Salary transitioning to hourly?

[KrPAC]

Hey everyone. Long time listener, first time caller here.

Since I started my job in the ED/UC setting I've been salaried and have great scheduling flexibility and feel well compensated. 

Now, going through a "system wide" transition to hourly.. which means punching a clock, needing to meet our weekly FTE status (I'm .8 and work 12 hour shifts), and use PTO for time off (which I assume means we'll need PTO approval for vacations). Sensing that this is going to greatly reduce our scheduling flexibility, which is one of the reasons I took this job.

Who out there is hourly or has gone through this transition? Looking for convincing that this isn't going to be as horrible as my mind is telling me.

[iconic]

Punching the clock is insulting to medical providers

[ventana]

I would disagree whole heartedly to the above

 

I finally opened my own practice after years of different employers expencting and demanding that I work off the clock on salary.  It sucks.  I was in the ER a few years and appreciated that the hourly rate was there.

 

I would not worry to much about it - most the other employees also probably like the flexibility and it likely will increase your paycheck as no more working for free.

[

BTW the job market sucks right now - everyone wants to hire cause the crap they are forcing on the PA staff (to try to take care of the almighty doc(at least in my view)) has made us the cheaper way to unload the docs    Even though we get 1/2 to 1/3 the pay.

 

 

[Reality Check 2]

Hourly is not bad and you get paid for what you do. Assuming they will give you time to document and not dock you if you are not "doing clinical care". Years ago an ER told me they would not pay past 12 hours for a shift regardless of what you were doing - they would not pay you time to document. They sucked. 

PTO in the ER - I have worked both ways - having to smash all my shifts into a short period of time to get a vacation and then being so tired on vacation I could not enjoy it. Or using PTO and scheduling when I want off and getting paid while working normal number and length of shifts. 

As long as no one is micromanaging your clock punches, use it to your advantage. 

[EMEDPA]

A lot of this depends on who does your schedule. In large groups, it is often easy to front load or back load your shifts and take big blocks of time off without using PTO. Work first 3 weeks of 1 month and last 3 weeks of next month and voila, 2 weeks off with full pay. I like hourly, but don't punch a clock. Sometimes you leave a bit early if your colleagues send you home if slow, sometimes you stay a bit late with a tough case or to finish charts. It all comes out in the wash. 

[rev ronin]

More important than salaried vs. hourly is exempt vs. non-exempt. Unless you OWN part of the practice or have hire/fire authority for staff including other PAs, you should be non-exempt.

[AbeTheBabe]

On 6/14/2023 at 8:59 AM, iconic said:

Punching the clock is insulting to medical providers

I'm happy to clock in and clock out, I get paid overtime (1.5x) for every minute I stay late.

[EMEDPA]

3 minutes ago, AbeTheBabe said:

I'm happy to clock in and clock out, I get paid overtime (1.5x) for every minute I stay late.

I just tell my chief I stayed an hr or two late and they add it to my check. 

[sas5814]

Yea... the upside to hourly is they have to pay you for your time. You'll have to watch the hourly rate to make sure they aren't functionally cutting your pay for the same hours. As stated above watch the "exempt" vs "non-exempt" status. If they try to make you exempt throw a fit. They are about to screw you.

[TWR]

I only had one salary position in my 37 years NEVER EVER AGAIN.  Sounded great on paper but in reality, I was giving 15 hours weekly for "free" Never again!!!!   Hourly was the best.  If I stayed after hours for admin stuff, I was on the clock.  Do not do your work for no compensation.