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Optimized_Orangutan t1_j5yh24r wrote

Reply to comment by Jerry_Williams69 in Teacher moving to VT by thebaerfetus

All salaries are low here. It used to be justified by the lower cost of living. When I started out as an engineer in Vermont ~12 years ago my starting salary was almost $30k less than another offer in NYC. Cost of living (and quality of life) easily justified the the lower salary job. Not so much anymore.

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Jerry_Williams69 t1_j5ytltn wrote

It seems like Vermont is really intent on being at the low end of "competitive for the region". Could fix a lot of the work shortages by changing that approach to be towards the higher end. Especially with nurses. Not sure why medical facilities fight raises for staff nurses so hard, but then turn around and pay travelers $4000-$5000 a week like it is nothing. I would imagine the same could be said for teachers. Want the best? Pay the best.

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cjrecordvt t1_j5yw8mp wrote

> Not sure why medical facilities fight raises for staff nurses so hard, but then turn around and pay travelers $4000-$5000 a week like it is nothing.

Hearsay and based on sources I don't have links for am, but if you increase base staff pay, that comes out of shareholder dividends. If you're having to "emergency allocate" budget for travelers, your hospital is eligible for compensation from DC.

I don't know how accurate it is, but it's the kind of fucked-the-fuck up that makes sense in the last, oh, forty years or so.

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likesflatsoda t1_j5zcp4u wrote

But most hospitals are nonprofits and have no shareholders?

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cjrecordvt t1_j5zg5nj wrote

In Vermont, they're all non-profit. In the US as a whole, about a quarter are for-profit.

Even in the case of non-profits, I'd look at the c-suite compensation packages with questions.

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Mallard_a4_Thoth t1_j616le6 wrote

The New York Times podcast called The Daily just did an expose of several "non-profit" hospital systems around the country. Lots of them actually make huge profits for their parent companies and routinely charge high bills to patients they legally aren't supposed to charge at all. It's really a racket.

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No-Ganache7168 t1_j5z2575 wrote

Our local hospital pays new nurses $26/hr. Experienced ones make low $30s and entire staff has to park a block away in horrible weather. Not appealing to potential recruits

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Jerry_Williams69 t1_j5z2iwi wrote

UVMMC?

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No-Ganache7168 t1_j5zbmlu wrote

No. Copley

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Jerry_Williams69 t1_j5zdvpv wrote

That is so low. Is Copley using a lot of travel nurses?

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No-Ganache7168 t1_j5zhasd wrote

Yes. Their er is almost all travelers. Yet they won’t pay their staff well and managers keep quitting or moving to different departments . several of my friends work there. It’s a sh@t show

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No-Ganache7168 t1_j5zhkaz wrote

One friend, a nurse, was highly skilled and well liked by her coworkers but switched to an entirely new department bc hers was so toxic she was crying every night when she got home

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Jerry_Williams69 t1_j5zjjq2 wrote

:( the healthcare field sucks so bad right now. I wonder if it is this bad outside of the NE. I've heard from many people that Dathmouth is feeling the same pain.

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Jerry_Williams69 t1_j5zjcm2 wrote

Sounds like UVMMC!

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No-Ganache7168 t1_j60ary2 wrote

It could be worse. A friend works at a Vermont hospital with a model called fill and pull. First you fill as many beds as possible. Then you pull together to make it work.

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Jerry_Williams69 t1_j60c00x wrote

That can't be the norm forever though. Will have nothing but travelers after a few years.

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No-Ganache7168 t1_j5z1tzv wrote

Exactly. My husband makes 20k than he’s make for the same job in Ny or MA. They blame the lower COL

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