Wage negotiation for entire clinic of nurses

[KayHay, ADN]

Hello all!!

I am almost 2 years into my career as an oncology infusion nurse working in an outpatient infusion center. When I started, we made the same amount of money as other clinic nurses ($28/hr). We are located in Wisconsin. While the hospital nurses make around $38/hr without shift differential. Their has been a big argument that we should be making closer to what the hospital nurses make since we infuse many hazardous medications, and our floor is mainly like a med-surg floor. We run around, have to skip breaks frequently, it is basically like working in a hospital but with clinic hours. 

 

Their argument for not paying more is that we have clinic hours, BUT their are plenty of other areas that have clinic hours (for example, interventional  radiation nurses that work in the hospital (ours have the same hours we do), make hospital pay). 

 

Out argument has mainly ben that we are doing hospital work. We have a small hospital attached to us, and when our patients are inpatient, it is a struggle for them to find a nurse in the hospital setting that is certified to administer chemotherapy. We have to get multiple certifications for our position and to maintain our positions (all of which are requirements that clinic nurses in other department do not have). 

 

When speaking with our management, they stated they are trying but do not have much pull to do anything, and that is may come down to a well-written nurse to advocate for the rest of us. 

 

So I am reaching out for suggestions, opinions, and general knowledge of what nurses at other facilities are making in outpatient chemotherapy infusion centers.

 

Thank you in advance. 

[Quota, BSN, RN]

No advice but the outpt infusion clinic that most of our pts go to when they don’t HAVE to be inpt is basically the same base rate (as far as I know).  It’s within the same hospital system and literally across the street from my hospital.  I’m pretty certain my old coworkers who transferred to the infusion clinic kept their same base rate.  They do end up making less usually because no differentials with clinic hours.  Part of why we have better staff retention on night shift than day shift on my unit.  “Better” hours for about the same pay for day shift nurses but pay cut for night shift.

[kp2016]

It’s been my experience that they will pay you the minimum they think they can get away with. I took a clinic job with a horribly low per hour wage. I was told this was because it was out patient.

On my first day I met with the clinic manager who told me I would be fired if I was caught discussing pay ?. Within a few weeks I had most of the other RNs who were recruited from the hospital (I was a new hire to the hospital) tell me the clinic was matching their hospital rate as they “couldn’t be expected to take a pay cut” Lesson learned.

Fast forward a few years I was offered another low pay rate. I told them “I’m sorry for wasting your time, I would never work for that” and got a new significantly higher offer. 

For me a new job and tougher attitude to negotiating was how I was able to fix it. 
 

good luck