Family planning providers record little uptick in 2008 paychecks
Explore options to open up career opportunities
Good news: About 75% of respondents to the 2008 Contraceptive Technology Update Salary Survey say they received increases in their paychecks in the last year. Bad news: The majority (57%) saw only a 1%-3% increase. (See "In the past year, how has your salary changed?" graphic at bottom.)
The nursing profession is well represented in the survey; 49% of respondents identified themselves as nurse practitioners, with 16% as registered nurses, and 6% as nurse-midwives. Administrators comprised about 19% of the current year's responses. About 5% identified themselves as health educators, with 3% as physicians. Less than 1% said they were physician assistants. The survey was mailed in July 2008 to 1,456 subscribers with 127 responses, for a response rate of 8.7%.
About 48% of all respondents indicated they made $59,000 or less; about 48% reported salaries between $59,000 and $99,999. About 4% said they earned a six-figure salary. (See "What is your annual gross income from your primary health care position?" graphic, at bottom.)
Where do you stand?
Family planning providers might not be keeping up with others in their profession when it comes to salary matters. Results from a recent national nurse practitioners' salary survey show that the average nurse practitioner's salary rose 8.8% over the past two years, from $74,812 in 2005 to $81,397 in 2007.1
For physicians, results from a national physicians' survey indicate that obstetricians/gynecologists recorded a 2007 median income of $237,500, compared to $240,000 in 2006.2
A 2007 salary survey conducted by the American College of Nurse-Midwives shows a median salary range of $79,093-$89,916 for full-time employment positions.3 Results of a 2008 national physician assistant survey indicate a mean total income of $89,987 for those who were not self-employed and who worked at least 32 hours per week for their primary employer.4
Many of 2008's survey responses come from those employed in the public health field: 39% said they worked in a health department. If working in this capacity, you may be working at a disadvantage when it comes to salary issues.
Public vs. private sector pay
Nurse salaries in public health agencies typically pale in comparison to those available in the private sector. For example, the average salary in 2006 for a public health staff nurse in Georgia was $36,753; in comparison, a nurse in a similar position in the private sector could expect an average salary of $61,206.5 The nursing vacancy rate in Georgia hovers at about 20%.6
To add to the public health staffing challenge, more employees are needed at the public health level.7 Data from a 2008 survey by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) show that the public health work force is shrinking, the pool of new public health professionals is limited, and states are at a disadvantage in competing for the few workers available.7
Economic constraints at the local, state, and federal levels might compound those problems when it comes to salary increases or new hires. For example, in Georgia, fall 2008 state budget cutbacks of at least 6% may fray the public health safety net.6 The cuts have been driven by the state's $1.6 billion shortfall.
Many local jurisdictions are slashing their budgets due to the economic downturn, reports Mary Jane Gallagher, president and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. However, any time there is a reduction in funding for family planning services, taxpayers end up paying even more for the increased costs of unintended pregnancies, she notes.
If you are in family planning, salary issues might not move you from your job: More than 50% of 2008 CTU survey respondents say they have been in their present field 16 or more years. But how can you manage your career in light of budget uncertainties and possible cutbacks?
Career management is an ongoing process of professional and personal development designed to enhance your current and future career opportunities, says Donna Cardillo, RN, BS, a national speaker on nursing career issues and author of The Ultimate Career Guide for Nurses (Gannett Healthcare Group).
What can you do?
Change is the operative word in clinicians' professional lives these days, she says. The world around health care providers is changing, health care is changing, and certainly nursing is changing, observes Cardillo. Those changes mean that clinicians need to be ready to reinvent themselves at any time, whether forced into the job market by layoffs, facility closures, disability, or lifestyle change; presented with a promotion or new opportunity; or choosing to change to stay challenged, motivated, and moving forward, she says.
Be ready for job changes
To be ready for job changes, Cardillo offers the following strategies:
- Attend career fairs, which allow you to network with peers, find out what is happening in your specialty at other facilities, attend continuing education classes, and meet with representatives from educational institutions who offer information about higher learning and specialty training.
- Network at nursing and health care conventions, professional association meetings, and social events — anywhere you can stay in touch with your profession.
- Set specific written goals for your career, as well as for your continuing education. With those goals in front of you, you will have a clear understanding of what you need to do to manage and further your career.8
References
- Rollet J, Lebo S. A decade of growth: Salaries increase as profession matures. ADVANCE 2008; 16:29-35.
- Terry K. 2008 exclusive survey — Earnings: Good news for primary care income. Med Econ 2008; accessed at medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com.
- American College of Nurse-Midwives. ACNM Compensation and Benefits Survey 2007. Accessed at www.midwife.org.
- American Academy of Physician Assistants. Facts At A Glance. Accessed at www.aapa.org/glance.html.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Strengthening public health nursing — Part I. Charting Nursling's Future 2008; accessed at www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=35348.
- Miller A. Concerns mount that budget cuts could worsen public health crisis. Atlanta J Constitution; Nov. 23, 2008; accessed at www.ajc.com.
- Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. 2007 State Public Health Workforce Shortage Report. Accessed at www.astho.org/pubs/WorkforceReport.pdf.
- Cardillo DS. Career Management Is a State of Mind. Accessed at www.dcardillo.com/articles/careermgmt.html.
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