October 01, 2012

Record salaries for top-level positions

Incremental raises earned by many long-term care workers are being eroded by increases in their own healthcare costs and shrinking bonuses, according to the nation's largest annual survey of nursing homes.
Based on a survey of 2,467 private and non-profit nursing homes, the “2012-2013 Nursing Home Salary & Benefit Report” shows that many industry managers earned small raises in 2012. Nationally, administrators averaged a median salary of $94,785, up 1.92% from 2011, while nursing directors saw their median pay jump just 1.18% to $82,186.
The “Salary and Benefits Report” is published each year by Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service (HCS) and LeadingAge, with support from the American Health Care Association. Close to 300 more facilities reported on their hiring and benefits practices than in 2011. This is the survey's 35th year.
Raises for the nation's assistant administrators led the way with that national median salary jumping 3.17%. That nearly restores it to the 2010 level after a 3.55% dip in 2011.  Meanwhile, assistant directors of nursing earned an average increase of 2.46% to bring their annual pay in line with assistant administrators at $65,000.
“I take it as a sign of optimism that there are small increases pretty much across the board,” says Rosanne Zabka, director of reports for HCS. “There aren't the benefits of years past, but there is at least the possibility of employees moving for a higher pay rate if they've had to stay because there was no other option.”

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