Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Staffing Wages topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves RN starting rate increase to up to $40 an hour to reduce agency costs
Summary
LaSalle County committee approved a market adjustment to raise registered-nurse starting pay by $5 per hour (to a $40 starting rate) and will forward the measure to salary-and-labor for implementation to reduce agency and overtime spending.
The LaSalle County Nursing Home and VAC Committee approved a motion to raise the starting rate for registered nurses by $5 per hour, to a maximum starting wage of $40 an hour, and agreed to forward the item to the county’s salary-and-labor committee for formal implementation.
Administrator Dawn St. Clair Davis told the board that staffing is the home’s principal operational risk. She said nine of 14 nurse positions were open and that July agency usage for RNs totaled 570 hours at an average rate of $79 per hour; LPN agency usage was 205 hours at an average of $53 per hour. “We are currently at an average hourly rate of $35 per hour for our RNs, and the market wage analysis shows that the average hourly rate is $46.15,” Dawn said. She and members framed the $5 raise as an investment that could reduce expensive agency spending and overtime.
Committee members asked about the projected annual cost of the raise and the assumptions behind recruitment timelines; Dawn said she did not have a full annualized estimate in the presentation and will supply numbers for budgeting. The motion passed on roll call; the committee recorded the measure as approved and will pursue recruiting steps to fill open RN slots.
