Negotiating raise based on productivity

[MRD513]

I've been a PA for 3 years, with almost 2 years at my current job. I work in a hospital urgent care next to the ED in rural WNC. I work mostly evenings, sometimes as late as 1 AM plus every other weekend. I work 4 days a week. I'm currently making $82k plus benefits and bonus potential based on pt satisfaction surveys. They just started doing the bonus potential this year and I got about $1,700 before taxes. I've been here almost 2 years and haven't had a raise. I typically see about 20 ppd and do lots of procedures. The last fiscal year I generated $372,429. Based on this information how much should I ask for? Or what percent of what I'm generating should I be making? T

[EMEDPA]

are you the only PA there? what do they make?

after 2 yrs you should certainly be over 90k with the volume, procedures, and hrs you are doing.

[MRD513]

There are 6 of us, 5 out of the 6 have been there 2 years or less and none of us have received a raise after our 1st year because of lots of budget cuts. I haven't asked the one provider that's been there 10+ years how much he makes.

[EMEDPA]

There are 6 of us, 5 out of the 6 have been there 2 years or less and none of us have received a raise after our 1st year because of lots of budget cuts. I haven't asked the one provider that's been there 10+ years how much he makes.

might be time to start looking for a new job...

[WeBuyAndSellJunk]

WNC is a different beast. The average pay for all specialties in the area is not great. I think it is a combination of the state denying medicaid expansion, a monopoly by a very small subset of hospitals, and poor health literacy. I think it is certainly unfortunate that your employer did not provide a pay raise, but you are also receiving NHSC loan repayment (per other post) because of where you currently provide medical coverage. You make the equivalent of 100k+ in WNC with your NHSC scholarship and that is phenomenol. Someone is making money off you, but you aren't doing too poorly for the area considering.

[MRD513]

SorryI forgot to mention the NHSC which does make it much better but according to NHSC employers are supposed to pay competitively and not low ball us because of the NHSC funds we receive. I was hoping to use how much I generate as a way to prove that I deserve a raise, I just wasn't sure what percent of what I generate I should be receiving.

[CByersPAC]

The AAPA has a salary survey broken down by area, specialty, years in practice etc. that I have found very useful in terms of the going rate for an area. That should give you a ball park. I don't have an easy answer to your question, but that's where I would go first if I were researching it.

 

@printer2100 has a good point about factoring your loan repayment when looking at your current compensation. It can also be interesting and useful to calculate out what the benefits are worth dollar-wise, just for perspective. That won't help answer your question, but it gives you a solid idea where you're starting from. It also shows the folks you're negotiating with that you've done your homework and know your numbers, always a good thing.

 

You might also consider negotiating for compensation per wRVU, either partially with a fixed base salary or completely. That ties your compensation directly to your production. It might be worth keeping track of your wRVU's, if you aren't, for your own information, and calculating what your current salary (plus benefits and NHSC repayment) gives you per wRVU. That's a super-useful piece of information when negotiating, even if you aren't interested in being paid by production.

 

Good luck! 

[gbrothers98]

Factoring loan repayment is what an administrator whom you ask for a raise will tell you to consider.

The NHSC though tells its scholars to negotiate separate from that.

Eventually you will run out of loans to repay and then what is the motivation?

It is why some of these sites cant keep anyone around, they shoot themselves in the face by continuing to low ball after there is no incentive.

 

30% of what you generate is over 100k.

It sounds like you are working hard and could justify that much regardless of your setting. 

Whatever the productivity equation that is being used is not set up to give you more than a few extra sheckels at the end of the year. Enjoy the bone they throw you for those shifts you stay till 1am. Is that worth it to you?

On the other hand, negotiating a 15 to 20k raise is tough to do. 

One can say that this is location dependent, other factors keeping salaries down but at some point you will continue to bump up against this ceiling. 

Then you have to make a choice. Find the silver lining and make your peace with making a lower wage or go looking for the higher wage. 

If this isnt home for you, work the loan repay and then start looking, there is and will be a lot of opportunity out there for you if you desire.

 

As for the colleague that has 10+ years, that is a touchy subject. He/she has been there for a bit of time, could have a good thing going.....or not. Interesting to find out what the situation is there. Any thought to have the 6 of you bargain as a collective unit? A cohesive argument can go a long way. Or you could get identified as a group of problems. This needs a certain amount of savviness and insight that this is business, need to be unemotional while striving for what you want.

 

Personally, I think the changes that you will see are going to be incremental. Only time I have anecdotally seen big jumps in salary are 2 situations. One, quit and leave for where the money is. Two, present a group effort, collectively bargain or investigate being your own group, dont bill, just recruit and retain, set a salary and benefit level and be prepared to negotiate.

 

Good luck

G Brothers PA-C