From Vancouver, Canada

ORSmurf · Oct 4, 2005

Hi!

I just graduated from an ADN program in May. I started at a little over $30/hr, which is great, but I don't think that it balances out with the cost of living. My husband and I don't have any children, both make good money now, but I still don't think we'll ever be able to afford a house here We live in Northern CA, and the rents are even outrageous here - $1200/rent for an okay place, maybe $1000 for a crappy place. I think it's much worse in the bay area, although you could probably make much more there. I live here because I grew up here, family is here, etc.. We still may move someday, I don't know. I can't imagine anyone wanting to move here just because of the outrageous cost of living. I also don't think CA nurses are the BEST paid.

Best of luck to you!!!

Hi all,
I'm currently (or going to be very soon) a nursing student in Vancouver, BC!
I was really hoping to travel down to cali for nursing for the first part of my career to get me jump started.. I'm just wondering if it is at all possible to have my first nursing job in California as a nurse? By the time I grad I'll be about 22,
So.. assuming I pass all the board exams and graduate, can I come down right away? or would I need some previous experience (other than the clinical work
I would have done in school?)
Also, I also hear that Cali is very well paying to its nurses?
Is it true that Cali has the highest paid nurses? And.. if so, how does the
cost of living balance out with the income?
Say.. I eat the bare minimum and do very little other than work and
go home .. ( Rent ~ 1000$/month) How much do you guys figure I can
manage to bank in/month (as savings) if I really try my hardest? (after
taxes and all..)
Thanks in advance for your help!

fergus51 · Oct 4, 2005

Because of all the immigration stuff, you won't be able to come down right after you graduate. You will need to write the NCLEX, become lisenced, get your visascreen and get a job offer before you can move to California. That can take a few months, but you don't need any extra nursing experience. I used to live in Vancouver and now live in California. The pay is good. The cost of living is high, but I don't think the cost of living is that much worse than Vancouver (my rent is about 1200 a month for a really nice one bedroom across from the beach). I don't work that much OT and I put away about 1000 a month pretty easily. Travel nurses are able to bank money more easily, but you would need to have experience before doing that.