Can I make it in CA?

Nurses Career Support

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I am wrapping up my first year as a RN in the ICU at Mayo. I lived in CA 10 years ago and worked as a teacher, and I ache to go back. Is it realistic that I can survive on nursing wages in the Davis area? Or somewhere bearish the coast (thinking of warm San Diego) I don’t feel a huge pull to live in a big city, prefer the smaller communities, even if that means a commute. I have a bachelors of education, associates of nursing, and will soon finish my BSN. I am a single mom with 2 kiddos. I’m open to most jobs settings if it financially makes sense and can balance mom life to some degree.

thank you!

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Nurse Navigation, Oncology.

Hi there! I'm a long way away from California but it seems that (in general) nurses get paid pretty well in alignment with the cost of living throughout CA...unlike South Florida but I digress. Perhaps try Glassdoor for hourly rate and/or salary insight if you have a specific facility in mind, or do a search (or start a post her on allnurses) regarding potential salaries in the area you're targeting.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Its more than just salary. You will need to investigate cost of living and do your homework thoroughly. good luck!

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You can make it. I'm in the bay area but Davis and Sac are only slightly lower in pay while the COL in housing are almost half as cheap. My first full year of working with a few OT shifts and call and I was at about 150k gross. With day care or school for your kids, you're still going to do pretty well in that area which should start you in 6 figures base pay. Traffic is horrendous but not nearly as bad as the bay area. The most common complaint there is the heat in summer but it's nothing like Texas, or Arizona. I have a few friends at Davis and they love it.

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