Despite the pending health care regulatory changes impacting reimbursements – not to mention the prolonged uncertainty in the markets – health care organizations have continued to add employees in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many healthcare professionals are receiving pay increases as demand for them increases, according to the Health eCareers 2017–2018 Salary Guide.
Indeed, the online jobsite’s survey of nearly 20,000 healthcare professionals found that 87 percent of the respondents are being paid more or the same as last year. Moreover, 46 percent are very confident they can find a new position in their field, as the patient base increases – and as more baby boomer health care professionals retire.
Not surprisingly, physicians and surgeons report the highest average income at $258,039, followed by executives ($158,637), physician assistants ($108,311) and nurse practitioners ($102,523). Registered nurses, while only No. 11 on the list of health care earners, average $70,734 per year, a 5 percent increase over 2016’s pay.
Despite increases for many occupations, only 14 percent of the respondents are “very satisfied” with their salary, and 36 percent are “somewhat satisfied.” Executives, physician assistants and nurse practitioners are most satisfied with their salary, while the occupations least satisfied with salary are technologists/technicians, counseling and social services professionals and nursing and clinical support staff.
However, a majority (58 percent) of the respondents are happy or very happy with their current employment situation, a 1 percent increase over 2016. Although another 30 percent are actively looking for better opportunities, only 12 percent stated they are so unhappy that they want to change employers as soon as possible.
The most commonly cited reasons for health care workers wanting to make a change were higher compensation (68 percent), more rewarding or challenging work (35 percent), prefer a different boss or supervisor (23 percent) and better working hours (21 percent).
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants remained some of the happiest health care employees, with more than a quarter reporting they are very happy and planning to stay with their current employer. Conversely, executives, physicians/surgeons, counseling and social service workers and healthcare IT professionals are the least happy healthcare employees.
The health care industry is also experiencing increased employee turnover, according to Health eCareer’s separate 2017 Healthcare Recruiting Trends Report. Thirty-six percent of the more than 350 healthcare providers surveyed say that turnover at their organizations increased last year, and the time it takes to fill positions grew for nearly half (49 percent) -- mostly due to the difficulty of finding qualified professionals coupled with stagnant candidate interest.
To combat this, 64 percent of employers increased new-hire salaries to lure in potential hires, and many employers are also stepping up employee bonuses, flexible work hours and vacation.
To meet demand, many health care organizations are turning to temporary workers, and some health care professionals see temp positions (per diem, locum tenens and on-demand) as a way to supplement their core income or continue earning while between jobs.
Eleven percent of respondents say they accept some sort of temporary work assignments. Most reported that they are paid an hourly rate (90 percent) versus a flat rate (10 percent) for the temporary work they take on, and they typically receive a higher rate for temp work versus full-time work.
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Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
