University Medical Center nurses and other professionals, currently in high demand in the south eastern United States, will receive significant increases in pay this month in attempt to retain high quality employees, following a decision by administrators March 2.
The salary increases, between 1 and 7 percent, target positions which are difficult to recruit and retain, such as nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians and computer programmers. The exact amount of the salary increase will vary from field to field.
Ron Bouchard, chief administrative officer of the Medical Center, said the staff was facing high turnover among employees.
"Our compensation was falling behind the market," Bouchard said.
Medical Center spokesperson Marguerite Beck described the pay increase as a market-based adjustment for retention-sensitive job categories.
"In order to be able to recruit those kinds of positions, you have to be able to offer competitive salaries," Beck said.
All other Medical Center employees are receiving either a one-time bonus equal to 1 percent of their salary or a bonus of $400, whichever is larger, Bouchard said.
These other employees are receiving the bonuses for their contributions, Beck said.
"This is in order to recognize all their hard work and how important they are to the Medical Center and our patients," Beck said.
The Medical Center Operating Board approved the decision to increase salaries and give bonuses following a recommendation by the senior management at the Medical Center.
The decision became effective March 2, and the increases for all employees were added to their March 21 paychecks.
There is a nationwide shortage of personnel in the positions targeted for the pay increases, Beck said.
"We really have to be able to do this to recruit and retain high quality healthcare providers," she said.
So far, the Medical Center has been able to avoid severe problems with recruitment and retention, Bouchard said.
"Our staffing is at or above other comparable hospitals," he said.
The next review of Medical Center salaries is scheduled for January 2004, though officials indicated there could be changes in the interim.
"Market adjustments will be made for specific groups before then" Bouchard said.
The Medical Center is not the only regional healthcare provider making efforts to recruit and retain nurses.
Martha Jefferson Hospital has taken several steps to stay ahead of the national shortage of nurses, according to hospital spokesperson Ann Nickels.
"We have competitive wages and benefits," she said. "They are just one important part of an effort to recruit and retain nurses."
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