Public Health Nurse Salaries: Associations with Nurse, Agency, and Community Characteristics

Abstract

This study applied an economic framework to the analysis of public health nurse (PHN) salaries, assessing their relationships to nurse qualifications, agency resources, community economic base, and area competition for the nurse supply. Data were obtained through interviews with 125 Ohio health departments and from various state and local reports. Associations between salaries and explanatory variables were analyzed through correlations and stepwise regression models. The PHN salaries were significantly lower and more compressed than salaries for nurses in area hospitals. Agency and community characteristics were more important than nurse education and experience in explaining salary variations. Maximum PHN salary attainable was significantly related to level of health department funding and community unemployment rate. Health departments in rural locations paid lower salaries at both minimum and maximum levels. Evidence suggested the presence of entry-level wage competition by health departments with both area hospitals and other community nursing agencies. Each 1% increase in minimum hospital nurse salaries was linked to a 0.66% increase in PHN salaries. Findings support the need to improve competitive positions of health departments as nurse shortages intensify.

Job Satisfaction of Rural Public and Home Health Nurses

“…Indeed, average hourly earnings for home health nurses were $11.76, compared with only $10.37 for PHNs. In Ohio, PHNs have significantly lower salaries than hospital nurses (Nickel et al, 1990).…”

Secondary Data on Health‐Related Subjects: Major Sources, Uses, and Limitations

“…Nurse investigators have used clinical records to determine the characteristics and health problems of clients receiving home care services from a large home care agency (Pasquale, 1988); patient records and billing records of local health departments in Virginia to describe nonreimbursed home care delivered to patients (Phillips et al, 1990); records of a public health agency to analyze infant risk factors documented by public health nurses (von Windeguth et al, 1988); agency records to develop a system to classify community health patients on the basis of their requirements for nursing care (Peters, 1988); and data from reports of state and local health departments to determine the relation of public health nurse salaries to nurse, agency, and community characteristics (Nickel et al, 1990).…”

The Impact of Organizational and Environmental Factors on Staffing in Home Health Care

“…Administrators report that staff require a greater amount of time to provide adequate care, and that the frequency of visits for individual clients has increased dramatically (Pesznecker et al, 1987). The growth in staffing demands has been compounded by personnel shortages, significant staff turnover, and discrepancies in salaries between hospitals and community agencies (Balinsky, 1985;Nickel et al, 1990).…”

“…staff turnover, and discrepancies in salaries between hospitals and community agencies (Balinsky, 1985;Nickel et al, 1990).…”