how to use AAPA report to negotiate salary? new grad

[clairdelune]

As a new grad, do we negotiate from the 50th% and up? What if they give me an offer between the 25th % and 50th%? how do I convince them that I need to be paid more like 75th % and higher? I guess my question is how do they determine within 0 - 1 year of experience where I fall on the AAPA range? 

Also if offer was made via phone and only salary and health benefits were given, should I negotiate the salary first then asked for other information? I thought the offer would be a package. 

Thank you. 

[AbeTheBabe]

You definitely should take into consideration the total compensation package which includes benefits, in addition to whether it's a good learning environment since it's your first job. Say a job pays 50/hour and has zero to no benefits. Another job pays 40/hour but you have good PTO, CME, 6% 401K match, free medical, etc. it will likely be better to go with the second job. The percentile is for the whole state so if you want to negotiate you can say something like: "Thank you for the offer, I enjoyed meeting with you all and I am excited to be working at ____. However, based on the salary report, cost of living in ____, and the specialty/hours/whatever, I was hoping more for ___/hour. I hope that this is acceptable and we can move forwards.

A lot of times you don't have much negotiating power as a new grad though. And if it's a big system the benefits are usually not negotiable.

[mgriffiths]

In my experience benefits are almost always non-negotiable - with the exception of PTO.  Salary on the other hand is ALWAYS negotiable, unless it's the federal government.  I have had more than one large hospital system offer me a job and when I asked for an increase in salary they said they could not - then after I respectfully decline the offer they call back 1-2 weeks later and offer more.

[MT2PA]

1 hour ago, mgriffiths said:

In my experience benefits are almost always non-negotiable - with the exception of PTO.  Salary on the other hand is ALWAYS negotiable, unless it's the federal government.  I have had more than one large hospital system offer me a job and when I asked for an increase in salary they said they could not - then after I respectfully decline the offer they call back 1-2 weeks later and offer more.

This.  You just have to be willing/able to walk away and they have to want you enough.  It's a gamble but if you can afford to gamble it's a good one.

[quietmedic]

Remember, for a first job, often you are doing a LOT of learning...in some cases you should be paying THEM for the experience (if they actually do a good job at letting you learn of course!)  I wouldn't be too picky with a first job unless they are paying less than $35 an hour...

[wookie]

1 hour ago, quietmedic said:

Remember, for a first job, often you are doing a LOT of learning...in some cases you should be paying THEM for the experience (if they actually do a good job at letting you learn of course!)  I wouldn't be too picky with a first job unless they are paying less than $35 an hour...

$35/h would not be where I draw the line unless you have absolutely no other job leads and are pressed for money, even as a new grad, independent of region and specialty.

Didn't we pay others for experience throughout rotations in PA school?

[MCHAD]

2 hours ago, quietmedic said:

Remember, for a first job, often you are doing a LOT of learning...in some cases you should be paying THEM for the experience (if they actually do a good job at letting you learn of course!)  I wouldn't be too picky with a first job unless they are paying less than $35 an hour...

$35 an hour is a nursing wage in many states and PA's working for that hold back the advancement of salaries for other PA's .  

[quietmedic]

My first PA job, in one of the biggest cities in the USA, less than 10 years ago, was $35 per hour.  At the same time, PAs in this same state, but in rural areas, were making $40 starting, at least...and even as recently as 2 years ago, in a prominent hospital in this same city, experienced PAs started at $46 an hour. So I think it may be relative to where you live and what you do.  $35 an hour to me does not seem unreasonable when you still know diddlysquat as a new grad, since you are still learning. Of course, within a 5-10 years with solid experience and expertise, that number should double, but still.

 

If I was a new grad again, I would never ever turn down a new job because of salary...at least in this city, it is nearly impossible to find jobs as a new grad. Of course, if there are two offers on the table, that's a different story.

[JMPAC]

My first PA job, in one of the biggest cities in the USA, less than 10 years ago, was $35 per hour.  At the same time, PAs in this same state, but in rural areas, were making $40 starting, at least...and even as recently as 2 years ago, in a prominent hospital in this same city, experienced PAs started at $46 an hour. So I think it may be relative to where you live and what you do.  $35 an hour to me does not seem unreasonable when you still know diddlysquat as a new grad, since you are still learning. Of course, within a 5-10 years with solid experience and expertise, that number should double, but still.
 
If I was a new grad again, I would never ever turn down a new job because of salary...at least in this city, it is nearly impossible to find jobs as a new grad. Of course, if there are two offers on the table, that's a different story.

I graduated two years ago and have friends working in different states and specialties. The lowest salary that any of us started at was $90K but it included some loan repayment. The highest starting pay of any of us was $75/hr. I don't know what goes on in every state but $35/hr seems quite low unless it's a residency program.
Also, I don't think new grads "don't know diddlysquat". I got one day of pseudo shadowing and then hit the ground running (I felt well supported when needed) and a friend of mine was the loan provider in her clinic on day three. I know new grads need some training and more guidance in their first job, but they're not so bad!

[Guest UVAPAC]

11 hours ago, JMPAC said:

 

I graduated two years ago and have friends working in different states and specialties. The lowest salary that any of us started at was $90K but it included some loan repayment. The highest starting pay of any of us was $75/hr. I don't know what goes on in every state but $35/hr seems quite low unless it's a residency program.
Also, I don't think new grads "don't know diddlysquat". I got one day of pseudo shadowing and then hit the ground running (I felt well supported when needed) and a friend of mine was the loan provider in her clinic on day three. I know new grads need some training and more guidance in their first job, but they're not so bad!

 

Yikes, what kind of medicine was this?

If a new graduate was the loan provider on day 3, I want to stay farrrrrrr away from that clinic.  

[JMPAC]

Yikes, what kind of medicine was this?
If a new graduate was the loan provider on day 3, I want to stay farrrrrrr away from that clinic.  

I know! It was urgent care and I don't know how she did it.

[JMPAC]

a friend of mine was the loan provider in her clinic on day three. I know new grads need some training and more guidance in their first job, but they're not so bad!

And by "loan provider" I mean "lone provider" [emoji37]

[mmiller3]

13 minutes ago, JMPAC said:

 

And by "loan provider" I mean "lone provider"

 

Lol. It took me a second to figure out what was going on there.

[JMPAC]

Lol. It took me a second to figure out what was going on there.

I think those student loans are just always on my mind. [emoji30][emoji6]