2010 Registered Nurse Salary Survey: Non Bedside and Non Clinical Nurses

1 | 2010 RN Salary Survey: Non‐Clinical / Non‐Bedside Nursing

2010 RN Salary Survey2010 RN Salary SurveyRegistered Nurse Salaries in:

Case ManagementUtilization Review Appeals / Denials

Quality ImprovementClinical Documentation Improvement (CDI)

2 | 2010 RN Salary Survey: Non‐Clinical / Non‐Bedside Nursing www.pathway‐medical.com | (800) 361‐0031

2010 RN Salary Survey2010 RN Salary Survey

About the Survey

This is the first annual Registered Nurse Salary Survey, published

by Pathway Medical Staffing. While there are several published

surveys that detail salary trends for nurses, few look at the

registered nurse subset in non‐bedside nursing.

This survey examines salaries for experienced registered nurses

in case management, appeals / denials, utilization review,

quality improvement

and clinical documentation improvement

(CDI)

positions, specifically in New York, New Jersey

and

Pennsylvania.

The data analyzed in the survey is drawn from documented base

salary data for hundreds of registered nurses in these specific

non‐bedside nursing positions.

Non‐Clinical / Non‐Bedside Registered Nurse (RN) Positions

For the purposes of this survey the terms “non‐clinical nursing”

and “non‐bedside nursing”

will be used interchangeably in

reference to:

Case Management

Utilization Review

Appeals / Denials

Quality Improvement

Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI)

This survey allows registered nurses, in specialized areas of

non‐bedside nursing, to reflect on their compensation and how

it compares to their peers.

The survey also provides healthcare employers, specifically

hospitals and managed care organizations, with a benchmark

to compare salaries against competitors that are searching for

experienced nursing talent.


RN Salary Survey DemographicsRN Salary Survey Demographics

Years of Experience in Case Management and Non‐Clinical Nursing

Well over half (62%) of registered nurses had eleven or more years of

experience in their specialized field of case management, utilization

review, appeals / denials, quality improvement and/or CDI.

Years of Experience in Healthcare

Most registered nurses in case management, utilization review,

appeals / denials, quality and CDI have extensive healthcare

experience. 92% had eleven years or more experience in

healthcare.

Job Function

The majority of registered nurse positions surveyed were in

case management.


RN Salary Survey DemographicsRN Salary Survey Demographics

Type of Organization

The majority (66%) of the registered nurse salaries were

based on employment at hospitals, 30% were based on

employment at managed care organizations and 4% of the

salaries fell within the “other”

category covering

organizations such as peer review consulting.

Gender

As expected, the majority of registered nurses surveyed

were female.

State

Given that the majority of healthcare organizations staffing

these types of non‐clinical nursing positions are in New

York City, the survey reflects this overwhelming majority in

the demographics.

Education

Nearly three‐quarters of the registered nurses surveyed

hold a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.


Overview Overview ––

Salary DistributionSalary Distribution

2008 ‐ Salary Distribution

11% 11%9%

23%

11%9%

17%

6%

2%

$65K $70K $75K $80K $85K $90K $95K $100K $105K

2009 ‐ Salary Distribution

3%0%

10%8%

43%

28%

8%

3%0%

$65K $70K $75K $80K $85K $90K $95K $100K $105K

In the past few years, annual non‐clinical / non‐bedside nursing salaries

have ranged from a low of $61,000 to a high of $100,000, both of

which

were the extreme rather than the norm. The average salary from 2008

through the first quarter of 2010 was $82,500.

2008

As you can see from the salary distribution graph, most non‐clinical

registered nurses (23%) earned salaries within the $80,000 range

in 2008.

However, a significant percentage of RNs (17%) earned salaries in the

$95,000 range. The average salary in 2008 was $80,506.

2009

While the range of salary levels tightened in 2009, the majority

of RNs

earned higher salaries than in 2008. In 2009 forty‐three percent of RNs

earned salaries within the $85,000 range. The average salary in

2009 was

$83,592.

2010 Preliminary Results

Based on first quarter 2010 statistics, it appears that most RNs

(33%) are

earning salaries within the $85,000 range this year, similar to 2009.

However, a greater percentage (23%) are earning within the $95,000

range this year. The average salary as of the first quarter 2010 is $88,345

Most notable in the survey findings is a trend toward much higher salary

ranges from 2008 to 2010. In 2008 most salaries fell within the

$65,000

to $90,000 range and in 2010 starting salaries have not fallen below the

$80,000 range.


Why More Experience Does Not Equate to a Higher Salary

Education Level.

Registered nurses in the survey had varying levels of education. In

some cases nurses were earning higher salaries with fewer years experience, but

they achieved a higher academic degree.

Changing Jobs. Nurses that change jobs every two to three years tend to earn more

due to the fact that the greatest jump in salary comes with a job change versus

promotion within the same organization. Quite often, RNs that change jobs

frequently have fewer years of experience in comparison to RNs with more years

of experience. The survey found that RNs with more years of experience tend to

stay with a single employer for more than ten years at a time.

Gaps in Employment.

Some nurses with numerous years of experience earned lower

salaries than their lesser experienced counterparts due to gaps in employment.

Most often these gaps were due to family issues such as caring for children and

taking time off to care for elderly parents or siblings.

Exploring New Careers.

Many nurses have accepted lower salaries to explore new

fields of employment and later return to their original career path at a lower

salary due to being out of the field for an extended period of time.

Work‐Life Balance.

Several nurses with extensive years of experience have also

accepted lower salaries as a result of stepping down from high‐level managerial

roles into line positions for a better work‐life balance.

RN Salary by ExperienceRN Salary by ExperienceRegistered Nurse Salaries by Experience

There was no significant correlation in

registered nurse salaries with the number of

years experience in case management,

utilization review, quality improvement, clinical

documentation improvement or appeals /

denials.

The majority of registered nurses in the survey

have been practicing in their field for eleven to

fifteen years earning between $80,000 and

$95,000 per year. However, in some cases

nurses with six to ten years of experience were

earning more than nurses with sixteen to

twenty years of experience.

When closely examining the career histories of

the surveyed respondents there are several

reasons contributing to the fact that more

nursing experience doesn’t always equate to

earning a higher salary in non‐bedside nursing.

“ More experience does not always equate to a higher salary.”


RN Salary by Job FunctionRN Salary by Job Function

2008 2009Appeals / Denials $82,500 $94,500

Quality Improvement $76,000 $87,721

Utilization Review $75,000 $86,745

Case Management $81,054 $82,070

Registered Nurse Salaries by Job Function

Utilization review and quality improvement saw the most significant

increase in salary from 2008 to 2009. The average salary for utilization

review jumped 16% to $86,745 and the average salary for quality

improvement jumped over 15% in 2009 to $87,721. There was also a

14.5% increase in average salary for appeals and denials jumping

to

$94,500 in 2009.

Non‐bedside nursing roles in utilization review, quality improvement

and appeals / denial have emerged as positions that are significantly

impacting the bottom line for healthcare organizations. With the

growing importance of these specialties, these positions are attracting

top tier nursing talent with significant experience and education.

These two factors appear to be major contributors to the significant

increase in average salary for these positions year over year.

Comparatively, the average case management salary rose by only

1.3% in 2009 to $82,070. As the field of nurse case management has

become more established, salaries have begun to flatten year over

year.

“ Salaries jump by 14%, or more, as non- bedside nursing specialties have an

increasing impact on the bottom line.”


RN Director Level SalariesRN Director Level Salaries

Director Level Positions

Registered Nurse director level salaries were separated from the

data

used in the overall survey results. The salary changes for this

demographic have been some of the most significant over the past

few

years.

Since 2008, director level positions in case management and quality for

hospitals and managed care organizations in New York and New Jersey

ranged from $95,000 to $172,000 with the average salary at $126,000.

Average salaries for director level positions have been trending

down

significantly year over year, dropping over 30% in 2009 to $120,000 and

trending down another 4% in 2010 to $115,000.

“ RN director level salaries down 30%

in 2009 and trending down by

4% in 2010.”


RN Work from Home SalariesRN Work from Home Salaries

Work from Home Salaries

Like director level salaries, registered nurse work from home positions

were also separated from the data used in the overall survey results.

These positions are all purely conducted from the nurses’

homes via

phone and Internet access with little to no travel to an employer’s office.

Since 2008, work from home positions in case management, utilization

review, quality improvement and appeals / denials have averaged

around $68,000 per year and were within a range of $62,000 to $72,000

per year. As of first quarter 2010, most work from home salaries

trended closer to $72,000 per year.

“ Registered Nurse work from home salaries averaged $68,000

per year since 2008.”


RN Salary by Education LevelRN Salary by Education Level

Average 2008 ‐

2010*

Associate’s or Nursing Diploma $80,418

Bachelor’s $82,550

Master’s $85,572* 2010 Salaries based on data from January 1, 2010 through March

31, 2010.

Registered Nurse Salaries by Education Level

Since 2008 registered nurses with a Bachelor’s Degree have earned 3% more

than those with an Associate’s degree or nursing diploma in non‐bedside

nursing positions. Registered nurses with a Master’s Degree earned 4% more

than those with a Bachelor’s Degree and over 6% more than registered

nurses with an Associate’s Degree or a nursing diploma.

Anecdotal evidence from the RN Salary Survey suggests that the driving

force behind earning a higher degree was not to boost salary levels, but

rather to gain access to RN job opportunities as more and more employers

require advanced degrees as a prerequisite for employment consideration.

Non‐bedside nursing positions in case management, utilization review,

quality improvement, appeals / denials and clinical documentation

improvement are increasingly requiring registered nurses to have

a

minimum of a Bachelor’s degree for employment consideration.

“ Registered nurses with higher level education

earned 3% to 6.4% more than registered nurses

with an associates degree or nursing

diploma.”


$70,000

$75,000

$80,000

$85,000

$90,000

2008 2009 2010

Hospital Managed Care

Salary by Organization TypeSalary by Organization Type

“ Registered nurses in non-bedside jobs earned 5% more at

hospitals than managed care organizations in

2009.”

Salaries by Organization Type

On average, registered nurses in non‐bedside jobs earned 5% more at

hospitals than their counterparts in managed care organizations in 2009.

The gap between salary at hospitals versus managed care organizations

tightened in 2009 with average hospital salaries remaining flat and managed

care salaries increasing by 8.5%

* 2010 Salaries based on data from January 1, 2010 through March

31, 2010.


RN Salary by StateRN Salary by StateRegistered Nurse Salaries by State

As expected, the average salaries in Pennsylvania trended more than

20% lower than salaries for RN non‐bedside jobs in the New York Metro

area.

Traditionally, salaries for non‐bedside nurses are higher in New York

City than in New Jersey. Surprisingly, in 2009 the average salary for a

non‐bedside nurse in New York was 5% higher than in New Jersey.

Although this gap has tightened as of first quarter 2010, the average

salary in New Jersey remains 1% higher than in New York.

A closer look at the surveyed positions revealed two key reasons

for

this trend against the norm.

1‐

Survey Outliers Increasing NJ Average Salaries:For a few select positions, New Jersey employers offered significantly

higher salaries to be able to compete with New York employers for the

most qualified and experienced nursing talent. The salaries in these

competitive situations drove up the average salary data for New Jersey.

“ Some RNs accept lower salary as tradeoff for better

working environment.”

2‐

Survey Outliers Decreasing NY

Average Salaries: Several surveyed RNs were willing to accept a reduction

in compensation for a better working environment. In

most cases this trade‐off occurred with jobs in New York,

therefore reducing the average New York salary.

In these cases RNs cited the following as reasons for

accepting a lower than average salary in New York:

•

More convenient and accommodating work

environment and location

•

Working for an organization that provides ample

resources for employees to be effective in their

jobs

•

Working for an organization that is committed to

continuing education

•

Working for an organization with a well respected

management team


Salary by GenderSalary by Gender

“ Women earned 8% more than

men in 2008, but the gap

closed in 2009.”

In 2008 the average salary for women exceed that of men by 8% in

non‐clinical nursing positions. This gap closed completely in 2009.

It should be noted that this tremendous flux in salary for men

between 2008 and 2009 may be attributed to the small sample

size of men working in non‐clinical / non‐bedside nursing positions

rather than actual deviations in salary.

2008 2009

Women $81,391 $83,597

Men $75,529 $83,500


About Pathway Medical StaffingAbout Pathway Medical Staffing

We work with nursing professionals who have

experience in:

•

Nurse Case Management •

Discharge Planning •

Disease Management•

Utilization Review Nursing •

Preauthorization / Pre‐certification •

Appeals / Denials•

Quality / Performance Improvement•

HEDIS / QARR •

Medical Record Review •

Data Abstraction / Collection•

CDI (Clinical Documentation Improvement)•

Medical Claims Review •

Risk Management •

Home Care / Hospice•

Clinical Research

Since 1998 Pathway Medical Staffing has specialized in recruiting

non‐bedside

and non‐clinical

nursing professionals forfull time

and temporary

positions at leading healthcare organizations.

To search jobs, find candidates and learn

more

visit our site at:

www.Pathway‐Medical.com


Sharing Survey Results & DisclaimersSharing Survey Results & Disclaimers

We encourage you to share the 2010 RN Salary Survey report in its entirety. When sharing,

please include the following information highlighted in the gray

area below:

The 2010 RN Salary Survey is an annually salary survey of registered nurses in non‐clinical / non‐bedside nursing positions in

New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. To download the 2010 RN Salary Survey visit http://bit.ly/2010salarysurvey.

Since 1998 Pathway Medical Staffing has specialized in recruiting non‐clinical and non‐bedside nursing professionals for full

time and temporary positions at leading healthcare organizations. To learn more about Pathway Medical Staffing visit

http://www.pathway‐medical.com

Please note that the information in this survey is intended as a

guideline and should not be used as a final determinant for

establishing salaries or pay scales. Salaries and responsibilities of each function vary considerably based on innumerable

factors all of which are not accounted for in this survey.

http://bit.ly/2010salarysurvey

http://www.pathway-medical.com/

Documents

2010 Registered Nurse Salary Survey: Non Bedside and Non Clinical Nurses