Pay Rate

U.S.A. California

Published

I was just wondering what the pay rate in So. Cali would be? I am an RN with 3 years of experience working in a major NYC hospital. Currently our pay rate is $38/hr as a base rate even for new graduates. Is the Cali pay rate comparable? Also what is a typical nurse to patient ratio on a med surg floor? THanks!

that's cause brentwood is in the middle of nowhere and most people living there have to commute extremely far to work..

Yep. Nothing around Brentwood, right? Just in the middle of nowhere!! Glad you said that. I was beginning to think the movie theatre and all the restaurants I saw were real. Thanks for clearing that up.

0 Votes
Specializes in Telemetry.

everyone has a personal preference as to the farthest east in the bay area they'd be comfortable living. brentwood is just farther than my preference. i feel that there's not enough going on there. and the "70 minutes to pleasanton" is extremely real in traffic, which would affect any day shift worker, as commute traffic to brentwood is terrible. i think the main point here is whether or not the bay area is expensive, and i think we agree that the farther away you live, the cheaper it is.

0 Votes

Less about commutes and communities and more about what the op actually asked please.

0 Votes
Less about commutes and communities and more about what the op actually asked please.

In case you haven't noticed no one is willing to post numbers, obviously. We are not preventing people from saying what they pay; they simply are not posting their numbers. Its a common theme. If anything we are keeping this post fresh and at the top. You're welcome.

0 Votes
Specializes in ICU.
Less about commutes and communities and more about what the op actually asked please.

I'll bite.

To the OP: I apologize in advance if I've mistakenly interpreted your questions. If I have, please rephrase and clarify. However, when anyone asks "...which area in Cali pays the best", it comes across like you are only seeking high pay, as opposed to asking about a specific region you're interested in moving to (such as how you phrased your question initially).

Which is it? Are you interested in moving to SoCal as you initially asked (and you'd like to find out about pay ranges in that area), or are you only interested in moving where the pay is "the best" as you stated? Why do you specifically want to come out to CA at all (besides pay)? Have you even ever visited CA?

0 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

The OP is a nurse with 3 years experience in nursing thinking about relocating to California and wanted an idea of what the pay in California and what the nurse patient ratios are.

I am sure the discussion of the surrounding communities is helpful to the op but as we ALL KNOW it's location, location, location.....what one person considers in the boonies another will find it a metropolis.

Allnurses promotes

the idea of lively debate. This means you are free to disagree with anyone on any type of subject matter as long as your criticism is constructive and polite. We also ask members to please refrain from name-calling. This is divisive, rude, and derails the thread. Our first priority is to the members that have come here because of the flame-free atmosphere we provide. There is a zero-tolerance policy here against personal attacks. We will not tolerate anyone insulting other's opinion nor name calling.

Our call is to be supportive, not divisive.

Lets be respectful and stick to the topic please or the thread will be closed and points assigned

0 Votes
Specializes in OB/GYN, L&D, Postpartum Couplet Care.

I've lived in both LA and San Diego and can say if you're looking to relocate to So Cal, make sure you have a job first. San Diego is an extremely tight market to break into, even with experience. You may have better luck finding work in LA but will the area and hospital be desirable? Who knows. I would let that be your guide before you pack the moving van and drive it clear across the country. I hate to say it because I'm an LA native but San Diego (IMO) is by far the best place to live in the So Cal area. It isn't cheap (as someone erroneously claimed in an earlier post) but it's well worth what you pay to live here for our gorgeous beaches, nightlife, proximity to the desert, mountains, and sand dunes and near-perfect year round weather. Oh and did I mention that it's about an hour and a half drive to LA for some change-of-scenery fun but you don't have to live in that madness?

With almost 3 years' experience, I work at one of the big 3 hospitals with a base of $39, night differential of $4 and weekends $2.50. Another thing to consider is here in Cali, we get time and a half after 8 hrs, which significantly increases our bottom line so the hourly rate here isn't apples for apples when comparing them to hourlies in other parts of the country where they get base pay for all 12 hours.

Good luck to you and your future life endeavors :)

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

0 Votes
In case you haven't noticed no one is willing to post numbers, obviously. We are not preventing people from saying what they pay; they simply are not posting their numbers. Its a common theme. If anything we are keeping this post fresh and at the top. You're welcome.

Yeah so that's not so true though. Several people have posted their basic pay rate information and along with rough geographic and specialty area info; data points which are especially informative when hunting for a new position in an unfamiliar area/state. I'm simply asking for people to stay on topic; as indicated in my previous post.

Thankfully other posts following have done this quite well.

0 Votes

Yeah so that's not so true though. Several people have posted their basic pay rate information and along with rough geographic and specialty area info; data points which are especially informative when hunting for a new position in an unfamiliar area/state. I'm simply asking for people to stay on topic; as indicated in my previous post.

Thankfully other posts following have done this quite well.

Ok I'll respect your wishes. I'd also like to know some numbers too. I apologize for the inconvenience.

0 Votes

I was working at a hospital in San Francisco for 2 years ($54/hr), and recently moved to San Diego. I'm now working in a clinic setting ($31/hr). Cost of living was higher in the Bay Area, but not by much (renting in Berkeley vs. renting in SD is pretty similar).

0 Votes

Do L.A hospitals use a lot of travelers? I'm currently a med surg nurse in Texas. I'm planning on becoming a med surg/tele traveler in two years with two years experience and want to work at a hospital in L.A/Burbank area. I plan on chasing my music dreams and shopping my demo on my days off. No student loans and no car payment.

0 Votes
Meriwhen, if you read the document you provided, med-surg ratio may not exceed 1:5, not 1:6.
0 Votes
+ Add a Comment