Negotiating Salary in Primary Health Care (and Elsewhere)

After being offered a job, salary negotiation becomes an important, but sensitive issue. If you are a primary health care provider, such as a physician, nurse practitioner, nurse, physician's assistant, medical assistant, or pharmacist, this brief article specifically written about myths of primary care negotiations may help, These myths also apply elsewhere.

In general, salary negotiation can be uncomfortable. There is often the tendency to just accept what is offered. Many people are hesitant to push the envelope and test the limits of what the employer is willing to pay, or even request what they are really worth. However, if you've already been offered the job you know the employer made the commitment that you're the right person. So, negotiation is reasonable and expected. If the employer is really sold on you, you may end up losing a lot of money if you don't negotiate from a position of strength.

So, when you negotiate, how far do you push the envelope? This is a judgment issue, but if you've done your research, when opening negotiations you can often request a reasonable salary on the higher or highest end of the scale. Unless you seriously overestimate your worth without supporting information, you probably won't harm the employer's perception of you. In fact, if you request a reasonable salary on the high end you demonstrate confidence in your value. If the employer can afford it and it is within the salary range paid for such positions in the organization, you'll probably get what you asked for or close to it. If the employer counters with a lower offer, you still have an advantage because you initially set the bar high. For further insights about salary negotiation, including an unexpectedly surprising personal experience, see Chapter 15 of my latest book  RELAUNCH! Stagnation, Change, and Renewal in Mid-Career and Beyond. That chapter also provides links to do your salary research in preparation for negotiation.