public health nurse salary

public health nurse salary

Public Health Nurse Salary

1. Overview of Public Health Nursing Salaries

The data that is specific to public health nursing is limited because public health nursing is often grouped with RN or LPN statistics. But a public health nurse’s salary is determined by the level of education and clients served, as is the case with all types of nurses. An RN who holds an associate’s degree and works in an entry-level nursing job has the potential to make between $45,000 and $60,000 per year. Moving up the pay scale, a nurse with a bachelor’s degree and a few years of experience will make between $50,000 and $75,000 per year. An advanced practice public health nurse can generally make between $65,000 and $90,000 per year. Public health nurses who choose to remain in clinical practice, as opposed to moving into administrative roles, have the potential to make up to $100,000 per year.

Public health nurse salary information can be valuable when considering a career in nursing. The data that follows comes from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. They assess that the average median salary for a nurse in the year 2007 was $62,480 with a range between $43,370 and $93,700. It is widely understood that a career in nursing generally yields higher than the median salary in the United States for all careers combined. With respect to the advanced education requirements for a public health nurse, it is reasonable to assume that the salary for a public health nurse on average will generally be higher than that of a registered nurse who holds an associate’s degree due to the differences in the level of education required and scope of practice.

2. Factors Influencing Public Health Nurse Salaries

Legitimizing public health work on the local and national levels is another approach to reducing the wage gap. One of the most recognized and essential organizations representing public health is the American Public Health Association (APHA), based in Washington, D.C. APHA has served public health workers for more than a century with its mission to improve the health of the public and to achieve equity in health status for all. APHA employs public health nurses to work on policy issues as staff members or as consultants. APNA has worked to promote the role of public psychiatric-mental health nursing practice within the association and meeting the needs of PMHNs in legislative and regulatory environments. For the newest generation of nurses choosing public health careers, this will mean better opportunities to apply core nursing knowledge and competencies in public health.

Geographical location is one of the most influential factors when it comes to any kind of salary, especially nursing. Public nurses who work in large metropolitan areas usually have a higher salary than those who work in suburban or rural areas. Cost of living varies from place to place, so that is another factor that will influence salary. Generally speaking, any type of nursing job that gets paid more will have its benefits and drawbacks. Though jobs in large cities tend to pay more, the cost of living is also much higher than that of a suburb or rural area. Public nursing jobs in government positions may also differ from those who work in privately funded organizations. Public nurses working for the government tend to earn slightly more but may have a greater workload compared to those working in the private sector healthcare. Employers in various urban/rural areas look to have their nurses attain degrees and certification, often times this is reflected in the amount of pay offered to these nurses.

3. Benefits and Perks of Public Health Nurse Salaries

Benefits packages offered to public health nurses may also include job sharing or part-time work options, flexible work schedules, child care benefits, and paid conference attendance. These flexible work options and child care benefits are frequently employed as recruitment and retention tools for public health nurses. Flexible work schedules are also notable in that they represent a significant change from the predominantly 9-to-5 workday arrangements of the past. Such options are highly attractive to many public health nurses who seek work-life balance.

On average, public health nurses who have taken part in salary surveys report value received from their benefits packages at 33% of their salary. Their compensation packages generally include health insurance, retirement plans, dental and vision benefits, and life insurance. It is worth noting that many public health nurses consider health insurance to be an essential and extremely valuable benefit, especially if they have dependents or family members with medical needs.

Public health nurses may look forward to a variety of benefits and perks as part of their overall compensation package. In some cases, the benefits package may partially make up for the fact that salaries for public health nurses are lower than those of nurses in clinical settings and in other sectors of nursing.

4. Strategies for Negotiating Higher Public Health Nurse Salaries

When you are fully prepared and know that it’s time, require a meeting with the person who has the authority to make the decision about your salary, and be sure that you formalize any agreements that you come to. This can be a letter or a contract, something that will be tangible to avoid any misunderstandings. Finally, while always wanting an increase, regularly scheduled salary reassessment and adjustments keep the wage creeping down phenomenon from taking place. Last but not least, is to keep your options open. If you know that you can secure a higher salary elsewhere, sometimes employers need to see that they can lose you to realize what they have. Any counteroffer that is considered should be carefully evaluated for any adverse impacts this may have on your future job or salary prospects.

Now that you know the numbers, it is important to assess your employer’s ability to pay and the demand for the services you provide. This leads to the next step, which is to consider timing. You should listen for verbal and nonverbal cues about the timing of raising the issue of salary and never make your request immediately after a hiring freeze, a staff reduction, or a loss of revenue. Also, you should try to make a request after you have done something to add value to your organization, like undertaking an unfamiliar task or responsibility, providing training and mentoring, taking on additional workload, providing cost-saving ideas, and/or participating in the recruitment of new staff.

Preparation is the key to any negotiation, and salary negotiations are no exception. The next step is to research, and this time the internet is no substitute for networking and talking to people in the same organization, union officials, recruitment consultants, and if you’ve got them, headhunters. What are the salary rates being offered to public health nurses in various parts of the country? What are the salary rates for nurses in similar jobs in hospitals or the private sector? What is the salary trend in this occupation? For research tools, public health nurses can use salary and benefit surveys from your professional association, and they can also check the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Firstly, it is important that before you review your salary, you ensure that you are actually working at the correct level. This is important before discussing salary, as employers often think that they can keep employees’ pay down but keep adding to their remit. By setting goals and undertaking a self-evaluation to identify weaknesses and marketable skills, employees can negotiate to expand their present roles. This will arm you with what you need to know before asking and can help provide justification for an increase.

5. Conclusion

In looking at the overall job description, salary, and benefits of today’s public health nurse, it is quite clear that it is a job well worth one’s while. For those of us who take pride and joy in seeing a healthier future for generations to come, working as a PHN in an entire spectrum of different positions could be the most rewarding jobs there are. Make the determination as an individual as to what you want out of it. Even though the salary may be less, the amount of disrespect as a nurse in the public sector is inconceivable in comparison to the overcrowded, overworked, stressful, and sometimes ungrateful position as a hospital nurse.

Salary rates have substantially increased over the years, but there is still a long way to go. A deserving public health nurse should make a salary equal to those in counterpart administrative positions. Equal pay for equal work. Bear in mind that one’s in-kind benefits are also an advantage when working for state and local government. Flexible work schedules, training opportunities, sick leave, and child care can make a public health nursing position ideal for a mother and/or mid-career change.

A public health nurse (PHN), working as an international civil servant, addresses the multiple determinants of health and focuses on health promotion and prevention in an attempt to improve the health of a population. Today, in paying for the services of a PHN, employers look for credentials which, in turn, will provide increased salaries more in favor of those looking for jobs outside the traditional nursing profession. These same increased salary rates will help to diminish the shortage of PHNs available. It is clear that the average salary today for a PHN is about a $23,000 difference on the lower spectrum in comparison to hospital nursing. It is felt that with an increase in education, a good wealth of experience, and persistence, public health nurses will better the salary rates as time goes on.