Nursing in California

U.S.A. California

Published

Hi all! Not sure if im posting this in the right place but I wasnt sure where else. Ive been a nurse for 4 years now and I work in South Florida. Currently im a ped hem/onc nurse and thats what ive been doing since I graduated. I make $26/hr and I feel like thats nothing compared to what ive seen other nurses making in other states.

I have a friend in Cali making $80/hr working per diem. Her husband made 150K last year working his regular 3 12hr shifts without ever working overtime! She also said that each year she gets a $4 raise. My raises are not even .50 cents!!!!

I had my 6 month review at my new job this past week and I saw that the max I will EVER be ablet to make is $40/hr. Thats depressing!!!

Needless to say, now hubby and I are looking at Cali because I dont want to keep making this little money knowing I could be making a whole lot more somewhere else.

I guess my question is, what is the common hourly rate for nurses in cali? are the nurses treated much better? Any insight would be greatly appreciated! thank you :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

While you're looking into salaries, be sure to also look at cost of living in those same cities. For example, media house price, state and local taxes, food & clothing prices, etc. You may very well find that your $26/hr is very comparable to a California RN earning $50/hr with cost of living factored in.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Nathalie, the average home in the SF Bay Area just topped $650,000 ($1,000,000 in SF city), we pay 9.3% in state income tax (the highest in the country), 9% in state sales tax, I just paid $4.30 a gallon for gas (at Costco), and I spend at least 90 minutes each way in my commute (assuming no accidents, earthquakes, protests, or rap concerts). I made over $100K last year, but after taxes and putting a little away for retirement, I'm left with enough to pay my mortgage and drive my 12 year old car. I'm a typical RN in Norcal. Not upper class, not even middle class. I'm a working class guy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I make a lot more in California than I did in Texas. The cost of living is MUCH higher, though. Luckily, I married someone with a house. A one bedroom apartment here is about $1500 a month. Where I came from it was right around $500. Even food is shockingly expensive.

I still make a lot less than your friend (about half). I have little experience and I'm not specialized. I'm also full time staff with benefits. The nurses who are paid the highest hourly rates are the first to be called off and/or floated where I'm at. The also have no benefits. It can still be worth it- especially if you have access to benefits through a spouse. It's not the ideal situation for me, though.

I feel like I am treated MUCH better in California as a nurse, but my experience is limited to one job here and one job in Texas. I get 3-4 med/surg patients here most nights (I can get up to five and some nights I only have two). In Texas, I got 7 to 8! I am always running to answer other nurses' call lights and doing their admissions because I feel like I have so much free time. In Texas, I never even got a ten minute break. And lunch? I didn't even know what it was.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Eighty dollars an hour is RARE......you will NOT go to California and make $80.00/hr and the housing cost is staggering. Look very carefully before you leap.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Department, Float Pool.

She must work for a "corp"In SF I have some RN acquaintances who say they are "close " to that much in SF and per diem ...but I'm in CA and I have 1-1/2 year experience in Central Valley and I don't make that...most make anywhere from 30-50, i heard some make high 20s in southern CA good luck finding a job making that much ...let me know where I submit my application lol jk...I actually got offered a job in SF but I would rather make less and be closer to home, I did all my schooling out there and would Hear RN's make that, but it's hard to get a job out in East Bay and in SF

Up Vote Up Vote ×

avg in ca with

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCM, PHN.

Hahaha - $80/hr.? Someone is pulling your leg, says the BSN RN of 6 years experience in SoCal who makes $46/hr. I'm also on two hiring panels now, and research median salaries as part of a compensation committee. Trust me: no RN in CA makes $80/hr unless they are private duty for celebrity or rich people.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

City and County of San Francisco pays 62/hour for per diem, but as someone said, cost of living is quite high and you need to account for that....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I think the best place to live Salary wise and cost of living is probably Sacramento. It is pretty hard to get a job here however, you end up having to know someone or have a lot of awesome experience. I've got 4 years experience, and make 48 base plus 6/hr night dif and 4$ weekend dif. We are unionized, although my ER sometimes fudges the ratios, not on purpose, but because of short staffing and it takes a while to find someone to help out when needed. The benefits are pretty awesome, and my rent is 1150/month on a 3 bedroom house. (Houses usually cost more to rent, I just happened to find a really awesome deal-more likely to pay 1400 and up usually.) However, we do get taxed quite a bit, and a lot more of my check seems to go to the benefits and taxes than I had expected. I'm living comfortably and paying all my bills on one salary while hubby finishes school. :) I also work at probably the lowest paying hospital in the area, but it is pretty nice to work at.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You can look up UCSF per diem pay on line. All UC hospital salaries are public on the web.

as of Feb. 2013 step 1 pay is 70.22hr up to step 11 $90.96hr This is per diem RN

So RN's there do make that much.

UCLA pays 57.95 hr for perdiem. It does not follow steps. All perdiems get the same amount

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi California nurses☺️ I live in Atlanta GA, and I finished nursing school October ,last year. I work as a nurse in one of the hospitals here (I just got off of orientation). As a new nurse I get 5-6 patient a night, we have techs too. I was wondering since you have 4 patients per nurse ,do you have techs too ? I want in the future to move to South California,but I know that I have to get at least 2 years of experience!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment