Planning to move to California...

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Hi everyone!

I'm planning to move to Cali next summer and I wanted to know if people can help me learn a bit more about nursing in California....

I would like to know what the starting pay is like, and if there are jobs available for RNs. I've looked on a few websites for a few hospitals, but a lot of the positions I have come across are mainly management related.

I also wanted to clarify -I heard rumors that since Cali has a statffing ratio law, there are not very many nursing assistants. Is that true? I am coming from a position where every RN has an assistant assigned- i'm just curious to see what cali is like in that respect. I also heard that there are limited transport personel at hospitals and that RNs have to personally take patients to MRIs, CTs, etc. I hope these are all just rumors from people who don't want me to leave my current position. hehe

I hope to be in the LA, redondo beach, hermosa beach, (anywhere close to the beach, basically) area. If anyone knows of good hospitals in those areas, please let me know so I can look into it!!

Thanks so much everyone!!

Can't wait to hear from people!!

Specializes in Rural, Midwifery, CCU, Ortho, Telemedicin.

Agree with all you have been told. Just a suggestion - think outside the box (hospital). Think about industrial, public, or state employers. And NEVER address your inqueries to Cali - to Californians it is offensive - it is either CA, Calif., or California.

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Hi Tonya-

I am from Cali, currently living in Asheville. You can expect 25-30 starting out, according to my BSN mother, also from Cali. Yes, there is a ratio, but CNA's are still used. I was told that in critical care, the RN does more of the work. Since you will have 1 year experience in July, why don't you wait until then and sign on with a travel company? That way you can see how you like it and make the move much easier. I know many who have done this. I am a school counselor, working part-time as a CNA and planning on going back for a second degree BSN. I wish you luck!

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I disagree, TRAVDUCK. NOT effensive to me, lived there for 35 years then moved. I say Cali often. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, a personal opinion as to someone's level of being offended. Maybe if you are applying for the job, that would be different, but this is just a friendly little forum.

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Specializes in Rural, Midwifery, CCU, Ortho, Telemedicin.

Born in California. We are talking about applying for a job.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Another side note, there is no CNAs in critical care typically. The RN does all the work including bed baths. Many patients are not hemodynamically stable enough when receiving a bath and the monitors must be closely watched when the patient is being turned.

Travduck was mentioning when applying to a job to use CA or California. Though in a social forum I believe Cali is acceptable.

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If you are looking to move to Orange County, Saddleback Memorial hires out of state people with not a lot of experience. I do want to reiterate previous responses:There is a definite slump in the economy here in CA, and even though they pay a little better here, it doesn't make up for the increase in cost of living. Be prepared for that. The salary here is about 30-33/hr with a year or two of experience, and night shift gets a 5/hr shift differential. :idea:Definitely worth it when getting adjusted financially as a newcomer here!!!

Hospitals DO hire out of state people, my 2008 new grad group was 5 from out of state, and the one other was from somewhere pretty far from here in CA. We have PCT's here that are assigned to pt rooms. Typically, they have an assignment of anywhere from 7-11 pts. On MedSurg the ratio is 5:1, Tele 4:1, and ICU 2:1. ICU and ED also have PCT's. There are transport personnel to move the pt's to testing or change floors, and STAT nurses who transport pt's who need ACLS and insert PICC's and start difficult IV's. We also have Rapid Response Teams along with our Code teams. (And we do work hard here, even with the support staff help. I thought that was an odd statement someone made. Hmmmm. I don't fault you for asking about the support you need to help you be a safe nurse)

Good Luck with your search.

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If you are just worried about having to transport your own patient to CT and turn them without help, maybe you ought to re-think your position in healthcare. Ancillary personnel are expensive and hospitals are getting rid of them. You may actually have to work.

I think this is unfair to say. How are you supposed to transport a pt to CT AND care for your other 3 patients? You will be on another floor! Long enough for a heart pt to have chest pain, or go into sustained V-tach, or go brady and need to use those pacer pads, or stroke out......And asking another nurse to "watch out" for yours makes him/her have 7 pts. Ancillary staff is crucial to safe nursing. She shouldn't be told to reconsider her career because she wants support staff!!!! I would not work somewhere that didn't have pt safety as a top concern.

BTW, I definitely WORK HARD:yeah:

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Specializes in Not specified.

There is this document I found somewhere--maybe on this website--that shows the best states to work as an RN once you figure in the cost of living index. While CA pays the most, it is around 36 once you factor in the COL. I believe Texas was number one. They don't pay as much, but after you factor in the COL, it was the best. Now I don't know about working conditions.... a whole 'nother thread.

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Please contact ProCare One Nursing in Newport Beach, CA. That's Orange County. They have about 150 LA and Orange County, Riverside County hospitals that they serve. These people are GREAT at getting you regular work.

I worked with them until November of 2009 when I moved out of state. I had been with a couple of other registries in California but they didn't have the amount of work that ProCare has.

The pay for Med-Surg or Tele is $34 - $40/hr. Of course, California pays time and 1/2 for all hours over 8 in a shift. So, pay for 12 hours is about $450 - $550 take home.

The cost of living; however, is REALLY high. To get a one bedroom in a decent area, my rent was $1580 month (including utilities) or $1290 month plus utilities.

And I won't be getting anything out of this. I just want to help anyone stuck in this area of California now that work is slower.

Good luck and God bless.

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i have a few friends who livwin OC , California . they are now struggling with the rent . Anuway i heard UCLA have great nursing program . good luck my friend .

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My first thought is don't call California, Cali. Also, I would really encourage you to have a job before moving. The economy in California continues to tank. Be aware of the stiff income taxes as well as every other tax known to man. Wages are high but living expenses even higher. Good luck to you.

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Specializes in pediatrics.

I moved to CA as a new grad but had a job lined up and even then had major sticker shock at the price of rent. I was lucky and got work right before the economy took a big tumble. Keep in mind the economy in CA state-wide is in shambles.

I would echo the sentiment that unless you have a LARGE amount of money saved up you should find a job before making the move. Many places just aren't hiring right now. If you're wanting to make the move to a sunbelt state the prospects in AZ and TX are far more promising at this time. There are even experienced CA nurses at my hospital considering the move to TX because of the more stable economy and lower cost of living.

There is also a big variation in hospital quality out here. We do have patient ratio laws that vary by area that you work in. I've noticed that there are fewer CNAs though due to ratio law. I work on a 48 bed pediatric med-surg floor and when we're full our staffing is 12 nurses and 4 CAs (that's without any sitters or patients who are 3:1s due to high acuity). We have plenty of transport staff and rarely take a patient to CT or MRI unless they are unstable and need the RN to go with for that reason.

Good Luck in your decision making process. CA is a beautiful state but it's definitely a difficult time to be looking at making the move.

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