Salary Question

joannep · May 8, 2006

I advise caution, you will end up working more hours, taking more responsibility, for less pay.

debbyed · Jul 29, 2006

A nurse I worked closely with for many years took on the position as Nurse Manager of our unit. She did interm first and was given a nice boost in her hourly salary because they were hunting for both ER director and ER Nurse Manager. She stayed in that position for about 6 months and did well.

HERE COMES THE BUT:

She came back into staffing for about 1 1/2 years. During that time a nurse manager came and went, as well as the director. Our new director talked my friend into appling for the job for real. She did and was accepted. At that time she was placed on a salary. If she only worked 36 hours a week it might have been ok, But she averaged between 50 and 60 hours a week. And those Bonuses they talk about---Well lets just say you had to reach some very high goals. She delt with it for 2 years now she is gone.

I'd be very careful and get everything in writting, including what happens when you don't make stated goals.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 29, 2006

IF the job is attractive and you believe it is a good fit for you, then the salary issue alone should not be a problem. It is not unusual for managers to have a base pay that is smaller than one would expect. In your case, the bonus pay for meeting the goals is there to add to your compensation if you perform well.

It's funny ... so many people SAY that nursing should "pay for performance" but when we are actually confronted with the reality of what that means, we balk. Of course you know that "pay for performance" means that the higher performers get higher pay -- but what you are seeing in the your job offer is the other side of that coin. Under a pay for performance system, the lower performers get less pay.

That's what your prospective is offering you -- compensation based on your performance. If you perform well, you will receive the compensation you seek. But if you don't meet the goals, your pay will suffer.

When you consider a pay for performance job offer, you must assess your ability to perform up to the desired standards and earn the compensation you seek. Are the goals realistic? Will you have the resources you need to meet them? How supportive will your employer be? etc.

As for the possibility of having to work "unpaid overtime" ... that's true of any salaried position. And most leadership positions are salaried. If you want career advancement, you'll have to come to terms with being paid not based on the number of hours you work, but rather, being paid based on the contribution you make to the institution. Again, when considering whether or not to take a salaried position, you need to assess whether or not the expectations are reasonable and whether or not you will have the resources you will need to meet those expectations within a reasonable work week.

Staff nurses are usually paid by the hour and some have trouble adjusting to the mentality of a salaried leadership position. It means establishing your priorities and managing your resources so that you don't end up taking too much on yourself and working too many hours. In a leadership position, there is always more work to be done: you never finish it all. But you have to know when and how to leave and go home for the day. It's easy to get sucked in to trying to meet all of your staff's needs to make everyone happy as well as please all those above you in the hierarchy. If you try to please everyone all of the time, you will soon get burned out and quit.

In the end, it all comes down to your assessment of the institution -- their expectations of you, the resources they will provide you, and your ability to meet the needs while maintaining a decent lifestyle. The salary issue as you describe it is fairly typical and should not stop you from taking the job if it is the right job for you in other ways.

llg (with 20 years of experience with nursing leadership roles)

brainnurse · Aug 16, 2006

remember also, that as management, your ceiling will be higher, and in a few years you will have exceeded what you could have ever made on staff. Personally...I love being on salary. You are not chained to a time clock. If you need an extra half hour at lunch for an errand, or need to duck out a little early....well, it all washes with the days that you bust your ass for 10 hours!

Ro

mydesygn · Aug 26, 2006

I went into management and was salaried. I made less money (ie loss of night differentials, overtime). I remained in the position for a year. I don't regret accepting the job because once you have a mangement background, you will likely get other offers or seek other positions that pay more. In the short term, you will earn less, no way around that however you open the door to eventually earn far more than you would recive with a strictly clincal background. My second management job paid paid 10 dollars more an hour than the previous one. I would not have gotten that position without the prior experience.

Cleveland-RN · Aug 27, 2006

I recently took a pretty significant pay cut to go into management, but for me it was a good fit b/c administration is where I want to be in the long run. It is a great resume-booster and is only a short-term issue. In the end, after I finish my Masters degree and move up the food chain a little, I'll be making much more than I ever would as a staff nurse. All depends on your perspective.

fiestynurse · Aug 30, 2006

Going in to management is a career decision that you have to consciously make. Are you ready to learn the skills that it takes to be a good manager? Do you have plans to further your education? I think you really have to look at what your long term goals are. Is this job a stepping stone or just a way to be closer to home? Is it something you really want to do? Does the job seem interesting? Have you discussed the paycut with your future employer? I find that many nurses (and women) are sometimes not very good at negotiating salaries and getting the pay that they are worth.

I was a hospital bedside nurse for 20 years and really needed a change. I was at the top of my pay scale when I left the Hospital at the end of 1998. I took a pay cut to be a Nursing Supervisor at a local clinic. The hours were better and allowed me to finish me advanced degree. I then became a Manager and was quickly promoted to my current position as VP of a Healthcare company, a position that I have remained in for over the past three years. My income has greatly improved.

joannep · Sep 28, 2006

I also agree, my second post was a lot higher than my first, and I now have the (dubious) pleasure of headhunters ringing me and offering me jobs that are paying more than what my current job pays. Success brings good offers.

NurseRatchett · Oct 22, 2006

I also agree, my second post was a lot higher than my first, and I now have the (dubious) pleasure of headhunters ringing me and offering me jobs that are paying more than what my current job pays. Success brings good offers.

I agree. I have a job offer from another facility for 20k more than what I make now at my current job. I've done more for my department in the past 18 months than the previous nurse who had been there for 10 years. Former HR reps from my job have moved on, but remembered my work and mentioned me to their new employers.

It's worth a shot if you think you can do the job. As others have said, the hours are longer, the responsibilities greater, and the pressures to make everything better are higher. The experience in management makes you that much more marketable in any future job.