Sustainability Coordinator Salary Survey Practice Greenhealth March 2012
Introduction:
The sustainability survey was sent to Practice Greenhealth members who communicated they were working in their facility or hospital system with a leadership role in environmental stewardship as part of their expressed job responsibilities.The survey was done in response to membership requests. The goal of the survey was to try to identify salary ranges for health care sustainability personnel based on EPA regional designation and other criteria.
Names of respondents was an optional question, yet it is interesting to note that 96 % gave their name and 80% offered their email address and phone contact information. Practice Greenhealth is grateful for the respondent’s generosity and transparency for this topic.
Analysis of the data:
There were 40 leaders in sustainability invited to complete the survey with a total of 25 respondents. The response rate was 63%.
Demographics:
Most respondents worked at one hospital with the range between 1-15 hospitals.
Of those who worked at one hospital, the majority had > 400 beds. Most respondents worked in urban areas (80%)
Only EPA Regions 4 and 6 were not represented in the respondents with 30% of respondents located in Region 5.
Profile of a Sustainability Coordinator
This is an emerging specialty in the healthcare sector. Over 76% of respondents worked in their role for less than 5 years.
The respondents earned at least baccalaureate or masters level academic achievement. One respondent had a legal degree and a master’s degree. Five respondents had a specialized certification credential.
The annual salary ranged between $35,000-45,000 to $125,000. 88% of respondents had a salary range of between $65,000- >$125,000. Five respondents reported earning greater than $125,000. Those in the highest salary range worked in large multi hospital systems.
The verbatim comments offered showed that these respondents were working in one role in their facility and they became paid sustainability managers/coordinators in the course of performing other duties.
In Summary
A generalized profile of the majority of respondents is of a college educated professional who works in an urban environment with either one large medical center or with several hospitals in a healthcare system. Their annual salary is greater than $65,000. The typical respondent has worked in the healthcare sustainability role for less than five years.
Verbatim Responses Sustainability Coordinator Survey Response
I had to threaten to leave before they created this position for me. But when it was between losing me or creating a formal Sustainability program, suddenly doors I thought were closed, magically opened. :)
I worked for three years as an environmental attorney and then one as the sustainability manager for my law firm before coming to the hospital
I was originally hired at the hospital to do a different job. When my role changed, my salary and benefits remained constant. It's hard to say what my salary would have been had the position been posted and advertised.
LEED AP, ID+C I do not work for a hospital. I work for a healthcare system with 70+ hospitals.