Peds CVICU RN making the leap to Cali!

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Hello everyone!

I am a Peds cardiac ICU RN (2 years of experience in a top 5 facility in the country) who is looking to make the big leap into travel nursing to California (my boyfriend will be coming with as well * :) * ). I just have a few questions (sorry if it has been repetitive) because the info I am finding is at least 2 years old.

I really am in to this experience because of course I do want to travel and see the west coast (I am originally from Jamaica). My second reason for doing this is of-course, pay. I just want to make sure I am not putting myself into a hole by moving out there. I currently make $24 base pay with night shift differential (so its okay for GA standards).

I really have the age old question of how much I can expect to take home. I think from reading I would end up taking the stipend (I qualify for it) and try to find my own housing on craigslist or other sites. I would love to work in the San Fran/Palo Alto area; maybe San Diego.

- How much can I expect to get/negotiate for a housing stipend?

- How much should I expect to get/negotiate for an hourly rate?

- Do I automatically get incidentals added?

I have heard in Cali I should not accept less than $50/hr. Just a new traveler trying to sift my way through the information on here.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :)

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$50 an hour? Maybe. When you get quotes from agencies, plug them into the calculator at PanTravelers to compare them on a level playing field (agencies quote very differently). You will find that most assignments have total pay (per the calculator method) of between $40 and $50 dollars an hour. I can promise that most travelers, even in Northern California, do not make $50 an hour. Now you are in a super specialty, but only if there are critical needs will you be making top money probably.

Talking about hourly pay, housing stipends and other compensation as separate items makes little sense. You will see that once you start getting quotes. There is a fixed bill rate for every hour you work, and so there is just one pot of money to pay you out of. That one pie can be cut many different ways, but it is still the same pie.

UCSF has perhaps one of the best pediatric open heart programs and that would look really good on your resume. Lucille Packard is another great resume item for you. But both SF and Palo Alto are super expensive for housing. I would look for shared housing, even with the boyfriend in tow. If you work at either of those university hospitals, you will also have access to the university housing department where housing is listed by private owners only for community members.

Despite the expensive housing, you should do much better than Georgia staff pay. When I first started traveling 19 years ago and took an early assignment in California, I actually had a pay cut from my first two assignments in NC and FL. The bill rates then in California were similar to the rest of the country, but since the housing was much more, that pie slice I took home was less. Since then of course, the staffing laws went into effect and now bill rates are above average, but housing still takes a big cut into bankable pay.

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Thank you so much NedRN!

I really had a hard time undertanding the breakdown on the agencies' websites.

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I have another questions...

I have already signed up with 3 agencies; as I wait on my CA license and do more research, how do I negotiate pay and benefits exactly?

Do I let the other agency know that the first agency offered me a better deal?

I have never been the best bargainer and I am just wondering how I can go about this in a direct and straight-forward manner.

Thanks!

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As for housing, if you're looking to save but still live in a nice area you can look into Newark or Fremont. They are right over the bridge from Palo Alto. Avg rent for a one bedroom is about 1200-1500. Rent had recently increased even more. Palo Alto is more expensive. As for San Francisco, rent is higher.

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I have another questions...

I have already signed up with 3 agencies; as I wait on my CA license and do more research, how do I negotiate pay and benefits exactly?

Do I let the other agency know that the first agency offered me a better deal?

I have never been the best bargainer and I am just wondering how I can go about this in a direct and straight-forward manner.

Thanks!

Absolutely tell the other agency you have a better offer! That is one of the primary reasons to have more than one agency.

There are many books written about negotiation so a forum post is not going to cover this very large subject. There is an article on PanTravelers specifically on how to negotiate a travel contract that might help you a lot with the basics (which are not stressful). However, even that article doesn't cover every possibility and your negotiating power changes at different places in the dance before the assignment. When you get to a point where you want to achieve some negotiating point and have some leverage (like a better offer), or you are past the interview and the hospital wants you, tell me here what you want and I might be able to tell you what is possible and what is not. When you have a successful assignment under your belt, your negotiating power also increases. Hard ball is not really needed at any point, and certainly not for your first assignment.

I think the reason that many travelers go with a large agency is that it is easy. Limited negotiating (most Americans really hate negotiating), lots of assignment choices, predictable pay and housing, and usually better pay and assignments the more you stick with them. Not a bad way to go.

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Thank you for your suggestion! I will definitely look I to that area. I have read where Sunnyvale and Santa Clara may be good?

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NedRN Thank you!! Once i am at that stage In This process I will definitely be posting here for your advice. You are an amazing resource to us Newbies. It is greatly appreciated!

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Different people have different ideas about how to save money. Personally I find spending up to two extra hours fighting bridge traffic, paying $5 toll, and spending 50 cents a mile (the true cost of operating a car) which makes the cost of driving across the bridge an extra $20 round trip (minimum) to be somewhat crazy. Tolerable I suppose for just three shifts a week, but the savings when considering the loss of personal time and quality of life are minimal. If you want to live in the East Bay (which is different but still great), it is better in my opinion to get a contract in an East Bay hospital. From a strictly financial standpoint, you will be better off. Lower housing cost, short commute, and pay similar to every other Bay area hospital. Of course then mommy_endeavor's go farther for cheaper housing maxim would still apply: live in Pleasant Hill where the rents are lower.

It is just easier and more fun to live where you work. No rushing about. I do even better by commuting by bicycle. Zero cost, and I don't get mad at drivers slowing me down giving me a bad attitude as I arrive at work. Typically when I find nearby housing, I can get to my unit from home in less time than most commuters do in just the hospital remote parking lot waiting for the bus. Some of the Bay area hospitals will charge big bucks just to park in a remote lot, like another $200 a month.

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Yeah, Santa Clara is nice. They are opening the new 49er coliseum there!

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Different people have different ideas about how to save money. Personally I find spending up to two extra hours fighting bridge traffic, paying $5 toll, and spending 50 cents a mile (the true cost of operating a car) which makes the cost of driving across the bridge an extra $20 round trip (minimum) to be somewhat crazy. Tolerable I suppose for just three shifts a week, but the savings when considering the loss of personal time and quality of life are minimal. If you want to live in the East Bay (which is different but still great), it is better in my opinion to get a contract in an East Bay hospital. From a strictly financial standpoint, you will be better off. Lower housing cost, short commute, and pay similar to every other Bay area hospital. Of course then mommy_endeavor's go farther for cheaper housing maxim would still apply: live in Pleasant Hill where the rents are lower.

It is just easier and more fun to live where you work. No rushing about. I do even better by commuting by bicycle. Zero cost, and I don't get mad at drivers slowing me down giving me a bad attitude as I arrive at work. Typically when I find nearby housing, I can get to my unit from home in less time than most commuters do in just the hospital remote parking lot waiting for the bus. Some of the Bay area hospitals will charge big bucks just to park in a remote lot, like another $200 a month.

Thanks! One of the reasons I want to go out there is to better my quality of life; I already drive 1.5 hours back and forth now with my current job thanks to Atlanta traffic :bluecry1:. It is true that saving costs can come in all forms and I am open to them! I did think about biking to work and keeping my car at parked but only using it for out of town trips. That's what I think is the beauty of San Fran.

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People think SF is horrible to bike in, but generally you can just go around the steep parts. Unfortunately, both hospitals I worked at in the city, UCSF and CPMC are on a hill. In fact that is common everywhere, Monterey was a really long hill to CHOMP from where I lived. But the Peninsula and East Bay hospitals I worked at are easy bicycling. I never get a parking pass at any hospital I work at so that really keeps you honest and disciplined about bicycling, no matter the weather (another good thing about working in California, the weather is usually great - well, Eureka had some rain).

I only use my car on assignment to extend my bicycling range, and to go dancing on the weekend. Actually, the same is true at home too!

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