2018 Salary Survey

While 59% of our ASC respondents and 47% of our hospital respondents told us they are satisfied with their compensation given the demands of their position, many of our 365 survey respondents told us they feel stretched thin because they wear too many hats and work too many hours.

“Yes, I get paid enough, but I would rather have fewer responsibilities than more money,” says Flori Gonzalez, administrator of the Kinetix Surgery Center in Sherman Oaks in Van Nuys, Calif.

A Massachusetts ASC administrator shared her take on being overworked and underpaid. “I am one person doing AP, AR, HR. No, I’m not paid enough because I do everything, saving the cost of a bookkeeper, office manager and some of the clinical coordinator jobs.” A 6-figure salary is great, but at what cost? As one respondent put it: “The position requires a 24/7 commitment and is often very overwhelming, so I am not sure they could pay me enough for the work.” A hospital leader added: “I make good money, but to be honest, there isn’t enough money to deal with the daily stress I handle from patients, physicians and staff.”

Be it at a hospital or an ASC, managing a surgical facility is a pressure-cooker job that heaps a load of clinical and business responsibilities onto the shoulders of those in charge.

“For the multiple hats we wear as leaders in the ASC, the compensation is not adequate,” says a 48-year-old ASC administrator whose salary was $100,000 last year with a $1,200 bonus.

Adds a hospital respondent: “I take on a big responsibility as a supervisor: surgery coordinator, employee evaluations, counseling, purchasing, help SPD on top of being in the rooms to assist.”

Paid for all you do?

When we asked our survey respondents if their compensation aligns with their management and financial responsibilities, they responded with a tide of pent-up resentment. The overriding sentiment: Yes, we’re compensated pretty well, but not nearly enough for all we do.

“It seems the job duties have increased far more than the salary,” says Bevie Swanson, RN, BSN, CNOR, director of nursing/HR at the North Platte (Neb.) Surgery Center.

“I make good money, but to be honest, there isn't enough money to deal with the daily stress I handle from patients, physicians and staff.”

Ashlie Cramer, BSN, MSN, nurse administrator of the Delray Beach (Fla.) Surgical Suites, says ASC administrators generally make less than hospital directors of surgery departments “even though they have many more responsibilities — including HR, plant operations, employee health and education.”

An Ohio ASC leader almost ran out of commas and dashes when she listed all that she’s responsible for at her surgery center: finances, HR, rules/regulations/guidelines, reporting/benchmarks, education, scheduling/staffing, meetings, building maintenance, “And the list goes on!” she says.

The salary trap

Several respondents lamented that because they’re salaried, they’re not compensated for the extra time and extra duties. “The 12- to 14-hour days make the salary minimal,” says a hospital surgery director. Another says she make less than her staff when compared hour-to-hour due to the number of hours she works.

“I was switched to salary and took a cut in pay,” complains a hospital surgical supervisor. “Calls, emails and issues after hours gets old,” says another. One respondent says she’s not compensated for taking on risk manager and infection control duties. Another says she’s expected to cover everything from patient care and staffing to IT and utility work.

As hourly nursing wages continue to increase, one hospital respondent says she could make just as much as a frontline nurse in surgery with call — “especially when I look at what my hourly rate would be for the amount of time I am expected to work as a salaried employee.”

“Yes, I get paid enough, but I would rather have less responsibilities than more money.”

A salaried director of nursing at a surgery center who was promoted from her position as a staff nurse tells a similar story. “My raise with the promotion only equates to about $100 extra a day in take-home pay with more hours worked and much more responsibility,” she says. She listed her 2018 salary as $115,000 with a $1,250 bonus.

“I feel as though my compensation should be higher based upon the responsibilities I have and the hours that are put in every day,” says Brittany Harvey, MSN, MBA, RN, CNOR, director of clinical services at the Tri State Surgery Center in Washington, Pa. “Surgical leaders are extremely underpaid and undervalued for all that they do 24/7. Their job is never done and they are never unavailable.”

Giving thanks

A good many respondents are perfectly content with their reparations and responsibilities.

“It is a rewarding job and I feel very appreciated,” says an ASC administrator who made $155,000 last year plus a $5,000 bonus. “I work in a small environment that after 11 years feels like family. Who I work with has always mattered more than what I do.”

Nancy Nicoll O’Neill, ACMPE, practice administrator at GastroIntestinal Healthcare in Raleigh, N.C., is appreciative of her salary as well as benefits, including generous time off and a 4-day work week.

“I am extremely satisfied with my income. I feel I work hard and I am paid fairly for what I do,” says Jennifer Anderson, MHA, perioperative services business manager at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. “With my additional income has come additional responsibilities, which has been great. I am the only member of our surgical services leadership team that is not an RN, but I feel I am paid pretty much in line with those members of the team.”

“I am one person doing AP, AR, HR. No, I'm not paid enough because I do everything.”

A hospital nurse manager says she’s “very fortunate to work for a company that compensates me and my team for the level of responsibility and duties we hold and cover. I feel grateful for my job and the opportunity to work in a facility that I love. The benefits and salary allow me to adequately care for my family and make my time spent apart from them worthwhile.”

Teresa Rautzhan, RN, CNOR, director of surgical services at the Pennsylvania Eye Surgery Center in Harrisburg, Pa., left a stressful position she held for 18 years for one with a longer commute. So far, it’s been a great tradeoff.

“I spend 2 hours in travel each day that I wish I didn’t have to and that removes time from home,” says Ms. Rautzhan, 60, “but making that change has greatly reduced my stress level so it was a winning decision — one I do not regret. So even though I drive an hour each way, my home life is much better without that stress.” OSM