Salary rates for advanced practice providers are on the rise––especially for physician assistant locums jobs and nurse practitioner locums jobs.
While there are differences in average hourly wages between PAs and NPs, all have seen an increase in the past year: Physician assistant salaries have increased by about 5% in the past year, while the average nurse practitioner salary has gone up by 8%.
Here’s how those hourly wages break down across professions for the top-five paying states:
| Rank | State | PA hourly mean wage | NP hourly mean wage |
| 1 | California | $65 | $73 |
| 2 | Alaska | $72 | $55 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $63 | $65 |
| 4 | Washington | $62 | $63 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $70 | $66 |
*This data does not include rates for NP locums jobs or locums PA jobs. For a full breakdown on hourly wages for 50 states, see this report.
There are several factors driving this increase, but perhaps the biggest factor is the COVID-19 pandemic. APPs, especially those working in hospitals, have taken on additional hazards in their work than existed pre-pandemic, and rising wages are one way to compensate for the increased risk.
The pandemic has also resulted in increasing healthcare worker shortages, which means that more and more facilities are relying on locum tenens to address these shortages. This is especially true for NP’s and PA’s, who have been crucial in filling the primary care physician gap––currently, an estimated 51% of primary care providers are NPs or PAs.
One thing is clear from these salary trends: advanced practice providers are a more valuable resource than ever.
That’s especially true for locums PAs and NPs. Because so many hospitals rely on locums to fill gaps in staffing, they are often willing to pay a premium for a locum nurse practitioner or a locum physician assistant. And the difference between a regular NP and a locum tenens nurse practitioner salary, or a hospital PA vs. a locums PA salary, can be significant.
Whether you’re an NP or a PA: there has never been a better time to try locums. Our consultants are always here to help you find a good match for you.
