Lets talk pay and hospitals

U.S.A. Minnesota

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I know a lot of people dont like talking about it, but Im looking for some insight. Im looking to move from Texas to Minnesota. Id really like to do Mayo Clinic but the better half's family is in the twin cities area.

Im working as a float pool nurse here in Texas (ICU and floor). I have 5 years of experience. Pay for a standard staff nurse position would be $30ish an hour but float pool pays $43. Im hoping Minnesota would pay somewhere in between. While we can afford a cut, Im afraid of having to work even more hours to maintain a lifestyle and when kiddos come along, work even more with a single income.

Any suggestions on hospitals in the twin cities area?

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

If you are going to talk/think about pay ... then you have to consider cost of living. I don't know the websites off the top of my head, but there are websites that give cost of living indexes for various cities. Look up that information before you start comparing salaries. Also factor in personal considerations that may change as you move from one place to another (e.g.vacation time use and travel expenses if you frequently travel from Texas to Minnesota to see hubby's family, childcare differences if your work hours will be different, husband income changes, etc.).

Look at the overall picture of quality of life, etc. -- not just the salary. I've moved from one state to another several times in my life and I find that salaries vary widely -- and they can't be compared directly dollar-per-dollar. You have to look at the big picture of your life. Sometimes, the smaller salary actually gets you a better lifestyle than you had with the larger one. Sometimes not.

I agree with all of the above Rx in considering your move.

With regards to hourly wage- most of the hospitals in the "Twin Cities" area are represented by MNA- and contracts are usually easily available in an online search. That will give you up to date, reliable pay scale information that includes allocation of holiday/sick time pay for the current contract. The hospitals that are not represented by MNA have to offer pretty similar pay and benefits to stay staffed, for the most part. It's been a while since a was a new nurse, but I think $30 / hour after 5 years seems accurate to me ( again, I may be off). I don't think, however, that our float pool nurses earn any type of hourly pay differential like you describe in your post. Nurses who work for outside agencies that provide temporary staffing for hospitals, sometimes daily, sometimes with longer contracts and guaranteed hours, can make a $10/hour differential depending on specialty and shift worked.

Mayo is only one possibility amongst many in Minnesota that are available, one of the things I've always loved about nursing is that i found jobs with schedules a requirements that really fit my life and my family when I needed it, and I feel that the a Twin Cities is a market where I can find what I want in a position when I've wanted it without much difficulty.

Good luck in your search!

Specializes in Operating Room.

I unfortunately cannot give you any insight on how much pay would be, but I do have a number of friends/family members who are nurses working in the metro area and make more than $30 as a floor nurse. From what I have heard, Mayo pays very well. Unfortunately, homes there are significantly more expensive because there isn't as much competition as you would find in twin cities. Good luck and I hope someone on here can give you a better idea on pay!

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