Such thing as too late to negotiate?

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Specializes in Med surge/ tele.

Hi everyone! I’m just going to get right to it. I recently accepted a position to be on peds dialysis unit at a university hospital. I know salary isn’t usually discussed but I was hoping to get some perspective. So I accepted the position for 24.00 dollars hourly pay. Which is a dollar more than I currently make. But I think I am being offered way lower than what is generally paid in this specialty. I have 1.5 years of med surge experience but no dialysis or peds experience so I just settled & Working in peds has been one of my dream jobs. But now I’m hoping to renegotiate my pay. While I had verbally agreed to take the job I have not submitted the contract agreement. Has anyone had to renegotiate payment terms? If so any advice? I would like to renegotiate but I hope I haven’t already sent that ship sailing and I wouldn’t want to ruin the a job opportunity. In hindsight, I should’ve asked them what is the typical pay range for the job offered. Lesson learned.

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Specializes in school nurse.

That rate is abysmally low - what state are you in? If it's a union position, they may have used a formula to put you on a certain step and grade. The only usual wiggle room with that is to ask for a higher step within the grade.

If you do try to negotiate, arm yourself with area salary stats for comparable jobs. Present those as supports for asking for a higher rate.

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Specializes in Med surge/ tele.
9 minutes ago, Jedrnurse said:

That rate is abysmally low - what state are you in? If it's a union position, they may have used a formula to put you on a certain step and grade. The only usual wiggle room with that is to ask for a higher step within the grade.

If you do try to negotiate, arm yourself with area salary stats for comparable jobs. Present those as supports for asking for a higher rate.

Thanks for the advice. & it’s Alabama & nurse pay is not that good here but I figured for a specialty I should get more. The clinic is within a well known university hospital and is the only peds clinic in the state. It’s always been my dream to work there and in that area but I had also promised myself I wouldn’t settle with my second Job like I did with my first. Anyways, after looking up salaries the offer is abysmally low & now I feel as if my intelligence has been insulted with an offer so low. If they wasn’t even going to offer me so significantly los why offer me the job at all

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Specializes in Hospice.

On the other hand, you have neither peds nor dialysis experience. How would you convince them that your skills are worth more? Both fields come with a very steep learning curve - kids are not miniature adults.

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Specializes in school nurse.
6 minutes ago, heron said:

On the other hand, you have neither peds nor dialysis experience. How would you convince them that your skills are worth more? Both fields come with a very steep learning curve - kids are not miniature adults.

True- it's a balance between level of experience and getting a reasonable professional salary. One problem though. If you start really low and the organization gives pathetic raises, you remain poorly paid in spite of increasing experience.

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Specializes in Med surge/ tele.

You do have a point. But I feel like my experience in med-surge, even though it’s just 1.5 yrs, should count a little more. You still develop skills and improve on my critical thinking. I Have been told when stepping into a new specialty it can be like being a new grad again. I’m not looking for the highest pay but idk if I should be ok with being lowballed?

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Specializes in school nurse.
3 minutes ago, Sheika34 said:

You do have a point. But I feel like my experience in med-surge, even though it’s just 1.5 yrs, should count a little more. You still develop skills and improve on my critical thinking. I Have been told when stepping into a new specialty it can be like being a new grad again. I’m not looking for the highest pay but idk if I should be ok with being lowballed?

Is that rate comparable to new grad rates throughout the area? If it's low-ball even in that category, that might give you some room for negotiation. Keep in mind that they may just say "Next!" and offer the job to an actual new grad.

Gotta love that "nursing shortage", it sure gives nurses a leg up in the job market...?

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Specializes in Med surge/ tele.

For Alabama, it’s about a little over a dollar more for what a new grad would make. I work in GA and there are some who refuse to work in AL because of the difference in pay.

8 hours ago, Jedrnurse said:

Is that rate comparable to new grad rates throughout the area? If it's low-ball even in that category, that might give you some room for negotiation. Keep in mind that they may just say "Next!" and offer the job to an actual new grad.

Gotta love that "nursing shortage", it sure gives nurses a leg up in the job market...?

For Alabama, it’s about a little over a dollar more for what a new grad would make. I work in GA and there are some who refuse to work in AL because of the difference in pay.

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Specializes in Dialysis.
10 hours ago, heron said:

On the other hand, you have neither peds nor dialysis experience. How would you convince them that your skills are worth more? Both fields come with a very steep learning curve - kids are not miniature adults.

Exactly this. Dialysis has a LARGE learning curve. After you learn and get through orientation, then discuss a raise. As a clinic manager, if someone without actual experience wanted higher than what is offered (because we do have guidelines to help set an offer) I'd say "next"

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
13 hours ago, Sheika34 said:

I recently accepted a position to be on peds dialysis unit at a university hospital.

To answer your original question in the title, the negotiation ship sailed when you accepted the position. Negotiation should come before you accept any offer. But congrats on the new job!

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Specializes in Urgent Care, Oncology.

Is it a clinic or unit? If it is a clinic then the pay is typically lower because of the no nights/weekends/holidays perk. One post you say unit, another you say clinic, so I don't know...

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Specializes in Med surge/ tele.
2 hours ago, DowntheRiver said:

Is it a clinic or unit? If it is a clinic then the pay is typically lower because of the no nights/weekends/holidays perk. One post you say unit, another you say clinic, so I don't know...

It’s a unit since it is inside a hospital. When I first went I thought it would be separate from the hospital but it’s not

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