SAN DIEGO Travel Nursing???

Hi. I worked at Scripps Mercy last may and it was 34/hr BUT that was a rapid response position. It is going to depend on what you need for you to get an accurate rate. I spoke w/ HSN about going to Scripps Green and it was $21/hr w/ $2200 housing stipend. But I don't want to find my own housing and it is expensive out there, especially in LaJolla. Nurseextra pays $30/hr at Sharp hospitals w/ housing. I live in STL, and when I travel I don't take my car(it is 6 years old and paid off and I don't want another car payment just yet), therefore I only go with companies that do housing/rental car when I travel away from home. On Assignment pays $26/hr w/housing/car/airfare at Scripps LaJolla. I ended up signing a contract w/ RTG medical to go to Sharp Chula Vista for $27/hr w/ housing/car. I will just pick up some per diem w/ MSN while I am out there to make up the difference. But San Diego is a crappy pay rate city because the climate sells itself

I have to agree that your hourly rate seems very low for San Diego. I have been living in San Diego and working as a nurse here for the past 4 years and I am NOT a traveller (although I want to become one, which is why I'm on this forum ). Currently, I make about $34/hour, and the nurses at my hospital complain that we're the lowest paid in San Diego. Nursing salaries in San Diego have been rapidly rising over the past few years, but I have a feeling that is the case all over the country, because of the shortage.

However, I have no place to talk about travellers' salaries, since I'm totally ignorant on the subject. And you definitely bring up a good point: San Diego sells itself, and people will want to travel here, even if the hourly rates are a little low. Also, the monthly stipend sounded really nice...it is true that it's extremely costly to live in SD, but you can definitely get a nice 2br place with a lot of amenities (pool, fitness center, spa, etc) and an in-unit W/D for less than $2200/month. San Diego really is an unbeatable place to live--I came out here from the midwest (I grew up in Ohio and Illinois) and there is nothing like waking up every morning to sunshine and 70-degree weather. It's also amazing to me that you can be minutes from the ocean and less than an hour drive from the desert, the mountains, or Mexico! There is so much to experience here!

If you get a chance to come out here with living expenses taken care of, I'd say it's totally worth making a smaller hourly amount, but I'd also recommend looking into many different agencies, because I've heard people talk about earning in the high $30s/hr-low$40s through agencies (again, this is just from what I've read on these forums--not personal experience). Well, I hope that this wasn't just a bunch of pointless rambling....haha! Good luck in your search!

could someone tell me what the following acronyms refer to please:


HSN
RTG
MSN
STL

thank you <----- this new smilely is sooooo funny

San Diego is beautiful and worth it. The pay is something you need to keep trying to get the most you can. Also housing could really vary and rents have dropped with the economy. Shoping for both the highest paid job and lowest rent will work. Keep the faith and have patience.