Hospital that pays more & is 1 hour away or closer but pays less?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in MedSurg Tele.

The pay difference is $11. One is in the city and the other is in a quiet suburb area. I am deciding for a permanent position to help pay off massive school loans.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. TIA!

Honestly, $11 difference is significant. You however have to weigh the other benefits involved. For example, since you are looking to pay off student loans, how is the tuition reimbursement at each hospital? 401k match etc. If all other factors are relatively equal, $11 is enough for me to make the 1hr drive. (Isn't mileage for work tax deductable?)

Good luck on your decision.

i presume you mean 11 $ an hour....probably going to win...but figure the hourly wage over the time away from home, add in the extra gas, and wear and tear on your vehicle....and i dont think milage TO and FROM work are deductable only if you actually TRAVEL on the job.....

and evalluate the benies package as well...good luck

Specializes in oncology, transplant, OB.

I'm questionining the same thing for myself right now. YOu have to keep in mind that by working in the city everything will be more expensive such as parking, city wage tax, food, etc. Also the commute into the city everyday may take longer than an hour because of the traffic. And in the time you would be sitting in traffic to get work, you could be working overtime at the suburban hospital. Good luck!

Specializes in Critical Care.

Go for the better paying job. $11 an hour more to your base starting wage will influence all your future raises as well. If you don't like it chances are you'll be able to switch jobs in the city hospital or go back to the suburb hospital worse case scenario and negotiate your starting pay there beyond what they're offering you now.

Or if your really sold on the suburban hospital, let them no what the other hospital is offering and see if they're willing to match or at least raise what they're offering.

But personally, I say go where you get paid more because it will pay you dividends now and in the years ahead.

Good luck

how much will parking in the city be?

gas?

staffing?

benefits?

support/education/training?

leslie

If your talking about 1 hour total driving time then thats not bad at all. Even if your referring to 1 hour as in 60 miles or so distance wise its still really not that bad. Granted I live in a major area where it can take me up to 2 hours to drive 40 miles if I leave at the wrong time. Also if the shifts are 3 12's then thats even better.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

If you're working 8 hour shifts, an extra $11 hourly adds up to an extra $88 per day.

If you work 12 hour shifts, an extra $11 hourly adds up to an extra $132 daily.

Even with the added costs of parking, vehicle wear-and-tear, and gas, you'll likely still come out on top with the higher paying job. As others have said, an $11 hourly pay difference is monumental, and will significantly add up at the end of the year. Therefore, I'd advise you to accept the higher paying position.

That's about 20K a year which would go a long way in helping to pay off debt even after you take out taxes. I'd go for the longer drive and better pay if everything else is equal.

If you're working 8 hour shifts, an extra $11 hourly adds up to an extra $88 per day.

If you work 12 hour shifts, an extra $11 hourly adds up to an extra $132 daily.

Even with the added costs of parking, vehicle wear-and-tear, and gas, you'll likely still come out on top with the higher paying job. As others have said, an $11 hourly pay difference is monumental, and will significantly add up at the end of the year. Therefore, I'd advise you to accept the higher paying position.

i'm inclined to agree with you, commuter.

leslie

Specializes in LTC , SDC and MDS certified (3.0).

books on cd makes the trip easier:monkeydance:

Is it really one hour even with traffic? If so I would take the drive. 11 dollars per hour extra is a huge pay increase.

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