Employment and salary characteristics of nurse practitioners.

Nurse practitioners provide high-quality, cost-effective care to health care consumers, yet they continue to experience low economic compensation and salary compression. The nursing literature is limited with respect to data regarding salaries, benefits and trends in compensation for nurse practitioners. In order to provide baseline data for nurse practitioners to use in negotiating compensation benefits and packages, 459 certified nurse practitioners in North Carolina were surveyed regarding demographic and employment characteristics and job satisfaction. Of the 83 percent who responded, nearly two-thirds earned less than $30,000 per year. Benefits and salary adjustment for certification are reported, and techniques for compensation negotiation are discussed. Although information obtained is specific to North Carolina, geographic similarities may be apparent.