Yes, another salary negotiating question!

Nurses General Nursing

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Okay yes I know this has been mentioned a million times before and yes I have looked at a few of the threads and none have helped me. But I have not gone through them all.

Anywho, my question is how do I negotiate salary as a new grad WITH hospital experience. I have worked in a hospital for the past 3+ years so I am not completely new to the health care field. I think I deserve more as a new grad with hospital experience compared to someone who worked for walmart until the day before graduation and the only hospital time they had was clinicals. So how do I bring this up when discussing salary?

I was offered a position in the ER once I graduate and I will be the first and only New grad they have ever hired in the ER so I don't want to ruin anythng, but I don't want to settle for less than I am worth. Please help if you can. Just trying to think of the right words to say or how to let them know I am worth more than someone that is completely new.

TIA

By the way, I do know some of you are frustrated with new grads wanting more pay. But if you don't stand up for what your worth, hospitals and everywhere else are going to offer you as little as possible.

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

I'm dying for the OP to update us on if she talked to HR!

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Specializes in Emergency.

To Agldragon:

I said me having hospital experience is better than someone from other jobs such as walgreens, walmart, any non health setting. I didn't mean I was better as a person. I even posted on one of my previous post that my manager told me when I was hired on my current floor that servers have been some of the best nurses that she has hired. So me working at a hospital doesn't make me any better than anyone, but I think I have better experience than some. Just like a nurse working as a nurse for 5 years has better experience than me. I have been around certain situations more than someone who is outside of the health care setting.

Then again, you are talking about patients being demanding when I just said I wasn't talking about patients, I was talking about nurses. Who cares if the patients gets grumpy with you, if I was sick, and not feeling good (meaning not in my right mind) I probably would be frustrated too and getting grumpy with everyone. I would do as much as I could for the patient no matter how they acted, if I was able to do so. Even in that post were you "quoted" me I mentioned nurses, and you replied back saying patients. There is a difference. I don't have to let a nurse or anyone else in the health care field walk over me and talk rudely to me just because they didn't feel like being curteous.

By the way, asking how to negotiate salary, is not saying I need to be paid more. If I try and negotiate and they say no then I'm not going to argue about it, but it doesn't hurt to try. I have been offered a job already, so I'm not going to storm in there and demand a certain pay and if they don't give it refuse the job. That would be foolish. I'm not like new grads with different degrees asking for money, I have said numerous times that I was just wondering how to bring it up when salary is being discussed. I don't even know if I will have to "negotiate" salary. It hasn't been discussed with me at all. New grads with "music" degrees have nothing to do with health care so how can you say I'm like them for asking? I have a degree in applied science and I have not once mentioned that or asked if I should get paid more because of that.

Lastly, I was never on a pedestal but you seem to be. Your first post was fine, you were asking questions that were legit that I didn't mind answering since they seemed to have something to do with my original question. But I guess now I see it's illegal to ask questions on a discussion/blogging website. I thought that's what this was here for, but I guess not.

I'm not getting defensive because I want people to "agree" with me. I wasn't looking for people to agree with me, I was looking for opinions and suggestions. If everyone on here said I shouldn't try and negotiate, then I probably wouldn't. If some people said to ask since it wouldn't hurt, then that's what I was going to do. Some people on here have said to ask, which I plan on doing if my schedule would ever slow down and give me time to myself before 5 when the office closes. Never hurts to ask (I guess except on this site).

Oh and if you don't think your comment "right from the horses mouth" wasn't rude, then you have issues. You must be an excellent nurse to feel the need to scoop down to name calling. Great Job!

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Specializes in Emergency.
Again, if you get offered a job as an LPN, take it and count your blessings....rough economy.

And....this is coming from an 18 year experienced RN.

BTW - I too was an LPN and nope, my LPN experience didn't count when I became an RN.

Oh yeah, I am taking the job no doubt. Regardless of pay I would take the job. Was just asking a question that I guess I shouldn't have asked on this site.

Been counting my blessing since I was offered the job since I would be the first new grad to be able to even work in the ER. So I definately wouldn't give that up because of salary.:)

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By the way, asking how to negotiate salary, is not saying I need to be paid more.

I think I deserve more as a new grad with hospital experience compared to someone who worked for walmart until the day before graduation and the only hospital time they had was clinicals

Fish in a barrel.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
Oh and if you don't think your comment "right from the horses mouth" wasn't rude, then you have issues. You must be an excellent nurse to feel the need to scoop down to name calling. Great Job!

Um...the phrase "right from the horse's mouth" is a figure of speech, meaning "directly from the source." She wasn't calling you names, nor is using that phrase rude.

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Specializes in Educator/ICU/OB.

Agldragon....enough already!!

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What if what they offer you is lower than what you expect? Don't want a fight here, but you might want to consider this and figure out a counter argument so you can get what you think you deserve.

Good luck!:)

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Only reason I really asked this question is because last year, when a co-worker of mine had just graduated school, she told me not to accept a salary less than X amount of dollars, which was more than 4 dollars more than starting pay. She negotiated the price because she had worked at the hospital for 6 years prior as an aide. So that being said, me working there for 3 years I thought should count for something.

This was a year ago. The market gets tighter and tighter. This is not the time to try to negotiate a salary above normal starting salary. However, that being said, I would just ask if starting salary is negotiable, draw their attention to your three years of service already in their system, your performance reviews, and ask if those will hold any weight when determining your starting salary. If your performance reviews have not been satisfactory over the past three years, or if you've had disciplinary actions, I wouldn't even begin to attempt to negotiate, to be honest. You don't want to draw attention to negatives in your file.

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Specializes in Hospice.
Oh yeah, I am taking the job no doubt. Regardless of pay I would take the job. Was just asking a question that I guess I shouldn't have asked on this site.

Been counting my blessing since I was offered the job since I would be the first new grad to be able to even work in the ER. So I definately wouldn't give that up because of salary.:)

Im confused though about being teh 'first new grad' you not being hired as a nurse your being hired as a tech

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a friend was accepted into a california hospital in the ER and she was a new grad. you're not the first, or maybe in your city or state you are, I could be wrong :)

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Specializes in Peds and adult ED, trauma.
Right, you want higher pay because you have experience in doing something other than what you're going to be doing. Part of nursing is "customer service." I had extensive "customer service" experience prior to becoming a nurse. I suppose I should have been paid more than a new grad for my invaluable experience?

So, you have no experience in being an ER nurse, or a nurse at all, but want to be paid as though you are experienced.

Anyone who has ever worked any job has come away with experience they take to their next job. You have 0 experience working as a nurse.

(PS- anyone who has graduated nursing school has experience with patient care and has worked with ill people. It's called clinicals.)

While I agree with the point, Fribbet's tone borders on bullying and arrogant. RNs that treat others like this are part of the reason many new nurses leave the field so quickly. If experienced RNs desire respect from younger nurses, respect is a two-way street and is earned as much as it's given. Don't expect new grads, or other nursers, for that manner, to respond positively is this kind of attitude is conveyed. --rant over-- As for the point at hand, I was given a non-negotiable offer as a new grad to start in the ED and I gladly took it with no regrets yet. While many hospitals may not pay you a higher salary for related but non-nursing experience, I know many managers who are responsible for hiring do look favorably on such experience when evaluating candidates for open positions. Thus, as others have said, your "experience" may not get you more money, but it very well played a role in getting you the offer in the first place.

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I can't agree that Fribblet or Agldragon are being snippy, rude or whatever - They are just being very factual and to the point and there's nothing wrong with that.

Calixan, and the desire for more money than the standard new grad wages as well as the "treat me nice or else" attitude will be quickly and easily cured -- it's called real life experience -- and it's coming very soon.

Let's have this conversation in about 5 years and see if we hear the same attitude...

But I wish you well, Calixan. Nursing is a great profession and there is a place for everyone who is willing to work hard and be a team player. I've loved everything I've ever had a chance to do and I started as a new grad in an ER/ICU rotation in a major trauma center. I quickly learned to work smart, work to make positive relations with all the people on the unit and to never have to be asked to do a task...just see it and do it. Keep a positive attitude and be willing to work very hard and you will do well where ever you are.

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