Nurses General Nursing
Published Apr 3, 2015
Ultramikey
2 Posts
So I currently live in LA. I've been looking into Seattle and it seems like it is a tight market up there. By that I mean that there are not very many open positions and the ones that are seem to be part time, non-benefit jobs. And I have to say the salaries are horrific. The cost of living, housing prices and rental rates are not that much cheaper than LA so why the gap in pay?
And please don't tell me it's because there is no state income tax, that's such a BS answer.
Dranger
1,871 Posts
So don't move there? I lived in Seattle for a while and the new grad pay without differentials was about 27-28 an hour. As a new grad with my differentials I was making close to 40 an hour no benefits. You can expect 30s if you have a few years experience with benefits. Where are you looking at housing? If it's in nice areas of Seattle its going to be expensive but most people don't live in the actual city. Rent for a decent house or apt in the suburbs can be 1000-1500 easy. The city can be 2.5-5k easy.
roser13, ASN, RN
6,504 Posts
Bottom line: Nursing salaries are not what they used to be. There is no nursing shortage. Nurses are a dime a dozen in most markets.
No BS. Just reality.
wanderlust99
793 Posts
What area do you work in? I did a travel assignment up there and saw they were hiring, even new grads into the ICU. I did a travel assignment for the purpose of seeing if I liked it enough to move there. I thought the pay in the area was good and cost of living is much less than LA, even if it is high. My 1 bedroom was 1300/month in Seattle in a prime location, walking distance to the hospital. In LA, that apartment would cost 2300/month.