Husband relocating to SF Area

msdobson · May 31, 2007

What is state law? The number of hours you can work in a week?

Sorry, Tiff. Small joke. If you hang around long enough, you will find that I am rarely serious about anything...

...note my little devil guy to the left...

ManyRN2B · May 31, 2007

hahahah.......Hey, for a minute there I thought A sista was going to be poor in CA. Not only would the cost of living eat me alive but the part time status too. :) ...starve......struggle on 32 hrs a week.....

Tiff

msdobson · May 31, 2007

hahahah.......Hey, for a minute there I thought A sista was going to be poor in CA. Not only would the cost of living eat me alive but the part time status too. :) ...starve......struggle on 32 hrs a week.....
Tiff

Actually, if you allow them to, they will literally work you to death with overtime hours. If you are dedicated enough, poor will be the least of your worries here in the Sunshine State! (serious!)

msdobson · May 31, 2007

After that terribly serious post, Mike will now revert back to the amiable smart-*** that you all know and are forced to put up with!

TazziRN, RN · May 31, 2007

Ratio law in CA is 4 pts to 1 nurse, down to 2:1 max in ICU.

Okay, voice of dissension again here. Kaiser is an HMO....if you work for Kaiser you have their health plan, and it's not the best, as most HMOs aren't.

And don't listen to Mike, he is not indicative of Californians!!! *pthbbbbth*

smile123 · May 31, 2007

Well I guess I won't be working in SF if we live in the San Ramon, Pleasanton area. People in my husbands new office live in Pleasanton and say the commute is about 45 mins. They also suggested he take the BART to work. I really appreciate everyone's input.
I did look at Kaiser's website. Whoah! Tons of ER jobs. Wow!!! What is up with all the part-time jobs? 64 hrs/pp Is that normal in CA? Here mostly everyone works 72hrs/pp. I noticed they had tons of part time jobs but no many FT jobs. OR does Cali consider anything less than 40hrs part time? Here in MD we consider 72 hrs/pp full time.
TIA
Tiff

Here's what a lot of nurses do. They work 3/5 or 4/5 time or 36 hrs/wk (3 - 8 hr shifts, 4 -8 hr shifts. 3 - 12's respectively) then they work per diem (1 extra day a week) at another place. Because they already have health benefits at one place, it doesn't matter that they are per diem at the other. Per diems make more money per hour than the regular employees. Some like it that way because they have some variety working at different facilities.

Some new nurses take the part time positions (BTW, 32 to 36 hours/wk is considered "full time" in terms of qualifying for benefits) to get their foot in the door at a place. Then because people are always changing schedules, moving away, or deciding to take time out to raise a family, the new nurses will be already in the system for those vacancies. It also gives the new nurses a chance to see if they will like the place or not.

There are plenty of ED positions, especially if you like to work evenings or nights. (There is also a higher diferential paid for weekends, evenings and nights, so you don't have to work as many hours as achieve the same money as day shifts. You do not need a recruiter; you can see all the positions on the websites and apply online. Good luck!

gypsyatheart · May 31, 2007

One thought would be for you to come out on a travel contract. You could essentially be a "traveller" for the first 3-6mos of your time there, gives you time to get a 'feel' for the area, they provide a housing stipend, expenses, etc. They could even provide a fully furnished apartment w/utilities paid for you. This would give you a chance to really figure the area out, explore, see what commute times will be like, see what areas you might really want to live in.... Just a suggestion. That's how I came out here. I initially did a contract in the Bay area, landed, finally, in San Diego. But I sure miss San Francisco, I love it there!

If you need more info, help, agency advice or have any questions, you can always pm me!

Good luck and welcome to CA!:welcome:

My husband got promoted at work and his company is based in Santa Clara so therefore we will be relocating to SF. We are excited!!!! He is over the moon. I'm an RN/BSN wiith 2 yrs experience working in a Post Open Heart Stepdown Unit in a big city hospital in Washington DC. I had just got hired as an ER nurse at a local hospital but couldn't start because he got promoted. Boo hoo!! I'm hoping to find an ER job in the SF area. I don't know much about hospitals in the area. I've looked on the internet etc at different hosp in area but it's wierd not knowing much about each hospital.
I've been reading posts and see that many new grads are looking for jobs. Will it be hard for me to find a job since there so many new grads looking too? Should I find a recruiter to help? Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

ManyRN2B · May 31, 2007

Smile123~ Thanks for the tidbit on the shifts. They are different there than here. Good suggestion on working per diem at another hospital. I noticed one hospital had a lot of per diem shifts to work in their open heart stepdown unit. That is what I do now. I could then work ER as my regular job. The only reason I thought of a recruiter is because they could probably give me a better feel of each hospital and help me find a job since I'm hopefully changing specialities. I have looked on website's but man I have looked at so many hospitals and their jobs..........my head is They all kind of run together.....:)

I like the nurse patient ratio. Does that ratio apply to all areas?

Moondancer~ I thought about doing the traveller thing for a little while until I figure out where our family can settle down. Isn't the bad part about travelling being at the mercy of the hospital? Don't they just fill you in where needed and your shifts suck? Where I work now, we have lots of travellers and they schedules aren't the best. They get flipped from days and nights in one week. That would be my only hesitation because we have 2 kids and I will need some schedule flexiblilty because my hubby will be traveling. I do work per diem now with an agency I guess if I work something out with the hosp in CA it could work out. I will have to discuss this with hubby. Thanks for the idea.

Hopefully our first trip out there together will be June 14th weekend. I guess I should set up interviews that week? Lordy, I'm sooo confused!!! I did however gather everything to apply for my license because that seems like that can take sometime.

Thanks everyone!!!!!! I can't wait to get out there!

TazziRN, RN · Jun 1, 2007

Yes, the ratio is law in CA, for acute care facilities.

gypsyatheart · Jun 9, 2007

Moondancer~ I thought about doing the traveller thing for a little while until I figure out where our family can settle down. Isn't the bad part about travelling being at the mercy of the hospital? Don't they just fill you in where needed and your shifts suck? Where I work now, we have lots of travellers and they schedules aren't the best. They get flipped from days and nights in one week. That would be my only hesitation because we have 2 kids and I will need some schedule flexiblilty because my hubby will be traveling. I do work per diem now with an agency I guess if I work something out with the hosp in CA it could work out. I will have to discuss this with hubby. Thanks for the idea.
Hopefully our first trip out there together will be June 14th weekend. I guess I should set up interviews that week? Lordy, I'm sooo confused!!! I did however gather everything to apply for my license because that seems like that can take sometime.
Thanks everyone!!!!!! I can't wait to get out there!

A couple of thoughts....one: travel contracts typically are 13 wks long...they re-imburse you for travel, provide you w/housing...even a 2 or 3 bdrm (you usually have to pick up a small portion to cover the diff), utilities are paid, they reimburse and help w/licensure. It gives you the opportunity to get out here with a little help and a place to go, etc. Gives you time to check things out before committing to an area you don't know. Believe me, it is way different than what you imagine...I know it was for me!

Second: You choose from a variety of assignments...I don't know what area of nursing you are in, but Ca hospitals use travellers like crazy...due to the ratios, especially. You can choose different assignments, review the hours and particulars, and then you interview for the position. Any specific needs you have can be covered in the interview. Whatever you agree upon is put into your contract. So you are hired onto a regular unit to fill a full time spot. Most hospitals will give you a regular schedule and in fact, allow you to put in requests, etc. Some hospitals, yes treat travellers like dog doodoo, but that is not the norm. I have had great travel experiences, and have always been treated like part of the staff.

It really is a great way to get somewhere, not on your dime, have a place waiting, a job lined up.... really gives you some breathing room.

If you want more info, pm me, I can give you a link that will give you all the information you need on travelling, contracts, jobs available, pay rates, etc. Plus which hospitals to avoid, which ones are good, etc.

Either way, good luck to you!

qtRN · Jun 8, 2008

Hi Smile 123, I am also planning to relocate to Santa Ckara county this summer and looking into Kaiser and El Camino hospital to work in. What do you think about El Camino? Do you anyone working there? what is the working environment? the benefits and salary? thank you so much.

smile123 · Jun 9, 2008

Hi Smile 123, I am also planning to relocate to Santa Ckara county this summer and looking into Kaiser and El Camino hospital to work in. What do you think about El Camino? Do you anyone working there? what is the working environment? the benefits and salary? thank you so much.

Have you applied yet? The summer jobs are already taken for new grads in the area. Both Kaiser and El Cemino are good places for new grads. Of course, it depends on the specific unit for the working environment. Good luck.