Salimah Jones APRN, FNP-C

As a Nurse Practitioner you may find yourself in a highly competitive market when it comes to job opportunities. NPs who live in saturated areas are more likely to have difficulty securing positions. This may come as a shock to new graduate NPs who are probably used to unlimited job options when they worked as registered nurses. Unfortunately, this can result in many accepting their first job offers, even if the salaries are well below market value.

The value of nurse practitioners to our healthcare system is indisputable. These practitioners provide a cost-effective and quality solution to the massive gaps in care that exists within our communities. This will ultimately result in a higher demand for the NP role overtime. As this demand increases disproportionately to the supply, there is no doubt that NP salaries will rise. Until this happens however, NPs should understand how to request appropriate compensation packages for their services. Here are 5 simple steps that NPs can use to negotiate a higher salary.

Step 1 – Know Your Position’s Market Value

It is imperative that the NP know the median salary for their role in their particular setting, specialty, and location. These salaries can be found on many websites such as glassdoor.com, indeed.com, and salary.com. Remember that salary ranges can also be affected by level of education and experience in the field. Most companies want to be competitive with their salaries and may just need to be politely told if what they are offering is completely out of line.

Step 2 – Research the Company’s Financial Health

Unfortunately, NPs have to be savvy in business since healthcare is a consumer driven industry. When preparing to interview for a new opportunity, NPs should not be afraid to come right out and ask how the company is doing financially. Appropriate questions to ask include: did the company make a profit last year? What percentage of company profits are dedicated to reinvesting back into the organization? Are there any plans for any major organizational restructuring? How long has the company been in business? All of these things will give the NP an idea of where the company stands. Questions about how much the owner makes or how much total revenue the company receives are not appropriate, especially for an initial interview.

Step 3 – Volunteer to Accept a Lower Salary Initially

Understand that hiring a new employee is one of the highest expenses for many businesses. It usually takes 3-6 months to get a new graduate NP trained and ready to see patients at a rate where they are generating profits. If the NP is offered a low salary, she should ask to have her contract renegotiated in six months to a year. This will give the owners an opportunity to become comfortable with the NP and gain confidence that they want to keep her as part of the organization. Attempting to get a high salary before proving your value to an organization can often be a recipe for disaster.

Step 4 – Proving Your Worth

No matter what your starting salary is, understand that the more value you add to your company, the more valuable you will become. Thus, you will inherently be able to request more money. Make sure you come to work with a positive attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes to help your company grow. Consistently go above and beyond, and exceed your company’s expectations. Most people just do the bare minimum to get by so this strategy will help you stand out.  It may feel as if you are being taken advantage of at first. However, your efforts will not go unnoticed. If your organization sees that you have added tremendous value to the company through increased revenue and cost reduction, most will be willing to reward you with fair compensation. Even if you don’t get the raise you desire, you will gain more opportunities for other higher paying roles within and outside of your organization.

Step 5 – Renegotiate

After you have worked really hard for six months to one year, it is time to ask for your raise. Remember, it is in the company’s best interest to keep you if you are a good employee. You have most likely established relationships with patients (clients) that the company will not want to lose, and trust me, the last thing they want to do is go through the daunting process of hiring and retraining. Make sure you do not make the negotiation personal. Stick to how you have added value and how you plan to continue to do even more with continued employment. Follow these simple steps and before you know it you will be enjoying your NP job and your NP salary!

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About the Author

Hi. I’m Salimah Jones, Family Nurse Practitioner, author, and expert nursing career consultant. As the founder of The Nursing Guide I want to help aspiring and current nurses achieve success in their nursing careers. I have been in the healthcare field for over 10 years and have extensive experience in nursing education, leadership, and management. I had to overcome tremendous obstacles in my life to get to where I am now. I want to show you that you can do the same. I would love help you on your nursing journey. CLICK HERE to join The Nursing Guide Facebook Group and to connect we me and the other Nursing Guide members.

Salimah Jones APRN, FNP-C

When it comes to the nursing field, many people have the misconception that upward mobility is limited. Everyone knows about the typical staff nurse at the local hospital, but few are aware of the opportunities that exist in a variety of different settings and specialties. What is even less talked about are those amazing nurses who take on the enormous task of successfully launching their own businesses.

After 25 years of working as a nurse, Debbie Lyn Toomey RN, author, and CEO of Ultimate Healing Journey LLC,  was bold enough to pursue her passion to help solve a major problem in the healthcare industry. I had the opportunity to interview Debbie, and here is a recap of her inspirational story.

Hello Debbie. Can you tell me about your business and how you help your clients?

I provide innovative programs to health care organizations that increase productivity, reduce costly errors, and generate stellar reviews and referrals. Ultimate Healing Journey, LLC, is a positivity and wellness-based company that works with organizations, companies, groups, and individuals. Ultimate Healing Journey, LLC delivers programs that enhance stress resilience and boosts overall success.

What made you transition from your nursing career into starting your own company?

As a nurse of over 25 years, I grew extremely concerned at the repeated admissions of so many patients due to stress related ailments. Eventually, I followed my passion in holistic health and stress management and started my own company. Ultimate Healing Journey, LLC has allowed me to combine my nursing background, positive psychology education, and coaching to deliver educational, engaging, and evidence-based programs. Through my company, I have an impact with my message of health and resilience as a keynote speaker, workshop leader, and author.

Tell me about your book.

My book, The Happiness Result – More time, More health, More love, More success, has my proprietary pillars that has become the framework of the programs I offer. As a 2016 Tufts Medical Center Nurse Fellowship recipient, I have created a mindfulness training and research program. This mindfulness program aims to be effective in reducing stress and increasing the wellbeing of medical-surgical nurses.

What is one obstacle you had to overcome while your were starting your company.

One major obstacle I had to overcome was learning about business because it’s so different from nursing. However, I’ve been extremely lucky because of the great teachers, mentors and role models that have helped me along the way.

If people want to contact you to learn more about your company where can they find you?

The best way to reach me are by visiting my websites or connecting with me on social media at the links below.

Site: www.HealthandHappinessSpecialist.com

Book site: www.TheHappinessResult.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/healthandhappinessspecialist/

Instagram: UHJDebbieLyn

Twitter: @UHJDebbieLyn

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbielyntoomey/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/debbielynt/

Thank you Debbie. You are truly an inspiration to nurses, aspiring entrepreneurs, and women all across the world who need to know that dreams are possible!

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About the Author

Hi I’m Salimah Jones, I am a Family Nurse Practitioner, author, and Founder of The Nursing Guide, an online community dedicated to helping aspiring and current nurses overcome life’s challenges to achieve their professional goals. Coming from a disadvantaged background, and having experienced the struggles of pursuing a career while working and raising a family, I am now dedicated to helping others find ways to make their dreams a reality. I provide practical solutions to help those who are struggling with finances, learning difficulties, motivation, work-life-balance, or lack of a social support system. I want to show you how to conquer any challenge so that you can become your own success story. Please subscribe to this blog and don’t forget to sign up for your free membership on The Nursing Guide Website. Connect with me on twitter @salimahjones.

Salimah Jones APRN, FNP-C

When you are a busy nurse working long, tiring shifts or a nursing student spending countless hours studying, it can be extremely difficult to stay healthy. Throw in the demands of kids, friends, your spouse, and any hobbies that you have, and the average person will find themselves frequently needing to choose between equally important things that are often in conflict with one another. For many people, the things we take pleasure in, such as whipping up a batch of cookies with our kiddos, enjoying some cocktails with our partner, or sitting down to enjoy our favorite television program don’t do much for our health and fitness. If you are wanting to lose weight or live a healthier lifestyle, these activities are likely to sabotage your progress.

Being no stranger to this dilemma,  I can tell you that losing weight and maintaining your health is no walk in the park. As a mom, wife, graduate student, and employee, for me it seems impossible to find the time to exercise. It’s difficult to stay motivated to a health routine when you feel as if you are just trying to keep your head above water each day. When you do take the time to exercise, you may have guilt for not spending that time with your family. Then you have to overcome things like like losing out on sleep, or simply just missing out on other things that you’d much rather be doing.

Don’t even get me started with those annoying “friends” on social media who are constantly posting their workouts, their diets, and their selfies showing how awesome they look. Having been bombarded with these posts from others, and admittedly, even being guilty of doing them myself; I can tell you that Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are some of the best ways to kill your self-esteem. You may be motivated for a little while, but once you discover you are unable to live up to that unrealistic image of perfection, you are ready to throw in the towel.

Finally you have the challenge of eating healthy when your entire family, friends and co-workers are eating crap. As soon as you decide that you want to go on a diet, you can bet your bottom dollar that this is precisely the time when there will be Krispy Kreme donuts at the office, your friends will invite you out to the restaurant that serves your favorite cheesecake, and your kids will be begging you to order pizza. Don’t plan on making healthy meals because you will be eating salads while the rest of the members in your household demand the “real food”.

Believe me these are things that I struggle with daily and being the overweight nurse is definitely no fun. Fortunately I have found some “go to” strategies that have helped me lose weight and get back into my health routine when I do fall off the wagon. These are things that I can fit into my hectic schedule and allow me to still enjoy my life and family. These weight loss strategies are common diet and exercise plans that in my experience have offered the greatest results with the least amount of time and effort.

Detox 

There are hundreds of thousands of detox programs out there for you to choose from. Detoxing consists of eliminating toxins from the body by consuming a diet free from artificial hormones, fillers, additives and anything processed. Instead you consume foods and beverages that are all natural. Many detox programs incorporate drinking lots of water and some may call for drinking Tea or taking supplements. My favorite detox method by far has been drinking green smoothies (I follow JJ Smith’s 10-day Green Smoothie Cleanse) as this has been the easiest and quickest method for me to implement. The nice thing about green smoothies are that you can make them taste good, by just adding your favorite fruits. They are quick to make, and you can easily use them as meal replacements. When I had to lose 65 pounds after my 3rd child, this was a method that helped me lose a lot of it.

Fitbit Challenges

You will be amazed at how many calories you can burn just from taking more steps, and the best thing is you can do them throughout your day. You can do steps during times when you would normally be sitting, such as while watching your favorite program, or even while completing tasks at work. Nurses often take a lot of steps at work but you can get more by stepping during your breaks or making it a point to arrive to work 10 minutes early to walk around your facility before your shift. If you don’t have a Fitbit you can use your smart watch or even apps on your smart phone to monitor your steps. The challenges are also a great way to stay motivated.

Walks  

Walking with your kids and/or your spouse is a great way to get exercise and spend some quality time with them. Another option would be to go for a walk or run while you listen to a recorded lecture if you are in school so that you can study simultaneously!

Low Carb Diet

Although this can be difficult to keep up with long-term, it is undisputable that going low carb can help you lose a lot of weight very quickly in the short-term. This is always a good way to jump-start a new weight loss routine since shedding pounds quickly can really inspire you to get back on track.

Facebook Challenges

These are great for motivation and accountability more so than time savings, but connecting with a friend or group is a great way to combine social interaction with your fitness routine.

Intermittent Fasting

Fasting is a great way to reduce your weekly caloric intake which can help you lose weight pretty effortlessly, as long as when you do eat you do not over-consume. A method I like to use is skipping 1-2 meals a day 3 days out of the week. You can do this for 3 days in a row or scatter the days throughout the week. The best meals to skip are lunch and dinner since fat storage is more likely to occur later in the day.

Home Workout DVDs

High intensity workouts that combine cardio with strength training that you can do at home can help you burn maximum calories in a short amount of time. There are many options available but my favorites are Beachbody  and Jillian Michaels. Some of the workouts are as short as 15 minutes and since they can be done right in your living room this can be more time efficient than going to the gym.

The methods mentioned above are all strategies that work, but it is important to keep in mind that consistency is key. Pick an exercise routine and nutrition plan that you can realistically stick with and that fits best within your lifestyle. If you fall off the wagon and need a jumpstart, try low-carbing for a week or completing a detox  to help you get back in the game. Remember acheiving good health and fitness is a journey, not a race, and the most important thing is to do something, rather than nothing.

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About the Author

Hi I’m Salimah Jones, I am a Family Nurse Practitioner, author, and Founder of The Nursing Guide, an online community dedicated to helping aspiring and current nurses overcome life’s challenges to achieve their professional goals. Coming from a disadvantaged background, and having experienced the struggles of pursuing a career while working and raising a family, I am now dedicated to helping others find ways to make their dreams a reality. I provide practical solutions to help those who are struggling with finances, learning difficulties, motivation, work-life-balance, or lack of a social support system. I want to show you how to conquer any challenge so that you can become your own success story. Please subscribe to this blog and don’t forget to sign up for your free membership on The Nursing Guide Website. Connect with me on twitter @salimahjones.