Disappointing Travel Pay

I<3Endo · Sep 9, 2016

I'm sure someone with more travel experience than me will want to weigh in. But I know housing in CA can be crazy expensive. So maybe worry about if this assignment is a good fit for you? No stress w/housing since agency is providing & you can get that first assignment under your belt! Look for something higher paying next time & find your own housing (that seems to be the best way to save $$$). Good luck! :)

NedRN · Sep 9, 2016

I sent you a private message about San Diego pay.

crbetts · Sep 11, 2016

Let me know how it turns out for you. I am just recently beginning to explore travel nursing, and the San Diego area is one of my choices.

rdugirl · Sep 19, 2016

Yikes, that is really low just based on what I make now as staff nurse in NC. I am also looking at California, but regardless of where I go I want to make at least what my weekly gross pay is now. Yes, traveling isn't just about money but you still want to be compensated fairly! Good luck!

NedRN · Sep 19, 2016

"Fair" compensation is relative to other travelers experience, specialty, work location, and current need. If you were to compare it to staff pay, very few nurses from Boston or San Francisco would consider travel (and indeed I've never met travelers from this cities). So if you use staff pay as the relative metric, then most travelers will come from the South or Midwest (and indeed a plurality do come from those regions). So "fair" compensation differs according to where you are from.

StyleNurse, BSN, RN · Oct 27, 2016

Thanks for the responses! It turns out I just had to do a lot of research regarding travel nursing in general. I definitely had to research the lingo and some of the tricks of the trade regarding pay and negotiating. I also spoke with quite a few different recruiters and different agencies. I actually ended up speaking with a different recruiter within the same company I originally had concerns about and this second recruiter was offering a much better offer in Florida than what was being offered in Cali! Even she was shocked at the quotes listed above. Considering that Florida pay should be less than Cali pay I think that says a lot about how challenging it can be to make sure we get a decent pay and advocate for ourselves. Still, that company in general seems to pay less than most. I'm currently being submitted for a position in FL with CCTC. Hoping that I get this first assignment and that it goes well! Glad the recruiter I'm talking to now is very straightforward. I still have a lot to learn about this niche world of travel nursing. Knowledge is power especially in this area of nursing:cat: