Physician Assistant pay vs Rph

[MrBonita]

I work for a major hospital. I have worked for 14 years as a pharmacist. My friend who happens to be my age went to PA school and also works for the same hospital chain. We also work and belong to the same union. Out of curiosity looked at his pay scale on the Union contracts. For some reason pharmacist make the same pay no matter how many years, but for a PA they get a raise every year and eventually surpass pharmacist in pay. My friend who has 15 years of service as a PA confirmed he makes 10 dollars more an hour than I do. Also after 20 years his pay will be 20 dollars more than mine an hour. Can anyone else confirm this is the case at most hospitals?

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[Rouelle]

My wife is a PA. Yeah, she makes more than me. I have 2 jobs: she makes $2/hr more than my retail gig and $9/hr more than my hospital gig.

 

[Momus]

Yes, PA makes the same, if not more.

 

[Digsbe]

I don't know any PA's who make more than the average pharmacist. Most I know make between 75-90k a year.

Still though, given lower effective tax rates and typically lower student loans it may be financially beneficial if as a pharmacist you can't land full time work.

 

[CynicalIntern]

A PA is 100% going to make more than a hospital pharmacist. A retail pharmacist is probably 90% of the time going to start higher, but the bonus structure of a PA, if it's achieved, can likely push it to the same or equal.

Also, I'll go ahead and pre-empt PAtoPharmD who's going to come in here and source PA jobs that are making 200K a year like it's the norm.

 

[MrBonita]

Here is the link to the contract. if you look at the third page it has the pay for NP/PA. For someone who works at urgent care, that is a level 2, and the pa rate at 10 years is 94.879 an hour. That is clearly above my pay. He only spent 2 years going to school and his tuition is only half of mine due to only half schooling.

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...lue+Book+RN-NP-PA+2015-17+Wage+Grid+FINAL.pdf

 

[allantois]

California is a special case

 

[allantois]

Here is the link to the contract. if you look at the third page it has the pay for NP/PA. For someone who works at urgent care, that is a level 2, and the pa rate at 10 years is 94.879 an hour. That is clearly above my pay. He only spent 2 years going to school and his tuition is only half of mine due to only half schooling.

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...lue+Book+RN-NP-PA+2015-17+Wage+Grid+FINAL.pdf

PA is 6 years as is Pharmacy.

Also they are paying that PA at urgent care a fraction of what they would have to pay a physician.

 

[Sine Cura]

This is not just California; it's also Kaiser

 

[wagrxm2000]

This thread will be taken over in 3, 2, 1......

 

[BidingMyTime]

PA is 6 years as is Pharmacy.

Also they are paying that PA at urgent care a fraction of what they would have to pay a physician.

This. While PA school is technically only 2 years, applicants must have a bachelor's, so it's effectively 6 years.

 

[wagrxm2000]

This. While PA school is technically only 2 years, applicants must have a bachelor's, so it's effectively 6 years.

I feel like this has been vastly miscommunicated in the past.

 

[lord999]

I feel like this has been vastly miscommunicated in the past.

Not necessarily, in our time as students, PA used to be an outright 5-year (possibly 4 if you had General Chemistry before entering undergraduate) Bachelor of Medical Studies (?) program. It's no longer that way from the competition and inflation, and people haven't updated their idea of the quals. They started lengthening the course and quals about the end of pharmacy training.

 

[Dred Pirate]

I am shocked a certain "you know who" hasn't chimed in

but to the OP - as a union pharmacist, there are no raises built in based on years of service? that surprises me

 

[PharmDBro2017]

I am shocked a certain "you know who" hasn't chimed in

but to the OP - as a union pharmacist, there are no raises built in based on years of service? that surprises me

Isn't OP the guy who made a thread saying he worked at Kaiser and made great $? 80/hr or some chit

 

[Argentium]

I work for a major hospital. I have worked for 14 years as a pharmacist. My friend who happens to be my age went to PA school and also works for the same hospital chain. We also work and belong to the same union. Out of curiosity looked at his pay scale on the Union contracts. For some reason pharmacist make the same pay no matter how many years, but for a PA they get a raise every year and eventually surpass pharmacist in pay. My friend who has 15 years of service as a PA confirmed he makes 10 dollars more an hour than I do. Also after 20 years his pay will be 20 dollars more than mine an hour. Can anyone else confirm this is the case at most hospitals?

PA's get a 3% raise every year (per your attachment) which is pretty consistent with most jobs.

I'm not sure you're reading it right - if you have ten years experience you don't start at +10

 

[MrBonita]

Isn't OP the guy who made a thread saying he worked at Kaiser and made great $? 80/hr or some chit

Sadly my friend makes 94 an hour as a PA which is way more than 80.

 

[PAtoPharm]

I am shocked a certain "you know who" hasn't chimed in

but to the OP - as a union pharmacist, there are no raises built in based on years of service? that surprises me

Why are you surprised? I've already remarked on here before about how PAs in certain specialties earn ridiculously high incomes. I think the reason that the median/average PA salary is lower than pharmacists' is because primary care PAs make so much less than specialty PAs. For example, a pediatrics practice in my area currently has a job posted for a PA starting at $60k-$70k. That sucks. On the other hand, one of the PAs I'm shadowing graduated from UAB's PA program (which "specializes" in training students to be surgical PAs), works for a local plastic surgeon who does 100% elective/cosmetic cases, and earns a base salary of $100k plus $250 for every patient he assists with in the OR. There are at least two OR days per week and usually 3-5 cases scheduled per day, so it's not hard to see how a PA practicing under that kind of arrangement can earn $200k+ (not to mention benefits and no call). On one of the days I shadowed, I went in at around 7 AM, and the last case was finished before 2 PM. It's insane to think that someone can work for less than 8 hours doing relatively low-stress work and make over $1000.

Now these are the kinds of opportunities that, to me, are worth hustling and completing a residency for -- not the "opportunity" to complete a pharmacy PGY-1, move to whatever BFE wasteland has a hospital that actually has a pharmacist job opening, and make a sub-six figures income while I hope/pray that budget cuts won't result in my position being eliminated.

BTW, question for the OP: does the salary schedule include salary info for CRNAs? You might be shocked to see what kind of money they're making (if they're employed by a group that contracts with the hospital, their salaries probably won't be listed)

 

[PAtoPharm]

Sadly my friend makes 94 an hour as a PA which is way more than 80.

What specialty?

 

[PAtoPharm]

A PA is 100% going to make more than a hospital pharmacist. A retail pharmacist is probably 90% of the time going to start higher, but the bonus structure of a PA, if it's achieved, can likely push it to the same or equal.

Also, I'll go ahead and pre-empt PAtoPharmD who's going to come in here and source PA jobs that are making 200K a year like it's the norm.

Actually, if you don't mind, can you do me a favor and reference some of the salaries that hospital pharmacists in GA are making? I posted before about being told that pharmacists who work at hospitals in medium-sized GA cities are starting at $85k, but as usual, I was accused of "making stuff up."

 

[Dred Pirate]

Why are you surprised? I've already remarked on here before about how PAs in certain specialties earn ridiculously high incomes. I think the reason that the median/average PA salary is lower than pharmacists' is because primary care PAs make so much less than specialty PAs. For example, a pediatrics practice in my area currently has a job posted for a PA starting at $60k-$70k. That sucks. On the other hand, one of the PAs I'm shadowing graduated from UAB's PA program (which "specializes" in training students to be surgical PAs), works for a local plastic surgeon who does 100% elective/cosmetic cases, and earns a base salary of $100k plus $250 for every patient he assists with in the OR. There are at least two OR days per week and usually 3-5 cases scheduled per day, so it's not hard to see how a PA practicing under that kind of arrangement can earn $200k+ (not to mention benefits and no call). On one of the days I shadowed, I went in at around 7 AM, and the last case was finished before 2 PM. It's insane to think that someone can work for less than 8 hours doing relatively low-stress work and make over $1000.

Now these are the kinds of opportunities that, to me, are worth hustling and completing a residency for -- not the "opportunity" to complete a pharmacy PGY-1, move to whatever BFE wasteland has a hospital that actually has a pharmacist job opening, and make a sub-six figures income while I hope/pray that budget cuts won't result in my position being eliminated.

BTW, question for the OP: does the salary schedule include salary info for CRNAs? You might be shocked to see what kind of money they're making (if they're employed by a group that contracts with the hospital, their salaries probably won't be listed)

you obviously didn't read my post - I am surprised a union hospital has pay raises built in for one specialty and not the other (

 

[TheBlaah]

Just to clarify, is your salary for all intent and purposes now capped out at 80/hr MrBonita? You're no longer eligible for annual raises, or did you start at 80/hr and were never eligible for one?

 

[Momus]

Just to clarify, is your salary for all intent and purposes now capped out at 80/hr MrBonita? You're no longer eligible for annual raises, or did you start at 80/hr and were never eligible for one?

He is kaiser, any salary increases is already in contract, pre negotiated by the union. Basically, anyone who works for kaiser as rph gets $80/hr minimum per contract. The contract always says minimum but no one ever gets more than "minimum" per contract.

 

[lord999]

He is kaiser, any salary increases is already in contract, pre negotiated by the union. Basically, anyone who works for kaiser as rph gets $80/hr minimum per contract. The contract always says minimum but no one ever gets more than "minimum" per contract.

Unless they have one of the unicorn "match plus" pay agreements. There's some old pharmacists still on that plan.

 

[AHossain]

I have a bunch of PA and Pharmacist friends and colleagues in NYC. Both for several years. The PAs average around 90-100k, and the pharmacists average around 135-150k. All in the city, including the five boroughs. A doctorate is a doctorate at the end of the day. Does that mean PA wont be able to reach the pharmacist pay? No, but it will take time.

 

[owlegrad]

I have personally known three PAs, none of whom made six figures. But obviously none of them were as good at searching for job postings as one of our members.

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[allantois]

C’mon guys RNs in California outearn both Pharmacists and PAs

 

[WildAshe]

C’mon guys RNs in California outearn both Pharmacists and PAs

that made me LOL

 

[CynicalIntern]

Actually, if you don't mind, can you do me a favor and reference some of the salaries that hospital pharmacists in GA are making? I posted before about being told that pharmacists who work at hospitals in medium-sized GA cities are starting at $85k, but as usual, I was accused of "making stuff up."

To be perfectly honest I have no idea what pharmacists at hospitals make in Georgia. But I know the cost of living in Georgia is so much lower than most of the country, that our salaries are usually substantially lower than anywhere else. In my retail experience I peaked at 130,000 per year, which was in the top 1% of pharmacists - average starting salary 10 years about was about 110, which is WAY less than most places. So I believe an estimation that most hospitals starting new grad pharmacists at 85-90 sounds pretty close to accurate.

 

[PAtoPharm]

I have personally known three PAs, none of whom made six figures. But obviously none of them were as good at searching for job postings as one of our members.

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Or maybe they're content with working in primary care, where overall earnings for PAs can be as little as 1/2 or less of what PAs working in certain specialties earn?

 

[croquemonsieur]

that made me LOL

Why did that make you lol? There's truth to that statement