Salary for outpatient neurology clinic after major changes

[Guest jb555]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm at a job at an outpatient clinic associated with a hospital doing neurology. I've been here for 2 years and it was my first job out of school. Overall I really like it here, mostly because the staff is great. I feel competent and I have quite a bit of autonomy. I haven't been so happy with my pay however. I started at $72,800, which I know was my first mistake. I just didn't feel like I was in a place to negotiate with having no PA or neurology experience. We also get production bonuses but thus far the patient volume has not been enough to get even close to getting a bonus. Last year I got a 3% pay increase but again didn't feel like I could really negotiate as I was not seeing a lot of patients. 

 

Within the past year, while I'm still not hitting my RVUs (low patient volume, ridiculous amount of no shows), I have become extremely independent (have my own patient load, only occasionally have to ask my SP questions, see consults, and have become the pediatric headache provider in my area. I also go above and beyond and have led educational seminars for nurses, created educational modules, and created a large amount of documents and pamphlets for patients. 

 

Within the last month, they fired the NP I worked with. She was here 3 years longer than me but I could see pediatrics so they "chose" me over her to keep. I'm probably finally going to have a full schedule and potential bonuses, but I still am not sure if I'm being compensated fairly. Within the next month I'm going to start having twice as many phone calls, refills, paperwork, etc. I just got my merit letter and raise and once again got a 3% increase, putting me at $77K. 

 

While I love the staff I work with, administration sucks. When I filled out my self-evaluation it was before the NP was let go but I did put all the extra stuff I've been doing in it.  I feel like even if I give them salary data on top of all this, they're not going to be receptive and I'm just going to put myself at risk. 

 

Any advice on what to do? Talk to my manager and risk my position, suck it up and accept the $77K, be happy I at least have a job, and hope that I see enough patients now that I get a bonus, or look elsewhere? I do like my job and I don't know if I want to risk going somewhere where I don't know if I'll like the staff or the job......but I also miss doing procedures and being in the hospital. I also don't know if I'm being greedy, especially because at the present time I'm not getting all the RVUs "required." 

 

 

[EMEDPA]

77k 2 years out of school is ridiculously low and insulting.my first pa job out of school almost 20 years ago paid close to that. honestly, you should be at 85K+ for what you are doing, probably closer to 90k. if money is important, start looking around for a new job. there are more important things, however, than money, like respect, so you need to balance every aspect of your job. at one of my per diem jobs I make a lot less than my other jobs( 11 dollars/hr less than the next lowest job), but that's ok because I love the work, who I work with, the location, and the autonomy and scope of practice.

[jdenning]

You should have some negotiating room especially if you are inheriting the duties of the NP and you have the AAPA salary data to present.  Starting salaries in Neuro are around $85000 so you are underpaid.  I started low also but negotiated a much better rate when I sent full time AND had another offer on the table.  If you choose that route you need to be prepared to walk if they don't meet or exceed the other offer.  I've been in neuro almost  7years now and have had raises every year but it was that first negotiation that got me to the starting block.  You also need to go in with documentation of what your responsibilities were before and what they are now.  Good luck