benefits were pretty good but I was significantly underpaid and given the same reason (pay freeze for everyone). Unfortunately this situation continued for several years and did not end until I walked away from that employer. I did research the pay of other similar jobs and so had the data in hand but they ignored it. I would do some homework and decide what you're willing or not willing to live with.

[Bonosgrrl]

Thank you for the replies. I do believe I sold myself short when I interviewed for this job a year and a half ago. I should have done my research better back then.

I had been out of the work force for a while and just coming back in, so I didn't do a good job for myself when I negotiated the pay.

I only work minimal hours, one day a week, no benefits.

I will be researching others in my area. I also have a lead on a job doing the same kind of work i do now but with another company, I may pursue that and then I will have a concrete example.

the thing that really bothers me, is the company I work for is growing so fast and so much they outgrew their space and had to move the offices. to me growth equals doing well. so why the pay freezes?

[gettingbsn2msn, MSN, RN]

They are doing this because they can. Yes, they may be growing but at this time almost everyone is using the economic situation in the US to freeze pay. At the same time almost everything is rising in cost. Maybe you could show them how much money you are bringing into the practice. Otherwise, sadly, you may have to accept it. At least until the current economic environment improves.

[MissDoodaw]

Also many practices need growth to stay equal with decreasing insurance reimbursement- but as a NP you should still be paid what you are worth.

It would be useful to figure out what you bring to the practice but I think very few NP's are in a position to know the cost of overhead, the actual collections, etc, which makes calculating what you bring to the practice a tricky discussion to get into for the purposes of a raise I think.