Physician Assistant New Grad Salary

[Ezlife1987]

I'm a recent graduate from a PA school in New York and am currently licensed to practice in NYS. While applying to jobs within New York State, my focus is toward Internal Medicine and/or it's subspecialties, emergency medicine or hospitalist PA. Most jobs that I have interviewed for at major NYC hospitals are paying around 87-93k/year for new grads working 36-38.5 hours/week. Some ER jobs at city hospitals start their pay at 67k/year. This salary range is before night differential and/or overtime. I've also tried negotiating pay, however, they automatically label me under the "new grad" category since my license was obtained in October or say it's a union job so the pay range for anyone from 0-2 years experience is the same. 

I've read numerous online PA forums and AAPA's Job site regarding jobs and expected salaries. The majority response is to not take a job less than 100k/year so that PA professions job pay as a whole doesn't suffer. 

Does anyone have any idea about what the best way would be to approach this kind of situation? Thanks in advance for your input. 

[MT2PA]

There are far more factors to consider than just salary.  Market saturation (supply and demand) is a big player.  If I'm not mistaken, NY has a lot of PA schools and is generally considered a pretty saturated area.  

The bottom line is you just may not have a lot of bargaining power.  If you are going to try to negotiate you need evidence (AAPA salary report, to start) but there's always the chance they won't play the game and you are stuck with the choice of accepting a subpar salary or walking away.  

When people on this forum say 'don't take an underpaying job' they are essentially saying walk away.  Any employer that is going to try to pay a PA $67k per year certainly won't be negotiating a 50% increase and probably pays that because they know they will find someone willing to take it.

Also 100k is not a hard and fast rule.  87- 93k in an area where that is appropriate for the cost of living shouldn't be snubbed.

[thinkertdm]

NY has a boatload of PA schools and literally a stack of cv's of people who will take the job at 67, which is a bit low, but I'm not sure you will be breaching triple digits for a recent grad in primary care.  About 5 hours away in Corning you can get triple digits, because it's hours away.  Check it out.

[Boatswain2PA]

Just another example of why I don't understand why PAs (or anyone not makin half-mil a year in finance) would live in NY.  Incredibly high cost of living, with housing alone costing half your little paycheck.

Ezlife - there's a great big world out there, go explore it and earn the money you are worth.

 

Wait....on second thought....stay in NY.  Tell all your classmates that it's terrible outside of NY...full of hillbillys who pay in chickens.  DONT let them leave the city!!  (Cause we don't want all the NY PAs to come out to rural America and drive down wages!)

[Guest HanSolo]

8 hours ago, Boatswain2PA said:

Just another example of why I don't understand why PAs (or anyone not makin half-mil a year in finance) would live in NY.  Incredibly high cost of living, with housing alone costing half your little paycheck.

Family, friends, community, spouse's employment, etc. Plenty of reasons to live some place with a high COL, and sometimes we don't have much of a choice when it comes to family. Too often on this board I see people recommending to just up and leave a location based solely on money as if all PAs are lone wolves roaming the countryside in search of a higher paycheck. 

That being said, 67k per year is terrible unless it's a residency position.

[sas5814]

I take your point. There are a lot of reasons someone may be limited geographically. I left an area I had been in for 16 years and was quite comfortable in because my wife's parents were getting older and we needed to be closer. As long as they are alive we are tied to this area.

 That said when you limit your location you limit your opportunities. Its just true. Not good, not bad, just true. If a market is saturated there is no magic formula to being the one person who finds the best paying job. You make choices and then you have to deal with the available options.

[Boatswain2PA]

I understand it's difficult to move, especially with with the reasons you cite (family/friends/community/spouse's employment).  While it's difficult to pick up and move, EZLife could make two to three times as much if s/he left NYC while enjoying the reduced COL.  The mathematics behind that is a game-changer.  EZ could make $67K a year working part time in many parts of the country.

But to each their own.

[quietmedic]

In NYC you take ANYTHING you can get.  Regular rules don't apply here, including those about trying to change the rules....if you are lucky enough to get a hospital job in NYC, you take it, and take it NOW. 

[wookie]

if you're limited geographically within NY state, I've heard of better wages in long island and upstate. If its distance from NYC, NJ also offers better wages.