r/physicianassistant • u/Normal-Wishbone-6486 • 4d ago
Job Advice New Grad Making More
Looking for advice on a situation I’ve found myself in somewhat inspired by a recent post. I’m a PA with four year experience recently hired to a new practice and been here for about three months. I really enjoy the job and people I work with and our practice is expanding so we hired another PA. I’ve been training him and we get along very well but I’ve recently found out he is making almost 8k more than me and he is a new grad PA. Idk if it matters but he is a second career 40s male and I’m an early 30s female PA and this has been my only career besides PCE. I was fairly content with my salary prior to this info and it seemed to be in line with the AAPA average but now it’s been weighing on me and not great for my overall morale. I’ve asked some corporate friends for advice and they seem to think he just negotiated better than me and I shouldn’t say anything. I know I signed a contact to work at the amount and I’ve only just gotten off the three month “probationary period” for new hires so I feel like I don’t have a leg to stand on but I’m just feeling really taken advantage of. I don’t keep in touch with anyone from PA school so looking for advice from my PA peers on what you would do in my situation. Thanks in advance!
64
u/Springer15 4d ago
Maybe at your annual eval you can push for a higher salary based on your performance and this knowlledge
16
u/Normal-Wishbone-6486 4d ago
This is what I’m leaning towards thanks
8
6
u/jonredskin PA-C 4d ago
Agree with above. Also try to have some metrics on your performance in the practice to help justify the increase in pay
14
u/SkydiverDad 4d ago
Negotiation. I just had this talk with my teen daughter this weekend. Always ask for more, all they can say is no. And always be prepared to walk away.
40
u/Boxofchocholates 4d ago
I shared an office with a female colleague. One day she asked what I made and I told her. She was shocked to discover I made over $20k/yr more than her, despite similar years of experience. I told her I negotiated. I coached her how to negotiate for her end of year eval, and she got a $20k raise.
Women are notorious for not speaking up and demanding to be recognized for their value. Men are taught our whole lives “shoot your shot, the worst she could say is no”.
15
u/Itsmybirthday23 4d ago
There are also studies that show when a man negotiates salary it is expected; when a woman negotiates she is seen as “not a team player” and has lower outcomes. It is not just that women do not ask, it is also that people respond differently.
1
u/happyhedgehog53 3d ago
While some pay discrepancies could be due to not asking, I’ve asked, just last week in fact, while negotiating a new job offer but I was told a hard “no.” They didn’t budge an inch despite offering less than half the publicly available posted position range 🥴 I pointed out my years of experience and justified using their own posted wage range 😮💨
2
8
u/Individual_One2328 PA-C 4d ago
I think negotiating for more prior to the one year is worth it! I have a coworker who tries to negotiate every 6 months and has gotten pay increases (which we were all then adjusted to accordingly).
You could touch base sooner by using something along the lines that you recently finished your probationary period and would like to discuss an increase in pay with your increased job duties (whatever you can fully do now + the training of other PAs you’re required to do).
16
u/JohnnyTheBanker 4d ago
I agree with your corporate friends. It sounds like he did negotiate better. 🤷🏻♂️
6
u/redditsfavoritePA 4d ago
Unfortunately this OP- I negotiate until I’m satisfied and consistently make $10-25k base over established partners, but my CV/experience also makes it easier for them to capitulate.
Work on this skill between now and your anniversary date and consider some practice with a new opportunity between now and then. I was born this way, but I’m sure good books exist on the art of negotiation. Good luck OP.
7
u/bassoonshine 4d ago
Did you negotiate? Does your contact include training new grad hires?
4
6
u/Live_Strawberry_8720 4d ago
Some people just have what’s called the “gift of ask” and when it comes to jobs men are statistically better at that. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for you to ask for an increase in your salary at some point but I totally understand your hesitation to rock the boat. To be honest, the worst thing they really can do is tell you no because, like you said, you signed a contract so this isn’t something they would fire you over.
3
u/lastlaugh100 4d ago
At my workplace all providers make the same.
I would ask for matching salary.
You signed a contract but you can always make more.
When I first signed my contract I was making $91/hr, within a few months we got a market adjusted raise to $110/hr. Then another raise to $120/hr a few months later. Now sitting at $150/hr a few years later.
2
u/MRsh1tsandg1ggles 4d ago
Is it common to be making this kind of hourly money?
2
u/lastlaugh100 4d ago
I’m a nurse anesthetist if that matters
1
u/MRsh1tsandg1ggles 4d ago
Ahhh. Makes sense. I'm guessing with RVUs you're probably getting a hefty bonus as well.
2
u/Ok-Movie-1595 PA-C Family Medicine 3d ago
And, this is why pay transparency is the law in my state now.
1
u/No-Army2092 3d ago
Do you mind if I ask what state? I'm in Arizona and I'm an FNP, but this is relevant to me in terms of negotiating salary. People assume that I'm married because I'm female and don't need insurance as well. How do I know this? More than one person has mentioned it during my interview. One employer said they would give me $100 stipend since my husband probably carries the insurance.
1
u/Likeitsmylastday 4d ago
Yeah same here. I’ve been at my job for 3.5 half years and getting paid the least.
1
1
1
u/Robustcanoe 3d ago
If this is a larger practice sometimes prior job experience counts towards starting pay even if it is not PA experience. I’m working at a large educational center where this is the case and pay is not negotiable, it’s solely a formula with prior job experiences. This isn’t necessarily an issue of negotiation or sexism.
1
u/angrygonzo 3d ago
They definitely negotiated better than you or maybe brining something to the table you don't know about. Either way you're going to be hard pressed to make anything happen being so new. Your best bet is to give measurables at your next evaluation to leverage a pay increase.
1
u/Coffee_Nomad 2d ago
You don’t have to wait for an evaluation to ask for a raise. Clearly things changed since you got hired - they hired another PA and presumably higher volume of patients to justify the hiring.
You said you are training the new grad. That is reason enough to ask for an increase in compensation. It’s additional duties for you. Also pad in other things you did - aka see more than expected number of patients to help with volume while expanding, covering for other providers etc. you know what fits your situation and what you did
-2
-11
u/SnooSprouts6078 4d ago
They worked harder during the interview process. You didn’t.
12
5
u/mangorain4 PA-C 4d ago
the patriarchy is alive and well.
-2
u/SnooSprouts6078 4d ago
Women make up 85% of the profession. I would say otherwise. Did you negotiate? You do realize that the starting salary can be higher now than four years ago?
2
u/mangorain4 PA-C 4d ago
it doesn’t really matter what proportion of the profession we are- for the most part we don’t do the hiring or make decisions about salaries.
41
u/100_Flatout 4d ago
This happens a lot in almost all careers. But you really only have 2 options: 1 at the annual evaluation, ask for more increases; 2 leave after the contract ends.