Full time position or travel in San Francisco?

[jt925]

Hi!

Looking for any insight/advice/suggestions!

I am set on relocating to San Francisco from Ohio in the end of December/early January. I originally planned to do a travel contracts but keep seeing the high pay rates of regular full time RNs in SF area seem to be able to make more money then travelers. I will actually graduate with my MSN/NP degree in the first week of December and along with that a lot of student loans to pay back. Im not ready to find a permanent NP position and planned to do travel contracts for a while and pay off as much of my debt as possible. Fortunately I have lots of family in the city and my grandma has graciously offered to let me stay with her rent free so I can pay off as much of my student loans as possible. I have 3.5 years of acute care exp...most recent two years being critical care (MICU). Any advice from California RNs or other travelers on the route I should go would be much appreciated! I was just there this past week and drove up to the BON and turned in all my paperwork in person to get my RN endorsement so I am hoping I will be able to either sign a travel contract for end of Dec/early Jan or actively look for a full time position. I don't want to say its all about the money because I love nursing but honestly right now it is! I am ready to work and pay off of as much of my debts from undergrad and graduate school as possible!!

[Wolf at the Door, BSN]

It is tough to get a full-time job in the Bay Area even with experience. Doing a master program looks good and everything but I can't really see anyone hiring you full-time RN staff with your pending degree as an NP.