New grad in need of salary negotiation advice

[nts19]

Long story short, I'm a new grad PA and I interviewed at a small private geriatric/primary care practice after responding to their job listing with the salary listed at 102-108k. I shadowed for the day and afterward when discussing next steps they gave me this long explanation about how they plan to grow the practice and need to bring more patients in and a bunch of other things about billing and finances etc. So they asked me for a number in terms of salary, I could tell by some of their comments that the 102-108k was probably not feasible, so I said 90k. They said "that would be a fair starting salary in primary care anywhere else but we wouldn't be able to do that." However they didn't give me a number of what they could do, told me to "think about a number" over the weekend and we would talk again Mon or Tues.

At this point it's obvious that I won't be accepting this job, but is it normal for an employer to just not give you a number like that? Shouldn't they be able to tell me what they plan to pay me?

[EMEDPA]

Their ad listed 102-108. Don't accept a cent less. That is a bait and switch...

[SedRate]

17 hours ago, nts19 said:

is it normal for an employer to just not give you a number like that?

Red flag. What's an even bigger red flag is they post a range and don't stick to it. 

17 hours ago, nts19 said:

Shouldn't they be able to tell me what they plan to pay me?

Yes, but there's this idea that they can play this stupid game where they don't give you the pay range allotted for the position and instead wait to hear your number first to see how cheap they can get you. It needs to stop.

For future interviews, know your worth going into it and stick to it. 

Edited December 10, 2023 by SedRate

[SedRate]

17 hours ago, nts19 said:

told me to "think about a number" over the weekend and we would talk again Mon or Tues.

This is childish. They are bullying you and pulling a bait n switch like EMEDPA said. Politely thank them for their time in an email today and that you will not be pursuing it further. You don't owe them any discussion or explanation or the opportunity to bully you further. 

[TeddyRucpin]

You cannot possibly ask for a lower salary than what was listed. These guys sound terrible but you are also making the situation worse. 

I'd move along. This job isn't it.

[DiggySRNA]

For what it's worth...90-110K was the starting salary for PAs back in 2016 when I first applied to PA school.

[rev ronin]

If they couldn't expect to get at least $300k revenue out of you as a PA, then they wouldn't have listed a job. Basic rule is PAs get 1/3 of the take, plus benefits which amount to another 20-30% of salary, admin pockets the rest.