AORN Announces Salary and Compensation Survey Results for 2011

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, (AORN), announces the results for its annual salary survey of perioperative nurses in the December issue of AORN Journal. Survey participants included staff nurses, managers, high-level managers, educators, RN first assistants (RNFAs), and clinical nurse specialists.
Highlights of the results include:
The pay in university/academic ASCs was more than in any other facility type, though the author noted there was a small sample size for this group
Nurses generally receive more compensation in larger facilities
The average staff nurse earns $67,800 ($1,400 more than in 2010)
The average VP/director/assistant director of nursing earns $107,600 ($4,700 more than in 2010)
The survey results were reported by Donald Bacon, PhD, a professor of marketing at the University of Denver, and a research associate at Rocky Mountain Research, Denver. According to Bacon, part of the difference in salary across titles is explained by the difference in the percentage of time spent on direct patient care versus the percentage of time spent on other tasks such as management or administration.

For the eighth consecutive year, AORN conducted its survey online. In July, 5,053 unique responses from 46,113 potential respondents, including 31,622 AORN members were reduced to a usable sample of 2,670. All respondents were employed full-time in the United States.
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Bacon used a multiple regression model to examine how a number of variables, including job title, education level, certification, experience, and geographic region, affect nurse compensation. The survey also addresses the perioperative nursing shortage and focuses on perceived changes in staffing-related aspects of the perioperative nursing workplace during the last three years.