California shortage

featherzRN, MSN · Apr 14, 2003

I live in Lake Arrowhead, CA and housing is quite affordable here. It's a bit of a drive to the nearest hospital, but heck it's snowing right now! Can't say that for most of California. :)

Heather

SC RN, RN · Apr 15, 2003

Originally posted by Cynthiann
I'm wondering, how much does it cost to buy a house in So Cal that is still near the city? One that is around 1500-2000 sq ft.

Depends on what "city" you are talking about .... San Diego, Los Angeles, San Fran, Sac .... and even then, the prices vary greatly.

I live in Ventura (100,000 people and on the beach), 30 minutes south of Santa Barbara and 60 minutes North of Los Angeles. Houses (2000 sq ft, 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage) go for around $380k.

Close to San Fran, houses are outrageous ... but surrounding areas of LA can be affordable and same for SD. Just depends where you want to live ... and what you are willing to sacrifice (drive time, weather, mountains, beach, etc ... ).

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 15, 2003

Almost every state is bringing in nurses from The Phillipines. It's not just a Cali thing.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2003

Originally posted by 3rdShiftGuy
Come to Florida! Housing is cheap, no state income tax and the nursing shortage is acute. Florida has turned to Canada, Eurpope, the Phillipines and Jamaica for nurses. [/quote
Yes, but the pay rate is pathetic, conditions abysmal, staffing extremely poor, and the patients are difficult.

zudy · Apr 16, 2003

caroladybelle, why are the pts difficult?

andal · Apr 16, 2003

Start pay for new RN grad at Shands Hospital in Gainesville,Fl is $16.50

Rent for 2/1 apartment in Gainesville around $600

Nice house 2/2, next to golf course 120 000.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2003

Originally posted by caroladybelle
Originally posted by 3rdShiftGuy
Come to Florida! Housing is cheap, no state income tax and the nursing shortage is acute. Florida has turned to Canada, Eurpope, the Phillipines and Jamaica for nurses. [/quote

Yes, but the pay rate is pathetic, conditions abysmal, staffing extremely poor, and the patients are difficult.

Don't know how to answer that one. I think the pay rates are low, but getting better. I make $28.00/hr which isn't bad for a staff nurse. I can't say for sure, but I think it compares similarly to Gerogia last time I checked. The rest of the statement is just too negative, and perhaps too true at times to address in one short post so I won't.

Cynthiann · Apr 16, 2003

Originally posted by SC RN
Depends on what "city" you are talking about .... San Diego, Los Angeles, San Fran, Sac .... and even then, the prices vary greatly.

I live in Ventura (100,000 people and on the beach), 30 minutes south of Santa Barbara and 60 minutes North of Los Angeles. Houses (2000 sq ft, 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage) go for around $380k.

Close to San Fran, houses are outrageous ... but surrounding areas of LA can be affordable and same for SD. Just depends where you want to live ... and what you are willing to sacrifice (drive time, weather, mountains, beach, etc ... ).

$380K! :eek: How in world I can ever afford that with a nurse's pay?

Is it any cheaper in the areas you were talking about that around LA or SD? I don't mind living in the surrounding areas but I wouldn't want a very long commute back and forth every day. I wouldn't mind living in a smaller town just outside of a large city, either. How are the nurse's pay in smaller towns?

montroyal · Apr 16, 2003

Originally posted by szccdw
I am currently a nursing student but something has drawn my attention. I notice that in all the nursing magazines they pass out for free at our school that there are tons of nursing positions in CA. I've also read on this board where CA is bringing in nurses from other countries due to the shortage. CA is going to continue to have a nursing shortage as long as the cost of living is so high. Even with the great wages you still would just be keeping your head above water. If some of these hospitals offered things like a housing stipend maybe they could get more nurses to look into moving out to the west coast. I sure hope it does get better for the hospitals in CA. I really feel for the nurses who are working in them already because they are probably being worked to death. Just my thoughts..................Goodnight

Keep in mind, the nurse to patient ratio law goes into effect at midnight Dec. 31st. This has alot of California hospitals scrambling. The hospitals recently tried to have the Med/Surg ratio increased without success. Bottom line, if the hospitals can not recruit the number of nurses the law requires, they must close beds and turn patients($$) away. The closer it gets to Dec. 31st, the more incentives and money will be offered.

FutureNurse2005 · Apr 16, 2003

I was browsing some hospital sites earlier, and the average salary for a nurse at those hospitals was $35-45/hr!! I imagine that would somewhat compensate for the higher col expenses though.

I personally would love to end up in SF!! Just beautiful!!

Hugs

elguapo120 · Apr 17, 2003

I am writing this in response to the paragraph posted about the nursing shortage in California. I am a nursing student at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas and I have been doing a lot of research on the nursing shortage recently. I just thought I would share with you some of the information that I've learned about the shortage. The nursing shortage is not only in California, but is also throughout the United States and even throughout the rest of the world. I believe the shortage is due to one primary reason, which had a trickle down effect causing more problems. I see the main reason for the shortage being the insufficient amount of nursing schools and nursing professors. Many nursing schools turn down well-qualified applicants due to the lack of space. Carol Kohn and C.W. Henderson said in the January 2003 issue of Managed Care Weekly Digest that "nurses are in such high demand that they invariably must take a pay cut to teach." The amount of patient care is steadily increasing due to the aging baby boom generation. Hospitals are rapidly becoming large intensive care units. The amount of nurses needed will only increase with time. Skilled and specialized nurses will especially be in great demand. The average age of the current working RN is increasing and many nurses working right now will be retiring soon due to old age. Cynthia Caroselli mentions in the July 2001 online issue of Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, "about half of the RN workforce will reach retirement age in the next 15 years." With increasing patient loads and escalating pressure to treat more people, more quickly, for less money, we need to come up with ways for increasing the number of people entering the nursing profession and ways to increase the retention rate. We must find a way to keep young nurses coming into the workforce and keep them there till they retire. Some hospitals are working on improving their retention rate by offering incentives such as bonuses, trips, and other prizes. Such a great shortage of nurses will create an environment in the hospital that is unsafe for patients and nurses alike. Rose Ann DeMoro mentions in the December 2000/January 2001 online issue of California Nurse, "a rise in medical errors are often attributed to chronic short staffing, fatigued professionals, or other poor conditions." When there is a great lack of nurses working in the hospitals, the nurses are overworked and wear their bodies out. Exasperating their bodies to the point where they can no longer function properly leaves the more susceptible to sickness. Once these nurses become sick and have to start missing work, even fewer nurses are left to take care of the tremendous load of patients. I believe a law needs to be made that mandates a maximum amount of patients that each nurse can be assigned to. I believe another reason for the shortage is the availability of lucrative careers now available that weren't available for women before, causing many women to switch job professions. There some other things hospitals could do to help the shortage. First off, hospitals need to better the working conditions and the pay for nurses. Next, the image of nursing needs to be improved so that students will choose to pursue a career in the field of nursing. Also, as Cynthia Caroselli says in the July 2001 online issue of Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, we need to "demonstrate to health care leaders that nurses are the critical difference in America's health system." Just like other predominately female professions, nursing is undervalued by the public. Most people don't realize that nursing is a science in itself. Cynthia Caroselli also mentions in the same issue of Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow how hospitals and the government need to entice nurses of all educational levels to pursue higher education. I believe if more money, power, and control were given to nurses, there might be more interest in the field and more retention in the hospitals. I agree with what Janet Storch talked about in the March 2003 issue of Nursing Ethics in which she concludes that it is a moral obligation for everyone who believes in and values "safe, competent and ethical patient care" to show the public there are "serious ethical issues that require moral courage and moral commitment on the part of leaders in nursing and health care, and all political leaders." Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry. Without nurses, doctors would not be able to perform their duties in an orderly manner, patients would have nobody to care for them, and their would basically be no smiling faces, helping hands, or cheerful hearts to brighten up the everyday worries and troubles in hospitals.

Brian

Mimi2RN, ASN, RN · Apr 17, 2003

Housing here is not bad, you can buy a house for $100,000 to $200,000, doable on a nurses paycheck. New houses near us from $129,000

New grads get just over $27/hour plus diffs. Extra shifts are very well paid. There is no mandatory OT.

We are within driving distance of LA and SF, the coast and the mountains are all just a few hours drive. 3 to LA, 4 to SF