SD17 - The Compensation of Nursing Professionals Employed by the Commonwealth
Executive Summary: During the 1989 session of the General Assembly, Senate Joint Resolution 140 was approved requesting that the Department of Personnel and Training study certain issues relating to the compensation of nurses employed by the Commonwealth. The study is to include: • A study of the revision and upgrading of salary schedules for all nurses employed by the Commonwealth in the Departments of Health; Corrections; Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services; Correctional Education; the Medical College of Virginia; and the University of Virginia Medical Center, • The establishment of a mechanism for incremental salary increases commensurate with qualifications and years of service, and • The provision of parity among nurses employed by state agencies, taking into consideration the complexities of job responsibilities, education, and experiential requirements and qualifications of the staff, and the risks, hazards, and liability associated with the position. DPT met with each agency which utilizes nursing classes to identify the nursing classes they use and to determine what salary problems they were having with the classes. The agencies included the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services, the Department of Health, and the Department of Corrections. Although the nursing classes at UVA and MCV are being exempted from the Virginia Personnel Act, DPT also identified problems that MCV and UVA are experiencing with their nursing classes. The following classes were identified for inclusion in the study: CLASS: GRADE Registered Nurse: 9 Registered Nurse Clinician A: 10 Registered Nurse Clinician B: 11 Registered Nurse Coordinator: 12 Registered Nurse Manager A: 14 Registered Nurse Manager B: 15 Registered Clinical Nurse Specialist: 14 Anesthetist: 16 Anesthetist Head: 17 CLASS: GRADE Certified Nurse Practitioner A: 12 Certified Nurse Practitioner B: 13 Public Health Nurse: 10 Public Health Nurse Supervisor: 11 Public Health Nurse Manager A: 12 Public Health Nurse Manager B: 13 Public Health Nurse Consultant: 13 Public Health Nurse Regional Manager: 15 Public Health Nurse Director: 16 Practical Nurse A: 5 Practical Nurse B: 6 Psychiatric Practical Nurse: 7 Corrections Nurse Technician: 7 The study included an analysis of internal alignment, as well as a review of external salary data. Internal alignment was studied to determine the appropriate alignment of the nursing classes in order to ensure parity among the nursing classes. Also included was a review of the salary history of each class; a review of the literature relating to the compensation of nursing professionals; an analysis of turnover and starting pay data to identify recruitment and retention problems associated with each of the classes; and a review of external salary data and pay practices. Survey data was obtained from the following sources: • DPT salary survey of regional states. • The "1989/90 Hospital and Health Care Report," which is published by Executive Compensation Services, a nationwide survey involving over 400 medical care facilities. • The "Spring, 1989 Compensation Practices Survey Results of Health Care Institutions," published by the University of Virginia, which surveyed over 50 health care institutions, located primarily in the southeastern United States. Most of the survey participants were teaching hospitals. • The "1988 Virginia Hospital Association Nursing Survey," published by the Virginia Hospital Association, which surveyed over seventy Virginia hospitals to identify issues relating to the utilization of nursing personnel, staffing/care delivery, salary and benefits, and recruitment strategies. In considering external salary data, the midpoint is typically used as the point of comparison. Using the midpoint as a point of comparison provides a single reference figure for comparison and helps standardize the variable range spreads among survey participants. On the following pages, summary data is presented for each nursing series which was studied. Included is a summary of turnover, starting pay, and external salary data. Study recommendations follow the summary data. |
Menu
Published Documents
