amerriott

I wouldn't mind if our hospital did the flat pay thing, as lomg as it was reasonable. AT first they said they would pay like 500.00 for an extra shift (12 hours), but I thought that was a total rip off, since that is quite a bit less per hour than I make now. So, they adjusted it to equal exactly what my normal 12 hour take home pay is. I guess I just feel like there should be some incentive to work an extra 12 hour shift because they are short. I don't know what they are paying the docs but I'm sure it's much more. I am not employed by a group, but a large regional hospital in the midwest.

OK, I am a salaried FNP working in a large, busy ER in the midwest. My salary is 110,00 with 4500.00 for CME and 5 weeks PTO. 401 K contributions and all that jazz. My contract requires that I work 138 12 hour shifts per year, which equals out to about 36 hrs/weekly for 48 weeks. So here is my question. They frequently offer us extra shifts because they cannot get them filled. They say that they will pay us for the extra shifts quarterly as long as we have fullfilled our portion of the contract so far. However, the extra shifts are paid at the same hourly wage that our salary calculates out to (63.65 hourly I think), we are not paid any "extra" or given a bonus of any kind. Does this seem fair? I hear the nurses in our department talking about bonus shifts and overtime and it makes me wonder if I'm getting screwed?

My current schedule has been basically work 2 days, then off 2 days, then every other sat, sun and mon. It works out ok most of the time, I'm just bitter about being here until 9pm and every other weekend. If they would have told me that when I interviewed, I never ever would have accepted the position. Even the urgent care clinic here is only open until 8! Thanks for your advice, I appreciate it :)

Juan, No, I am not required to work all those hours...they have brought in a temporary NP to fill in some of the hours, so we are each working 37-40 hours a week right now. I did work several extra shift the last pay period though because the other NP was sick. They haven't found anybody permanently yet, I imagine because of the crappy hours. The temporary NP will only be here for another 3 weeks. For extra shifts the pay is 250 for anything less than 4 hours and 500 for anything over. So, it doesn't benefit you much to work a full 12 hour shift, that doesn't even cover my normal hourly wage.

This is horrible situation to be in, and I have been there myself several times, both while working and as a witness. I am an FNP but have also been a paramedic for 14 years. I think that you did everything you could and it sounds like the outcome would have been the same no matter what. However, as a paramedic, I will say this. If she was pulseless at the scene and lying on her belly, would it have really done more harm to turn her over? I mean she is already pulseless, how much worse off can she be?? As for worsening of internal injuries, remember, nothing really matters unless she is breathing. Always remember, life over limb. Did she have a c-spine injury? Probably. Are you going to make it worse by turning her? No. She is already pulseless. What would I have done? Turn her over and start compressions. It doesn't sound like rescue breathing would have done her any good, but if you had a mask or something I would have done that as well. Like everyone has stated, pulselss traumatic arrests in the field rarely have good outcomes. But don't ever worry about doing more harm to a patient that is already pulseless. The one thing that did catch my eye in your story was the fact that the child was removed from the car before resucers arrived. Unless the child was in imminent danger, he should have been left alone. I know it our natual instinct to pick up the baby, but what if the baby had a spinal injury? A car seat helps but is not 100% effective. Just my 2 cents worth from being a paramedic (which I loved and miss, but the pay sucks). Also, I just wanted to tell you that after my very first traumatic arrest in the field, I had nightmares for about 2 months and had to sleep with the light on. I kept seeing his body shoved down in the car. It will get better, I promise. If it doesn't, talk to someone about how you are feeling. Don't keep it bottled up inside.

Ok, so here is my dilemma. I am an FNP employed with a large regional hospital. I have worked here for nearly 10 years, but only for the last 1 1/2 as an NP. I feel that I am compensated fairly well. My current salary is 88,500 with 3 weeks vacation, 1 week paid for CE and 3000.00 for CE. I signed a contract for student loan reimbursement of 10,000 a year x 4 years, which I have only taken 10,00 so far. The position that I was hired for is as an FNP in a mobile care clinic, which I basically started from the ground up. I am the first and only NP in this clinic. Initially our clinic hours were basically 9-5 or 9-6 weekdays with an occasional Saturday. About 2 months ago our boss announced that our clinic was changing hours and is now open 9a-9p Mon-Fri and 11a-5p Sat and Sun, and will soon be open holidays as well. I am pretty upset about this, understandably. Most NP's in our organization are paid based on RVU's, but my clinic (as well as 1 or 2 others) is not. So I have no oppurtunity for bonus as this point. My clinic volume is not that high anyway, we can see 20 patients max per day, which we don't hit very often. My clinic is for self-pay adults only, and it is free. I am seriously considering leaving my position. I have expressed my frustration to HR and the NP recruiters, and they say they will let me know if anything else opens up, but I haven't heard anything for 3 months. My boss is the wife of the CFO of the hospital and I'm sure she has told them that she doesn't want me to leave. I hate working until 9pm, as I have 2 small children. I also hate working every other weekend. I have interviewed for another position outside the hospital which would be in a corporate location. A brand new clinic inside the plant for employees and their spouses, focusing on wellness. No work comp involved. My 2nd interview is next week. W haven't discussed salary much, except for when they asked about my current compensation. I was very up fron about that. My question is, am I just being a baby about the new hours? Should I just get over it and be happy that I have a decent job? Another problem is if I leave now, I will owe the 10,000 that they paid towards my loans, plus 3000.00 in taxes I guess. The new job would be Mon-Friday 6a-2p, no weekends, call or holidays. I'm just not sure what kind of salary I should ask for if I decide to leave my current position. I really can't afford to take a pay cut, but I feel like I'm getting the shaft in my current position.