Possibly Moving from California to Florida

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a BSN nursing student in California graduating in August 2020 if all goes well. My boyfriend is starting PT school in January 2021, so I was going to work as a RN and hopefully work on my masters for the next 3 years. We and my family are thinking about moving to Florida after we make enough money in California to move over and buy a townhome or house.

I was wondering what is it like living in Florida? How is the qualify of life?

I am a certified diver and love to scuba dive, travel, jet ski, wakeboard, or anything having to do with water! I know that the weather is humid from what I’ve heard, but if you’re a water person and have been used to humidity during travel and such, do you think the weather is doable, or is it really that bad?

Also, I have heard that the pay for nurses is low compared to other states, but there is no income tax. What is it like being a nurse in Florida as far as making a living? Would you say that you can live comfortably?

I also heard that the state is saturated with nurses. I really want to be a postpartum or labor and delivery nurse. Are those really impacted? Do any of you recommend a hospital or city to be in?

Would it be a good idea to do a RN job and be a nursing instructor? I love to also tutor/teach, so I’ve always had that in the back of my mind as far as masters goes.

Thank you all!

Florida is a big place. Where specifically were you thinking of living?

2 Votes
2 hours ago, nursepaloma said:

Florida is a big place. Where specifically were you thinking of living?

I was looking at Southern a Florida like Rockledge, West Palm Beach, or anything around there.

Gotcha. Well, as someone coming from Cali I don't think anything I'll say will be too much of a change of pace. A high cost of living, an array of people and cultures, plenty of activities and nightlife, and a lot of traffic and bad drivers. The heat and humidity are not fun, so summertime can definitely be miserable. If you love the cold then you will miss that cause Winter is not a season in South Florida. I am not a nurse yet so I cannot answer your other questions but the pay is definitely lower than what it should be, but that's nothing new for FL. Schoolteachers get paid peanuts here compared to other states too. I do not think you will have trouble finding a job here if you have experience. And we definitely need more nursing instructors in general ?

Hospital suggestions: Cleveland Clinic, the Memorial Healthcare System, Jackson Memorial

1 Votes
Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.

Look on Glass Door to get an idea of salaries. Yes, the humidity and heat in Summer IS that bad. I've been here for almost 7 years and I'm still not used to it. And homes are expensive where you're looking at living, unless you want an older fixer-upper. And the politics are atrocious, but that's just my opinion.

Yes I live in FL and work on a postpartum unit right out of school. The pay is low compared to Cali. I don’t live paycheck to paycheck like I used to but I also can’t afford my dream home. If I were to live in TX I’d be able to live very comfortable while living in my dream home. I have a family and provide for them as well. It’s very easy to save money especially if you’re working nights/weekends. I gave birth in a hospital in rockledge and had a nice experience if you’re looking for L&D. I’m also getting into being a nursing educator. It just depends where you’re going to be living. I don’t know anything about palm beach but I know south brevard nurses start at $23-26/hr. Not counting differentials.

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