2006 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
COMPENSATION MATRIX REFLECTING LONGEVITY, COMPETENCY CRITERIA AND JOB CLASIFICATION: STEPS TO IMPLEMENTATION, APPROVAL AND STAFF RESPONSE
Suzan Herzig RRT, RCP ,
Richard Ford RRT, FAARC, Carolyn Mihailuk RRT, RCP, Timothy Morris MD UCSD Medical Center San
Diego, California
Objective: The national shortage of
Respiratory Care Practitioners, the high cost of living in San Diego, and a job
market that is highly competitive, requires that departments look at new and
creative strategies for recruitment and retention. At UCSD Medical Center a
solution for improvement was essential to ensure acceptable staffing levels and
improve staff morale. Our goal was to implement a compensation program in which
the salary was based on both years of service and achievement of competencies
within the RCP job classification.
Method: The justification and creation of the new longevity/competency grid was
established through the following assessments: regional wage surveys, the
number of employees leaving or reducing hours and why, if they had left to work
at another facility and if pay was a factor, and the number of RCPs that had
interviewed and been offered a position yet declined due to insufficient pay.
Vacancies and time left vacant were documented as well as the cost for contract
labor if vacancies were not filled. Competencies were determined by
brainstorming sessions in which highly valued behaviors and skills were
identified and prioritized for consideration in the pay grid.
Results: Survey data indicated a lag in salaries of 10-12% behind our local competitors
with even greater variance considering years of service. Valued competencies
were identified as: being an RRT, volunteering to flex staff, serving as a
preceptor or shift team leader, and participation in department performance
improvement. A new competitive salary grid was developed with progressive
increases in pay for both years of service and competency achievement.
Conclusions: With comprehensive
evidence of the need for compensation and a well-researched method for
competency adjustment, Human Resources and the representing union approved our
matrix. We knew staff would welcome any increase in pay however we were further
encouraged by the support of the competency-based section of the matrix and in
these preliminary months staff has improved participation and contribution to
performance improvement projects.