2006 Salary Survey Results
What's the employment forecast for family planning facilities?
Salary and staffing trends are stable, plan ahead for staff shortages
Take a look around your family planning facility staff. Are there many new hires, or is the landscape comprised of seasoned veterans?
If it is similar to the composite reflected in the results from the 2006 Contraceptive Technology Update Salary Survey, expect to see more senior staffers. About 52% of respondents identified themselves as age 50-plus; about 28% said they had worked more than 22 years in their present field. (Get an overview of the field, see "How long have you worked in your present field?" and "What is your highest academic degree?" graphics below.) The survey was mailed in July 2006 to 890 subscribers with 142 responses, for a response rate of 15.5%.
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While about 69% of 2006 survey respondents say staffing levels at their facilities have either expanded or remained steady, know that such stability is not projected for the future. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, today's health care industry is facing a unique challenge: While it is at risk of losing its most experienced workers through retirement, the industry and its need for skilled workers continues to grow.1 The agency is conducting a study aimed at finding ways to retain older workers in health care industry careers to deal with the shortage.1
Public health facilities, home to 45% of 2006 CTU salary survey respondents, are perhaps the most vulnerable to upcoming staffing shortages, particularly when it comes to nurses. One-quarter of 518 local public health agencies surveyed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials identified public health nurses as the most needed professional area; in a 2003 survey, 28% of respondents said that nursing will be the most needed area by 2008.2
Salary due for a bump?
Family planners are holding the line when it comes to pay. In the 2006 CTU survey, average salary for nurse practitioners (NPs) stayed steady; $58,351 compared to $58,367 in 2005. Median salary for NPs also remained level: $62,500, similar to 2005's figure. Nurse practitioners represent almost 60% of the 2006 responses. (See "What is your salary level" graphic below, as well as "In the past year, how has your salary changed?" graphic, below.)
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Registered nurses participating in the CTU annual report also saw no improvement in pay; median salary levels remained at $49,545 from the previous year. Administrators also stayed steady when it comes to pay issues, reporting a median salary of $71,667, similar to 2005's figures. Nurses and administrators comprise about 15% of the 2006 responses, with physicians and nurse midwives each coming in at 3% of total responses. While states have been affected by declining revenues, almost a quarter of states responding to a 2004 survey conducted by the Council of State Governments say they are considering higher pay and better benefits as workforce recruitment and retention strategy.3 Such changes are necessary, particularly when it comes to nurses: Many new hires may be reluctant to enter public health nursing, primarily due to low salaries.4 A number of health care providers, particularly hospitals, offer salary enhancements and sign-on bonuses to new recruits.5 Dissatisfaction is a factor in retaining nurses, primarily due to working conditions, heavy workloads, increased overtime usage, lack of support personnel, and compensation that does not accurately reflect the inflation rate.3 (What is it like at your facility? See "How many hours a week do you work?" graphic, below, and "How many people do you supervise, directly or indirectly?" graphic, below.)
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What is it going to take to turn the situation around? States have gotten more creative in marketing their public health employment opportunities. Georgia, for example, has used a series of marketing strategies to attract more public health nurse applicants, including developing a brochure, attending job fairs, and highlighting public health nursing careers on its state Department of Human Resources web site. (Go to the Georgia Department of Human Resources' job web site, www.dhrjobs.com. Click on "DHR Jobs Listing," then "Public Health Jobs" for information and job openings.) The web site, which features a more streamlined application process, has been "a real plus," says Carole Jakeway, RN, MPH, chief nurse in the Division of Public Health of the Georgia Department of Human Services.
Raise your visibility
Would you like to add value to your own career while helping to nurture others? Consider implementing a mentorship program at your facility. Nurses with experience in the field can provide valuable direction to those who have just begun their careers.
Georgia developed its public health nurse mentoring program in response to current nursing shortages and in preparation of expected future ones. In 2003, 13 of the state's 19 health districts were experiencing staffing shortages. Several districts estimated half of their current work force would retire within the next five to 10 years.
Mentoring has been seen as a way to promote recruitment and retention in public health nursing, not only in Georgia, but around the nation. The Georgia mentoring program is expanding from its initial two pilot districts, says Jakeway. The agency has published its mentoring workbook on its web site, www.health.state.ga.us/programs/nursing. Click on "Publications & Manuals" to access the workbook.6
"Feedback so far has been very good," says Jakeway. "While not all districts have mentoring programs, most are planning to do so."
References
1. U.S. Department of Labor. U.S. Department of Labor Announces $202,000 Grant for Worker-Retention Strategies in the Health-Care Industry. Press release. Washington, DC; June 5, 2006. Accessed at: www.doleta.gov/WHATSNEW/new_releases/2006-06-05.cfm.
2. National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). Local Public Health Agency Infrastructure: A Chartbook. Washington, DC; October 2003. Accessed at: http://archive.naccho.org/documents/chartbook_workforce49-59.pdf.
3. Bell MT, Khodeli I. Public Health Worker Shortages. Lexington, KY: Council of State Governments; November 2004.
4. Barrett K, Greene R, Mariani M. A case of neglect: Why health care is getting worse, even though medicine is getting better. Governing 2004; 22-79.
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professions. Public Health Workforce. January 2005. Accessed at: ftp://ftp.hrsa.gov/bhpr/nationalcenter/publichealth2005.pdf.
6. Georgia Department of Human Resources. Division of Public Health. Office of Nursing. A Mentoring Program for Public Health Nurses. Atlanta: January 2006. Accessed at: health.state.ga.us/pdfs/nursing/Mentoring_Manual_2006.pdf.
Take a look around your family planning facility staff. Are there many new hires, or is the landscape comprised of seasoned veterans?You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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