Thoughts/advice re:being lowballed??

[velardern]

Just got hired at a hospital here in Montgomery with the pay of 21/hr for the cath/ep lab with call. I've been an RN with my BSN for 6 yrs now and most of my experience is in cath/ep lab and post cath recovery. I've also been charge over a 22 bed hospital. Now, my husband's friend's wife has been an RN for 1 year with only med-surg experience and was hired in the same hospital in the NICU with no call at 25/hour. I understand different depts. have different budgets, but sincere thoughts would be appreciated as to what to do...I'm a little pissed.

[jsteine1]

You DID get lowballed. The longer you work at an institution, the lower your salary may be in comparison to others as the demand increases. Not right of course, but it happens in most settings. Again, in order to get results and have credibility, follow the hospitals grievance procedure explicitly. but do not give out the name of the friend who got the 25/hour. Just indicate as you move through the grievance procedure that if forced "to take stronger action", you will absolutely be in a position to prove it. You should be getting a salary adjustment appropriate to others in your dept, with your tenure and with your experience.

[suzanne4, RN]

Hospitals do not necessarily pay the same salary to all nurses, I have known some to vary it greatly by dept.

Such as one facility where I worked, the staff nurses in the OR got about $7 per hour less than the nurses in one of the ICUs. Depends also on the manager and what they have to work with. In this same facility, one manager was in the process of quitting, so she hired in a nurse at a higher salary, what the nurse had asked for, since she wasn't going to be around and the contract was signed.

Is it correct, no, but it does happen. As long as your salary is within range of the salaries in your dept for a nurse with the same experience, etc., then you won't have much to be able to negotiate for.