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A look at salaries in the ambulatory industry

Ambulatory Safety Monitor, November 18, 2004

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Ambulatory care professionals may be satisfied with the cash in their own pockets, but also seem to believe that the industry needs to do a better job sharing the wealth, according to results of a recent survey.

This summer, the HCPro monthly newsletter Briefings On Ambulatory Accreditation (BOAA) conducted its annual salary survey. While the sampling (36 respondents) represented by the survey make up only a fraction of ambulatory professionals nationwide, the replies reveal a lot about your colleagues in the ambulatory care industry.

According to the survey, the average respondent is female, 51-55 years old, serves as an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) administrator, and reports an annual salary of $90,000 or more. Although most are RNs, participants' certification and level of education did vary-29% report possessing a master's degree, 29% have a bachelor's degree and 26% have an associate's degree.

In addition to 44% being ASC administrators, 22% are nurse administrators, 8% are quality managers, and 3% are accreditation coordinators. Other professional titles include corporate safety supervisor, director of surgical services, and chief operating officer. 

The most profitable areas for ASC workers, according to the survey, are the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and West, where professionals tend to make more than their peers in the southern and New England states.

The nuts and bolts
Compensation: "Our greatest asset is people," said one survey taker. "It saddens me after years of saving lives and fighting disease, the electrician and plumber make more than nurses do."

A majority of respondents (56%) say they are suitably financially compensated for the work they perform. Somewhat contradictorily, however, 51% say others in their profession aren't sufficiently paid for their services. These numbers are on par with last year's figures, when 51% of the 59 respondents said they were happy with their paychecks and 54% said their peers aren't properly compensated. 

Still, some of your peers say their salaries have been on the rise. In the past year, a majority of respondents (31%) say their pay has gone up by 4%-6%, which is a slight decrease from last year's survey which reported a similar rate of salary increase among 37% of respondents.

Hours: It isn't all about the money, of course, with another respondent adding: "Most of the physicians have no idea of the work that goes into the administration of the center."

That level of work involved was demonstrated in findings that show 97% of survey respondents work full-time, with as many as 57% putting in 41-50 hours a week, and 31% logging more than 50 hours a week. "Hospital salaries remain much higher than those in ASCs," said one respondent. "The statement 'no holidays and weekends' does not necessarily apply to management positions."

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