Nursing Home DON salary

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I have a second interview tomorrow for a DON position at a small nursing home (60 beds). I was wondering if someone could help me out about what salary to ask for when the subject comes up. The highest payed staff nurse gets $19/hour. I just graduated with my BSN. The previous interview went very well, and they seem extremely interested in me. I live 1 hour 15 minutes from the facility, which is located in a rural area. The facility seems like a nice place to work, however, because it is located in such a rural area, keeping staff nurses has been an issue. They always seem to be 1 or 2 nurses short at some time or another. The nurses presently there are dedicated and have been willing to work over-time frequently. Also, the facility has been offering nurses at another facility double time pay to work there when needed. Also, the facility has been without a DON for almost a year. What do you think? Is the job worth taking, and, if so, how much money should I request?

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It depends on area you live and work....what pay should be.

Another thing I would consider is the commute time. You will be

responsible for the NH....1 1/4 hours commute is too long...in a crisis it would take you too long to get there.

No DON for a year speaks volumes.

Best to check out what lies underneath.

Speaking from experience.

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http://stats.bls.gov/search/ooh.asp?ct=OOH

Check it out here. If you go to the home page you can find links to local info also.

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you will end up staffing no doubt. $19/hr for nurses is so low you will only get desperate people. Do you need that?

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Salary is not always the most important thing to ask about. Being a DNS in rual and large areas for many years these are the questions I would ask?

Why have they been without a DNS for a year?

When you are stuck covering a shift (which you will be) what will be the compensation for you? If they say you will get comp time DO NOT beleive them as there is never time for comp time. And with comp time is that at time and a half. Example if you have already worked M-F and get called in on Sat. then an hourly person would at least get time and half pay. So, you should get 12 hours comp time for a 8 hour shift.

Some places will make an agreement with you in writing that if you work have to cover the floor then you can get hourly pay for this time.

19.00 an hour for a nurse inrual america is not that bad. It just depends on what the average wage is for the area.

The drive time you have could be a problem.......You need to see if there is a back up plan for a local nurse that can come in and cover till you get there.

Think about this......If you get called at 5:00am cause a day nurse just called in and her shift starts at 6:00 and you are in a sound sleep when you get the call. It will take you time to shower and get ready. If if you just wake-up and throw on some clothes that would take at least 30 minutes before you leave the house and then an hour+ drive. Who will be covering till you get there. Not all states will allow you to pull mandatory on a nurse till you get there.

I take it you have not been a DNS before? Do you have long term care experince?

Some other questions to keep in mind....

Who does the staffing? Do you have a staff cord. or do you do the scheduling?

Will you have to take call every weekend? Or is there a rotation for call. You are always on call 24/7 but getting calls after hours and on weekend which are just things that can be handled over the phone can cause you to reach burn out real fast.

Is there a Staff devloper? Is there a ADNS? Are there shift supervisors?

Just some general questions for you to ask?

Goooooooood LUCK

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