$$23.8/hr...is this a fair rate for an RN in L.A?

Gomer · Sep 22, 2004

Which hospital? And are they providing anything else....like housing? travel? etc.

zully1 · Sep 22, 2004

Most hospitals I looked into were offering a minimum of $25 per hr for new grads, plus a night shift differential

cak · Sep 22, 2004

I am a new graduate too, and I just got hired in the Emerency Room. I am working in a hospital in Woodland Hills, California.

:idea: In order to get more money, I cashed out my benefits when I got hired in August, and I am now making $33.25 an hour plus night differential. When my Nursing Orientation is over in December, I will be making $36.15 an hour plus night shift differential.

eperey · Sep 22, 2004

Hi. I'm presently working in UK and will relocate to L.A., California too, hopefully next year when my greencard will be completed. I was offered $30.00/hr + differential after passing my NCLEX.:)

Was the salary offered to you excluding night/ weekend differential? Housing benefit included?

leeh · Sep 23, 2004

Which hospital? And are they providing anything else....like housing? travel? etc.

It was the recruiter who gave me this rate. The company also promised to shoulder the lawyer's fees for the processing of my petition. Also promised to give me 3k as sign-on/relocation bonus...What do you think about it?

live4today, RN · Sep 23, 2004

:balloons: welcome aboard to all the newcomers posting here! :)

sounds like you've all been offered a fantastic deal! hope you like your new home once you arrive!

leeh · Sep 23, 2004

Hi, eperey. The rate that they gave me excludes night differential...I'm not sure if there's a weekend differential though. If you don't mind, which hospital in LA gave you that rate? Did you go through an agency?

Gomer · Sep 23, 2004

It was the recruiter who gave me this rate. The company also promised to shoulder the lawyer's fees for the processing of my petition. Also promised to give me 3k as sign-on/relocation bonus...What do you think about it?

Again, it still depends on which hospital, which you should know before you accept the job. LA is a very big area with 100+ health care facilities. Some are great, some are good, and some you would want to send your enemy to.

You need to find out:

1. Name of hospital and location (the closer to the ocean the higher the cost of living....1-bedroom apartments will start at least $1000/mo, car insurance and you will need a car will run $500-$1000/yr)

2. 12-hour shifts? or 10- or 8-? If 12-hour shifts is this the regular rate? If so, you need to add time and a half for the last 4 hours (which would make your average hourly rate higher).

3. What are the differentials? Is there a weekend differential?

4. Will you be an employee of the hospital or the agency? Who provides your health/life/dental/workers comp insurances?

5. The sign-on bonus is taxable. If you are single and in the 33% tax bracket $3000 turns into $1800 very fast.

While I would welcome you to sunny southern California I would suggest you be very careful dealing with agencies and the deals they make.

leeh · Sep 25, 2004

Thanks for the advise...Just wondering if you're familiar with the Hiring Nurse Group? They are the ones I'm dealing with. They also offered me a position in a psychiatric hospital. I'm quite hesitant about the offer. But I'm really having difficulty finding a sponsor since I only had 6mos experience in my country. I thought everything will be fine after Nclex but I guess I'm wrong. They said hospitals in California are really "choosy"(?)-they wanted someone with longer experience. Is this true?

Gomer · Sep 25, 2004

Sorry, never heard of the company.

As for experience, I would have to agree that 6-months is not long enough, especially for a foreign trainned nurse. My hospital requires at least 1-yr experience, unless the nurse is part of our new graduate program, for most areas. Many hospitals in the LA area have closed their inpatient mental health departments due to limited reimbursements. You might want to wait (you can get your CA RN license during that time) and get more experience before making the move.

leeh · Sep 26, 2004

Sorry, never heard of the company.
As for experience, I would have to agree that 6-months is not long enough, especially for a foreign trainned nurse. My hospital requires at least 1-yr experience, unless the nurse is part of our new graduate program, for most areas. Many hospitals in the LA area have closed their inpatient mental health departments due to limited reimbursements. You might want to wait (you can get your CA RN license during that time) and get more experience before making the move.

Thank you, Gomer for all the advices and for patiently answering my questions. You've helped me so much. God bless...