2009 Salary Survey Results: With economy showing improvement, make yourself stand out from the crowd
January 1, 2010
2009 Salary Survey Results
With economy showing improvement, make yourself stand out from the crowd
Your job is recession-proof, according to Department of Labor data
Good news! Jobs at hospitals (public and private) and ambulatory health care services rank Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, among the best recession-proof jobs, according to a recently published book.1 The author put transit and ground passenger transportation in the No. 1 position. His rankings were based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Outpatient surgery managers could use some good news. Results of the 2009 Same-Day Surgery Salary Survey indicate that 31.94% saw no salary change from the previous year, up from 11.1% who didn't receive an increase in the 2008 survey. (For more information, see graphic, "In the last year, how has your salary changed?" below.) The 2009 survey was included in the July 2009 issue and was mailed to 460 subscribers. Seventy-two responses were received, for a 15.7% return rate.
Not as many layoffs in '09?
However, managers have reason to have a positive outlook, according to AORN Works, a subsidiary of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) that is focused on perioperative leadership job placement and periop consulting. Vicki Faas, RN, MSN, general manager of AORN Works, says, "We're not really hearing about layoffs as much as 2008. We're finding more that facilities are willing to take a low-census day."
Managers are finding it easier to recruit than they did a year ago, she says. "It used to be that in nursing, it was so easy to find a job anywhere you wanted to go, because there was a nursing shortage," Faas says. "The shortage is not there like it used to be. People have to differentiate themselves."
Seek certification, advanced degrees
One way to stand out is to be certified and/or obtain advanced degrees, Faas says. Many people who are filling nurse management positions are looking for candidates with a masters of science in nursing (MSN), she says. Is it standard? "It's getting that way," Faas says. "What I've seen is that a lot of hospitals used to say, 'We'll take a BSN with experience. Now they're less flexible on credentials."
In terms of certification, AORN offers an ambulatory surgery administrator certificate program. "That's a really good primer to take the CASC exam," says Faas, referring to the certified administrator surgery center program. Additionally, the Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI) offers a certificate program for surgical services management.
Another way to make yourself stand out is to look for opportunities to improve your practice, and document it, Faas advises. "Get out of your office and get in with staff; find out what is happening in the trenches," she says. "Look for ways to improve operations and clinical practice, and measure that." When you have a job interview, you will be asked, "tell me what you have done," Faas says. "You can give quantifiable examples of what you've done at your last position."
Jim Stilley, FACHE, CASC, CEO at Northwest Michigan Surgery Center in Traverse City, would have a lot to brag about if he were in that position. Stilley developed plans for his center that retained jobs, even when cases dropped 10%-15% due to the recession.
Instead of letting staff go, Stilley spread the pain. "We flex staff quite a bit," he says. Every staff person took reductions in hours, personal time off, and sick pay.
'Staff almost rebelled'
The change was tough, he admits. "People would expect 40 hours a week pay, and they were getting 23 hours a week pay," Stilley says. "Staff almost rebelled."
However, in hindsight, many members of the staff see the merit of taking this step. The number of cases still is below where they were a year ago. However, "we thought we were stretched to capacity, but we were able to stretch more," Stilley says.
He credits his staff with making that transition work. "If you can find the right people and keep them motivated, you can get anything done," Stilley says.
One way he has kept his staff motivated is that he renegotiated increased health care benefits and coverage at a 0% increase to his center or staff. How? Stilley moved the center to a health savings account. He talked to his employees and asked how much they spent on medical expenses. "I told them they didn't have to share, but I found out 72% of staff, out of 120 employees, didn't eclipse their deductible that year." When the insurance company wanted to raise rates by 9%, Stilley asked why.
The company gave him the normal response about health care costs rising, but Stilley said, "I happen to know that 72% of my staff hasn't used their deductible. You haven't been on risk for their care. . . . Why is my group paying for increased cost elsewhere?"
They came back with a 0% increase, Stilley says. Establishing a health care savings account stop increased costs, he says. "The ones that used it all, which was 28%, were not out any money," Stilley says. The center funded the deductible.
Stilley also selected and managed a 401K plan with above 14% return, even in the midst of the recession. The plan was set up with Baden Retirement Plan Services (www.badenrps.com) and Lincoln Financial Group (www.lfg.com). When his staff were concerned about market losses and wanted to pull out, Stilley urged them to stay in. "I was able to provide real-time counseling," he says.
Reference
- Shatkin L. 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs. St. Paul, MN: Jist Publishing; 2009.
Networking online and face to face
At press time, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) was scheduled to launch its OR Nurse Link program on Dec. 1. The web site is www.ORNurseLink.org.
OR Nurse Link is a new online community from AORN that provides perioperative staff and managers a place to exchange resources, ideas, and practices.
AORN also offers networking opportunities through specialty assemblies, including one for leadership.
"Face-to-face contact is still important," says Vicki Faas, RN, MSN, general manager of AORN Works, AORN Works, a subsidiary of AORN that is focused on perioperative leadership job placement and periop consulting. Sometimes that fact gets lots in the era of technology, Faas says. "You still need to go to conferences, meet with people, and find out industry tends and best practices for your specialty."
Salary Survey at a GlanceResources
- For more information on certification programs from the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), go to www.aorn.org. Under "Education," Select "Professional Development."
- For more information about the certified administrator surgery center (CASC) certification, go to www.aboutcasc.org.
- The National Healthcare Career Network (NHCN) is a national initiative aligning 136 associations to create a network of linked job placement, career advancement, and development tools and resources. The associations include the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association and AORN. To access, go to www.aha-solutions.org/aha-solutions/career_center/nhcn.shtml.
- Health Workforce Information Center (HWIC), www.healthworkforceinfo.org, helps providers and others develop strategies to meet future work force demands. The site also offers free, customized assistance from information specialists who will search databases on work force topics and funding resources, furnish relevant publications, and connect users to work force experts and federal programs. HWIC is based at the Center for Rural Health in Grand Forks at the University of North Dakota.
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