Oakland vs Los Angeles

NedRN · Apr 26, 2013

It depends on what agency and what housing if it is better to look for your own. Entirely up to you. Some find Oakland dangerous, I don't, but it does depend on the neighborhood. It is a huge city. The hospital is perhaps 10 blocks away from Berkeley and Emeryville, and some travelers are put up in Alameda, an island just off Oakland. Depending on your shift (traffic), you could even get housing in San Francisco but it will cost more and the bridge toll will also cost you.

I've worked at Kaiser Oakland and I liked it. But here is the standard warning: staff works 8 hour shifts, travelers work 12. Do the math and it is easy to see that travelers often float every 4 hours. If you are not organized, you may find that a challenge. On the other hand, the ratios are better than many hospitals so some adapt with ease.

Did you have a question about Los Angeles? You can probably expect to make about $5 less an hour there than the Bay area.

AdriRN · Apr 26, 2013

Thanks for the info Ned! I work in the OR so I figured it would pretty much be that way of seeing staff nurses leave before you do for the day. Main reason I asked about LA is it seems on most agency websites I've seen that there are many positions available in LA currently vs the bay area. Just trying to get a feel out for both. Why is it that people view Oakland as a dangerous place?

NedRN · Apr 26, 2013

Ha, I worked in the OR too. No floating.

Two reasons people view Oakland as dangerous. Majority black is probably the biggest factor, but there is a high murder rate too (in the bad neighborhoods with drug trafficking - possibly similar to El Paso). There is rooftop parking across from the hospital (I never used it - bicycled to work) and cars are broken into despite security cameras. That is the only impact of crime that I saw or heard about there. The hospital is actually in a yuppy area with a lot of coffee shops and people strolling about. By comparison with perhaps the worst I've seen, it is nothing like Hopkins in Baltimore with security guard posts every 50 feet for a couple blocks around (but I bicycled to work there too so I'm not as nervous as many - I'm also male). I think you will find one of the techs to be scarier than the folks outside the hospital.

mzkede · Apr 27, 2013

Imagine that, Black People! Lol Oh Wait! I'm Black! I'm an OR Nurse as well.

wanderlust99 · Jun 3, 2013

Anyone have experience with highland Oakland? I see about 20 openings for Icu and wondering what's going on there.