$23/hr to travel?

123DanceWithMe · Aug 30, 2006

I don't know about FL??? I am trying to find out about Birmingham, Alabama. Has anyone worked there? If so can you give me the scoop on the hospitals and an idea of what is a fair rate for travel? Graduating soon and want to travel, maybe.

wahoofan · Oct 1, 2006

It always amuses me how much money people think travelers make. There are many reasons to take a travel position, but if you are a nurse of 20 yrs or more, and your hospital pays for that experience, you will make more to stay put. Travelers do not get shift differentials and Overtime bonuses when the units are short and begging for help or weekend differentials. Keep all that in mind. New nurses, however, that would start at $20ish in a hospital can make in the mid to high $20's/hr AND have little or no overhead because their apartment is provided. If I figure my hourly wage AND what my apt, furnishings and utilities cost my company per month, then yes, it comes out to $50ish an hour. My check , however, is not for $50/ hour. Anyone who tells you they make that is doing one of 2 things: figuring their apartment costs into their salary or trying to impress you!

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Oct 1, 2006

Does this sound right? I interviewed with a travel company -got an offer to travel to FL for $23/hr???? I new to this. Am I being taken for a very long ride?

Not unusual for Florida in the winter time. Pay rates for medsurg range from $19-34 an hour. But pay rates in medsurg > 29/hr are rare.

Be aware that pay rates in Florida are very poor, and there will be some regular staffers that be snide about how "much" you get paid, even though, you are not getting paid nearly what other states pay.

Medic15251 · Oct 30, 2006

It's all in how you negotiate with your company. We knew goin into the assignment in florida that the pay was low there, but really wanted to see the area. Our company offered $27/ hr, $50 for license reimbursement, $600 for travel, and of course free housing and utilities. After negotiating a little we got them to up it to $30/hr, $212 for the license, $1000 sign on bonus, $1200 in travel and free housing and utilities for a telemetry position.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Nov 7, 2006

It always amuses me how much money people think travelers make. There are many reasons to take a travel position, but if you are a nurse of 20 yrs or more, and your hospital pays for that experience, you will make more to stay put. Travelers do not get shift differentials and Overtime bonuses when the units are short and begging for help or weekend differentials. Keep all that in mind. New nurses, however, that would start at $20ish in a hospital can make in the mid to high $20's/hr AND have little or no overhead because their apartment is provided. If I figure my hourly wage AND what my apt, furnishings and utilities cost my company per month, then yes, it comes out to $50ish an hour. My check , however, is not for $50/ hour. Anyone who tells you they make that is doing one of 2 things: figuring their apartment costs into their salary or trying to impress you!

I agree! This thing about travelers making $50. -$60. an hour is a nursing urban legend! I did get $54./hr (plus free housing/utils, etc.)just once, from a very desperate unit. I walked out, breaking my contract, after only two days, as it was a very unsafe and miserable place. Occasionally, the super high-paying contracts turn up, but- any place willing to pay those wages has to, because no one in their right mind will work there, and that includes travelers.

suzanne4, RN · Nov 7, 2006

$23 per hour????????? Wow! That's so cheap! I've never done travel nursing but I know a lot of travel nurses from work and they get paid at least $50-60 per hour...You might need to research more and maybe find another company........just my penny!

Sorry, but 100% oer wrong, you are speaking of agency nurses, not travel nurses that get their housing paid...........Big difference.

And $50 to 60 in Florida? No way.

piperknitsRN · Nov 8, 2006

As others have said, travel rates in Florida tend to be lower than other areas. I have found anecdotally that regular, non staff nursing jobs are also low relative to other areas in the US and the cost of living, which I agree with Tweety has skyrocketed in the last few years. I recently was offered a tele position at hospital in the Gulf Coast FL area for $34/hr plus housing, utilites, license and $600 relocation. Other job offers were $30/hr in Orlando for a vented tele progressive care unit and $27/hr for medical tele in Naples. Same perks applied.

So there are some relatively decent paying jobs in Florida, you just have to search for them, and be very mindful about housing costs, as well as the assignment. I turned down several well travel paying jobs because I did not think the working conditions were worth even "good" money. I liked the facility, and unit and the money just happened to be good. I do not always place "money" as the prime motivation for taking an assignment; I would rather be paid a few dollars less to be in a supportive environment than a few more in an unsafe assignment. It is up to you the traveler to interview the hospitals and make sure you feel *you* are a good fit for them as well.

I have always heard notorious stories about the nursing environment here in Florida, but having done nursing in several states and different facilities, and knowing, as you all do, word-of-mouth from our colleagues, it seems "bad working conditions" exist in every state in some facilities, to some degree. This is unfortunate, and why I choose to travel, like many of us do, so as to have more control over the types of facilities we work for and pay rates.

piperknitsRN

zipporah · Nov 11, 2006

I worked in florida last year in Naples in cardiac surgery. They needed nurses and so the travel company was offering a good wage. (34.50) It was an idyllic place to be in many ways and I remember it fondly. The florida weather and beaches are believed to be some compensation and as my husband and I look back, well at least we were glad to linger there for awhile. Money isn't everything and as a nurse with more than 20 years, the money isn't generally competitive but the assignments offer variety. For what it is worth.