South Florida salary? Travel nursing better option?

[katie4593]

Hello, I'll give you a background on myself, I live in NY and currently work as RN in Queens. I have my BSN and have a little over one year med surg experience. I currently make $45.55 an hour, this was my starting rate as a new grad working nights, after taxes I bring home about $4,080 a month. I heard Florida pays much less. My boyfriend currently relocated to Jupiter Florida, palm beach county. I was wondering what the pay was like in this area, for a nurse with a little over one year experience? Palm beach county especially Jupiter is not a cheap area, rent is similar to what I pay in NY, boyfriends apartment is $1,400 a month before utilities. My boyfriend tries to tell me unlike in NY in FL I will not have state tax & that will help. I worry in Florida it will be harder to get by. I have researched travel nursing a little bit. Would this be a better option? Do agencies hire nurses with a little over 1 year experience?....leaving NY is difficult as my family is here & I have a great job. I work for a 1199 union hospital, we don't pay into our health insurance & receive a pension which is a nice perk. Are there any hospitals in the palm beach area you suggest or certain agencies to contact? Would home care be an even better option? I appreciate any input. I'm very torn

[EllaBella1, BSN]

I don't know a whole lot about the Palm Beach area, but I can tell you that the no state tax really does make a huge difference. Your take home pay will be almost the same. But I can also guarantee that you will almost definitely have access to overtime down here. I'm from NY also and the cost of living is a little less down here too, even in the more expensive areas. I graduated from a NY nursing school last year and moved right to FL for my first nursing job, and my take home pay is actually a little more than a lot of my former classmates even though I make a good deal less per hour. The no state tax has its perks :). I would suggest that you play around with a paycheck calculator to see what a difference the tax thing really makes.

[guest4/14]

I just moved to Jupiter as well but from Fort Lauderdale. I take my NCLEX at the end of this month and will be starting the job app process soon so I can't give you much advice about salaries just yet. From the people I have talked to, Jupiter Medical Center is highly recommended. I've also heard that St. Mary's and Delray Medical are excellent certified trauma centers. They're a bit of a drive though.. It just depends on what you're looking for. I would also look into Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.

Keep us updated and I'll do the same!

[ERNURSE47]

I can tell you for sure that you will not be offered even close to what you make now. New grads usually start around $25/hr(average). Having one year experience may get you a couple more dollars per hour. If you choose to work night shift, you can add an average of $5/hr more. It helps, but it may not meet your expectations. You can call the hospitals in the area, and they will tell you what the pay scale is for your years of experience. They usually offer the mid point in the scale. Good luck in your move!