Hello, and thanks for reading In Practice, the newsletter for AAPA fellow members in their first few years of practice! This edition is all about negotiating an employment contract.
Contract negotiation is a necessary part of every PA job search, but for many PAs, the process can bring up feelings of anxiety. This is particularly true for early career PAs who may fear they lack the experience and leverage to ask for more. Keep Reading.
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A Pep Talk on Contract Negotiation
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It may help to remember that contract negotiation is not inherently confrontational. A good-faith contract negotiation is simply a polite and professional conversation between two parties. Remember, how willing an employer is to consider your perspective and concerns during a negotiation, and the tone and tenor of the negotiation, can be very revealing.
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Negotiating a contract that feels fair to you and clearly outlines each party’s expectations will set you and your employer up for success and will support your work-life balance and professional growth. Plus, negotiation gives you the opportunity to educate your employer about typical PA pay in your area, which could help the PAs who will follow in your footsteps.
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If this is your first job search, keep in mind that you may need to make compromises to land a job in your favorite specialty or location. According to the 2025 AAPA Salary Report, 43.8% of PAs who graduated within the last three years accepted lower compensation to get their foot in the door in a specialty or location they prefer.
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Negotiating a contract that feels fair to you and clearly outlines each party’s expectations will set you and your employer up for success and will support your work-life balance and professional growth. Plus, negotiation gives you the opportunity to educate your employer about typical PA pay in your area, which could help the PAs who will follow in your footsteps.
If this is your first job search, keep in mind that you may need to make compromises to land a job in your favorite specialty or location. According to the 2025 AAPA Salary Report, 43.8% of PAs who graduated within the last three years accepted lower compensation to get their foot in the door in a specialty or location they prefer.
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Using the AAPA Salary Report to Negotiate
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Updated annually, the AAPA Digital Salary Report is an invaluable tool in your contract negotiation toolbox. With the Salary Report, you can identify median salary for your specific circumstances and compare salaries across states and specialties. To access this personalized data, navigate to the customized compensation tables within the report and then refine your results by location, specialty, work setting, and years of experience.
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The AAPA Salary Report can also help you assess a benefits package and identify new benefits you should ask for. You can find data on insurance plans, retirement benefits, paid time off, professional expenses, CME allowance, loan repayment, parental leave, and more. Benefits are often the most negotiable part of a PA contract, so don’t miss the opportunity to see what you should be asking for as an Early Career PA.
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Watch as PA Leila Nabavi explains how she used the AAPA Salary Report to negotiate a higher salary as a new grad.
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Negotiation Tips From PAs & Contract Pros
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Kaila Gaughan, PA-C
Penn Medicine
Take into consideration things other than salary. What will your work/life balance be? How much money do you get for CME? How much vacation do you have? What are the hours? What do the retirement plan and benefits look like?
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Benjamin Reynolds, PA-C
University of Pittsburgh Medical School
The BIGGEST mistake you can make is to not negotiate at all. Be confident in what you bring to the table that provides your leverage, and the employer will reciprocate in kind. Don't be frustrated with an answer you don't like, simply make a counter.
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Jennifer Anne Hohman
PA Career Coach
Be careful to avoid overly restrictive non-compete clauses. In my work with clients, I've found that many employers are willing to negotiate modifications to the first draft of the non-compete to make it specialty-specific or smaller in area and/or duration.
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For more contract negotiation tips, visit Kaila at the Contract Negotiation table during session 2 of the Early Career Success: A Mentoring Event at AAPA 2025. The event is free to all AAPA 2025 registrants, but advanced registration is required.
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Help! I Already Signed a Contract!
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If you are already in your position, it’s not too late – Contract REnegotiation is always an option!
Jennifer Anne Hohman, the PA Career Coach, recommends that PAs first carefully review their contracts and prioritize what they’d most like to change. At the renegotiation, be prepared to show your value: for example, positive performance reviews and patient ratings or how your responsibilities have increased since your last negotiation. Check out Hohman’s renegotiation article in Career Central for more guidance.
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Thanks for reading In Practice. Don’t forget to check out the November and February issues on our archive page. I’ll be back in August with more Early Career tips and tools!
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Kelsey King
Assistant Director,
Career Products & Services
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| AAPA | 2318 Mill Road, Suite 1300, Alexandria, VA 22314 | 703.836.2272 |
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