Orlando Nursing Pay ? Anyone heard anything good?

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I hear its good .. I hear its bad.. I hear they dont pay state taxes so its FABULOUS.. then I hear the cost of living sucks there so the tax break isnt worth it. Any thoughts guys? Thanks a bundles.

Were talking MED-SURG / ICU FLOAT POOL if possible. .. thanks.

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

Pay in Florida is generally pretty poor.

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I'm with the above poster. Pay in Florida is among the lowest in the country. When I started at Shands in 2007 (major university hospital just 2 hours north of Orlando) my base pay was 19.75h (RN-BSN).

South Florida (especially Miami) pays a little bit more but is still dismal when you take the high cost of living into account.

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Yes, RN pay is low in FL generally. Been here 4 years. However, pay for every profession seems to be low here, so it is not surprising.

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Specializes in neurology, cardiology, ED.

What are you comparing it to when you say it is low? I live in NY, where we pay state taxes, and enjoy a higher cost of living than most other states, yet salary.com says that nurse's pay in most parts of Florida is about the same as my pay here. I would like to see numbers.

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:eek: Well I googled the Salarys in Orlando and they say $63k is the average ... so I dont think I believe the " $19 per hour" base comment. And Im not sure how there is such a big differential comparatively via the state tax savings? Evidently Floridians do nto pay State Taxes.. but Im trying to figure out how that translates via a salary comparison. :crying2:
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"so I dont think I believe the " $19 per hour" base comment"

Airbrushguy- really??

So I'm lying?

Wow.

I'll repeat this: I started at Shands in 2007 on Unit 65 Neurosurgery/Neurology and my base pay was $19.75/h.

I got a shift diff for nights of approximately 3 bucks extra per hour.

As for the whole 'no state tax' thing... I've worked in states that have a state income tax and some that don't. Bottom line is that Florida was still the lowest paying state I've worked in. (I've worked in Fl, MT, AZ, CA)

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Specializes in Home Care.

The local magnet hospital near me starts new grads at $22 an hour.

Everyone in Florida complains about the low wages here.

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Lakeland Regional pays a maximum 28 an hour with shift differential and a "bonus" for having a BSN. Nursing homes in Lakeland pay in the low 20s an hour. Cost of living is not cheap. "No state taxes" is not much of a bargain to my experience. So I don't know what everyone else is making. I had 12 years at a VA in Michigan, and I made 58k when I left. I know a nurse with much ICU experience who worked lots of overtime was making around 70k in Tampa, but that is the high end as far as I personally know. Have no idea what DONs are making here. But "average 63k"? Not in any Florida world I have lived in the past 4 years!!!

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I went to Orlando for vacation. It cost me $22 for myself only at the breakfast buffet. I don't know what the pay is for RN's in Orlando. I live in Gainesville, FL. I saw an ad for a private duty home care RN in Gainesville. The ad said that they pay $18 an hour for RN's.:crying2:

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
:eek: Well I googled the Salarys in Orlando and they say $63k is the average ... so I dont think I believe the " $19 per hour" base comment. And Im not sure how there is such a big differential comparatively via the state tax savings? Evidently Floridians do nto pay State Taxes.. but Im trying to figure out how that translates via a salary comparison. :crying2:

Are you going to believe a online resource that supports business interests, or the people that have actually live, work and breathe there?

In 1993, when I started as an RN at a central Florida hospital (that now recently acquired magnet status), my base pay rate was 12.50 an hour for team leading UAP and maybe one LPN for up to 19 patients on a unit that cared for predominantly fresh postop pts.

Said hospital was unable to find staff to work with them, so reformed and sought and attained magnet status. Guess what, the pay rate is so poor, they STILL can't stay staffed, in an era when there are tons of new RNs seeking jobs, and several nursing schools in the immediate area.

One day when I inquired about the poor pay, I received an answer echoed by many other poor paying FL hospitals, "This is Florida, you get paid in sunshine".

I spent years trying to get Visa, my student loans, TECO, etal to accept some sunshine for payment for bills - lord knows that I do not need it. For some reason, they don't bite on the "paid in sunshine" transaction.

PS. I am a native Floridian, that traveled in the East coast. As of 10 monthes ago, I finally settled in the mid Atlantic area, with Boston as a second choice. Upon arriving here, my base pay rate increased by more than $10/hr, my pt ratio decreased substantially, my stress level dropped, and I got treated much better by the MDs, management, HR and my pts.

I also don't get the seasonal continual low census in the off season, that cuts down on your pay check, and PTO that is so common in Florida. Nor the killer, work you to death and understaffing that accompanies the snowbird season, when the hospitals put beds in the halls with partitions around them and fill them.

11 monthes ago, I was an underpaid, unhealthy wretch, who rarily got a break in shift, and could never give my pts the care that they deserved and needed because upper management never allowed for enough staff to adequately cover the floor. At least once per month or two, some nurse was being called in to give a deposition.

Paying a minimal state income tax is minor compared to that. And even the record 80 some odd inches of snow up here has not dissuaded me. I recently bought an AWD car (which courtesy of my pay here I can now afford) to help manage. The accomodations here for staying over on snow days are much more comfortable than the FL accomodations for staying over for hurricanes.

Also remember that state income tax serves a purpose - to pay for services that the state provides. That money has to come from somewhere. And since the Florida constitution (I believe) bars state income tax, and it is highly unlikely that any FL legislator is bucking for punishment at the polls as to attempt to tamper with that, that means taxes and fees (mainly property taxes have to make up the shortfall. You will make up the difference that you "save" not paying for state income taxes. That or you will end up with lousy infrastructure. Certain roads in Florida are virtually always under construction and behind the times, and construction that takes monthes in other states takes years in FL.

When I left FL, new grads were starting at 17-23 an hour. The lower pay rates are more common in rural areas and the Panhandle. And remember that the hospital economy is based on tourism/winter migration, which is taking a major hit right now. Your PTO or paycheck will take a hit during the summers. That is if you can find a job AT ALL, which many new grads are having difficulty with. And unless you are in rural FL, it is best to learn Spanish.

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Specializes in COS-C, Risk Management.

I'm in Jacksonville, thanks to the economy went back into nursing after 4 years staying home with kids, and the highest offer I received was $25/hr with nearly 20 years of experience under my belt. No state taxes, sure, but the cost of living is not cheap. Utilities are astronomical, food is expensive, and auto insurance rates are high as well. I spent 14 years in the midwest before returning to my home state and could not believe the cost of living here. And Florida is a "right-to-work" state with no job security, no unions (or at least not many that I know of), no staffing ratios, and horrible work loads. With what I've seen of the hospitals here, I'm happy to stay in home health.

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