St Louis and Southern IL agencies

ADN2003 · May 17, 2005

l know someone out there, works for an agency in southern IL / St Louis pleaseeeeeeeee give me some answers.

misschelei · May 18, 2005

Intelistaf has an office in Carbondale and Decatur but I guarantee you will make considerably less than you can in Chicago. Have you considered commuting? Medical Staffing Network has contracts and per diem in Kankakee. Fight for every dollar you think you're worth with the agencies. They will act like the pay is set but it's not. You can always get them to give up a few extra bucks an hour so you can cover the gas and such especially if the hospital is in a jam and really needs you.

nyck76 · May 18, 2005

I am a travel nurse from STL and I worked local agency for MSN ( medical staffing network). It is in STL and paid the best in St.Louis. The most I could make was working nights on a weekend at a Barnes affilate hospital was $40/hr (it had used to be 44 but the hospitals cut back). Favorite Nurses is in St.Louis and alover Central/Southern Illinois and I hear they pay well for the areas they cover. But yes, pay will be alot less than what you make in Chicago

ADN2003 · May 18, 2005

Intelistaf has an office in Carbondale and Decatur but I guarantee you will make considerably less than you can in Chicago. Have you considered commuting? Medical Staffing Network has contracts and per diem in Kankakee. Fight for every dollar you think you're worth with the agencies. They will act like the pay is set but it's not. You can always get them to give up a few extra bucks an hour so you can cover the gas and such especially if the hospital is in a jam and really needs you.

Thanks misschelei, l work straight agency and right now l make $47 tele weekdays and $53 weeknights and $38 weeknights med-surg and $40 weekend med-surg, but lately l have gotten tired of the long drive to work (l drive about 1hr in the evenings and 1.5hrs in the mornings back from work) and l want a slower pace of life, plus l can buy my house outright when l move. Now l am thinking if the pay cut is going to be worth it considering l have 5children in tow.

What do you guys think?

ADN2003 · May 18, 2005

I am a travel nurse from STL and I worked local agency for MSN ( medical staffing network). It is in STL and paid the best in St.Louis. The most I could make was working nights on a weekend at a Barnes affilate hospital was $40/hr (it had used to be 44 but the hospitals cut back). Favorite Nurses is in St.Louis and alover Central/Southern Illinois and I hear they pay well for the areas they cover. But yes, pay will be alot less than what you make in Chicago

Thanks nyck76, is $40 the going rate for med-surg/ peds in the STL / Southern lllinois area?

misschelei · May 18, 2005

$40 is my bottom line. I know I can live off that if I had to. Your cost of living will be less downstate and you can always pick up a couple shifts in the city here and there if you're in a jam. See if they can gaurantee a double so its not a wasted trip. I have an 18 month old and she is why I do agency nursing because at the end of the day its really about how I can make the bills by being away from her as little as possible. Though with five kids getting away from them may sometimes be your goal. :chuckle

nyck76 · May 18, 2005

I am not sure about Peds. I know tele and ICU was 40's. But to tell you the truth I did very little agency work, I only did it on the weekends because the pay was good. I am orginally from Springfield IL. and went to STL as a travel RN and decided to buy a house there. Then I just kept travel nursing in STL and Carbondale IL for like 2 years because I liked getting the subsity money + guarrenteed hours. I think I made more that way. Where in Southern IL are you going? I know my company assignment goes there and paid me 35/hr plus $350/wk tax free. Now it was 48 hours/wk, but my checks were like 1500/1600 per week, which is killer for southern IL. If you don't want to work 48/wk, I know National Healthcare contract 36hr/wk, 1300/mon subsity

and $31 or $33/hour. Since I need insurance I find it easier to be a travel nurse close to my house instead of just working agency. I stopped doing agency when I took that Carbondale contract because the money was good enough. And hotels are dirt cheap down there if you want to stay and work all the days in a row. Hope this helps some :)

ADN2003 · May 19, 2005

I am not sure about Peds. I know tele and ICU was 40's. But to tell you the truth I did very little agency work, I only did it on the weekends because the pay was good. I am orginally from Springfield IL. and went to STL as a travel RN and decided to buy a house there. Then I just kept travel nursing in STL and Carbondale IL for like 2 years because I liked getting the subsity money + guarrenteed hours. I think I made more that way. Where in Southern IL are you going? I know my company assignment goes there and paid me 35/hr plus $350/wk tax free. Now it was 48 hours/wk, but my checks were like 1500/1600 per week, which is killer for southern IL. If you don't want to work 48/wk, I know National Healthcare contract 36hr/wk, 1300/mon subsity
and $31 or $33/hour. Since I need insurance I find it easier to be a travel nurse close to my house instead of just working agency. I stopped doing agency when I took that Carbondale contract because the money was good enough. And hotels are dirt cheap down there if you want to stay and work all the days in a row. Hope this helps some :)

Thanks nyck76, you have been most helpful . l will look for the number to call National Healthcare and you didn't mention what company you work for, because the money is definitely not bad. l would appreciate it if you gave me the name of the company that you work for. Thanks