HDFXDWGRN

I'm trying to understand what you have 4 years of experience in and how you specialize in ICU, trauma, and M/S if you're currently a student.

It's not all relative. In and around San Fran, San Diego, or L.A., yes, but not where we live. In the midwest where pay is dismal, a comparable house is close to what it is here. Plenty of nice homes in my ZIP code for less than $350,000. I lived and worked in 9 states and D.C. This is by far the best pay for the lowest cost of living. A new nurse at our facility starts out with 4.5 weeks PTO a year. Takes me 20 minutes to drive to work, no traffic jams, toll roads, etc.

Central California, 36 hour/week on 12 hour shifts, 10 years RN experience, operating room, $56 hourly pay, $double time pay after 12 hours, $8/hour for on call, $6/hour night shift differential, no weekend differential, health insurance for me alone costs $60/month, dental, vision, 401K with 6% match, 6.48 hours PTO every 2 weeks, 18 paid hours per year for education, a few more small benefits.....

Sonometer! Not even sure if that's how you spell it. Preceptorship.

Maybe this has already been said, but I think it is easier to meet women. :)

Buy Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover Book. Follow his advice. Buy a used car you can pay cash for. Best thing I ever did was GET OUT OF DEBT. I am 37 years old, don't owe anyone any money at all and IT FEELS GOOD!!! Worked overtime to pay off the student loans early and drove used cars. YOU can do it too, I promise! It takes hard work and lots of sacrifice, but so worth it in the end. Not worrying about how will I pay bills and being stress free when it comes to finances is one of the best feelings ever. Granted I do not own a house but have over $120,000 saved in investment accounts and 401k.

Can anyone email me this study guide? Thank you.

I sent you a detailed PM, but in my opinion, make sure you are absolutely 100% confident in your ability to function as a nurse with one day of hospital orientation and ZERO unit/floor orientation. The money can be very good, but my motto is, there are hundreds of nursing jobs, but just one small incident can leave a spot on a nursing license forever. Good luck no matter what you choose.

Lol!!

In my travel experiences working for at least six different companies, I would choose NurseChoice, or any other AMN company, only if there are no other options. Just my opinion based on personal experiences.

Try Favorite healthcare first. I worked for them, nurse finders, and Maxim in the PHX area at different times. Nurse finders would have been my first choice but really went downhill after they were bought out by American Mobile Healthcare. You can request to be sent to different facilities depending on what they have for availability that day/night so you can get a feel of where you might want to apply. Also it might be good to just take a travel RN position. That way you have a furnished place to stay and an income while searching for a more permanent job. Agency work in PHX/Mesa can be very hit or miss. You might be able to work 3-4 shifts one week then only one shift the next week or two. PM me if you want some more detailed info. Good luck whatever you choose!!

Georgetown University Hospital in DC was a great place to work if you want to go that far north.

Never in FL, I've heard far more bad stories than good ones about the poor staffing there.

I believe new grad RNs are required to have a BSN my most, if not all of the Boston area hospitals. The Boston RN market is saturated and it is very unlikely you will find any kind of sign-on bonus, relocation assistance, etc. Since you have a year and a half, lots could change but I doubt it. If you want to live anywhere near Boston proper, count on paying a lot to live, park a car, etc. I've travelled around nursing for four years, if you have specific questions, feel free to PM me.

"Pay rates for staff in union heavy Boston rivals San Francisco and can top out over $70 an hour. But like San Francisco, housing costs eat into the agency bill rate, cutting your hourly. Working in other parts of Massachusetts often end up being more lucrative than Boston. Springfield or Worcester for example." Yes both areas have unions, California's has much more influence than any in Massachusetts. Pay rates in Boston do not rival San Francisco for New Grads or otherwise. As for agency bill rates, I don't think they are the same in Boston and Springfield. The two are different markets. As for Springfield and Worcester being more lucrative, that would depend on what you can negotiate with the company. The agency does anything they can to pay the nurse less, like say that housing costs eat into the bill rate. Again to quote you, "we are talking about travel assignments" But you stated pay rates for staff nurses in your post. No staff nurse I worked with in Boston was making $70 an hour, not even the ones that had been there 30+ years. I'll find the link for the UCSF RN pay scale when I get to a desktop and you let me know where a Boston nurse makes anywhere close to the money on it.

Sorry NedRN, but what you said is very inaccurate other than both being union cities. A new grad BSN starts at over $100,000 in the Bay area. A Boston new grad BSN starts at around $65,000. Not that new grads can get a decent job in either place right now. Pay rates in San Fran top out at over $90 an hour for a very experienced RN. I have worked in both cities.

Do not take a job with this company. I've traveled for 4 years and what you said sounds worse than any experience I've had. I would love to know which one if you could post it or private message me, that would be great. Also, don't believe that once you sign a "contract" that you are stuck working. These So called contracts are a joke. On one assignment I was supposed to work 36 hours a week like my contract said. The hospital was canceling me one shift per week. The travel company, Staffing Medical USA, said oh sorry, the hospital can cancel you once a week, we forgot to update the contract. I gave them two weeks notice and quit. Likely they are also trying to take advantage of you since you are a new traveler which is very sad.

Do some research and try hard to find a company other than AMN or any of their ugly stepchildren to travel with. I'm on my 13th contract and have yet to find someone who has been happy and stayed with AMN long term. The only way they stay in business is by victimizing new travel nurses. Their pay is substantially less from my experience than other travel companies on the same assignments. My current assignment has travelers from over five different companies and the AMN travelers are making at least $200 per week less than the rest of us. Kaiser facilities are typically not traveler friendly which is a perfect match for AMN. Travel nurses are treated poorly at Kaiser hospitals=AMN is one of the few who hire new travelers=new travelers don't have a choice where to work=after one or two travel assignments, the new traveler gives up. Try Cross Country Trav Corps. I felt a lot more respect from them as a new traveler. Don't get frustrated, doing some research will save yourself a lot of headache down the road. I'm happy to try and help with anything!

Thank you for the information.

Thanks again!

Thanks for the information! Interesting to know you have not found a pay difference between your hospital and Des Moines. May I ask how much experience you have as an RN?

I worked agency at ANW and United in 2007 and 2008. Personally, the nurses at ANW were more friendly and helpful, not that United was bad. The Docs at United were easier to work with. Sorry if I'm offending anyone, just my opinion. Getting to and parking at United was much better. Any of the three places should be great experience for you!

I'm moving back to Iowa in the near future and of course, am curious about the pay. Please share if you can what type of nursing you are doing, how much you get hourly, shift differentials, bonuses, etc. I realize the pay is low in Iowa but still would like to have an idea. I've been travel nursing for a few years and am just getting burnt out despite the nice income. I'm considering a long term care, home care, or hospice position. Looking for jobs within 50 miles of Marshalltown. That is included because I know the pay can be better the closer you get to Des Moines and other larger towns. The hospital in Marshalltown offered me a position for $22 an hour with five years experience. Thanks for your time and keep up the good work!

It varies depending on the facility but is some type of pay incentive for working the harder to fill weekend shifts. Usually if you are doing the weekend package, they want you to stay on it for at least a year. Most places will give you one weekend off per quarter (every three months) but you would not get the bonus pay if your shifts are worked on non-weekend days. One facility might have you work 12 hour shifts on Friday, Saturday & Sunday and then pay you for working 40 hours. Another place I worked at gave you four bonus hours for each 12 hour weekend shift worked. (work Fri Sat Sun = 36 hours, they paid you for 48 hours) With the economy being less than ideal, I have seen hospitals eliminate these programs completely. Nurses are not as likely to complain about work that is hard to get in the first place and more RNs than in the recent past are willing to pick up any overtime that is offered especially if they have unemployed spouses and fierce job competition.

Please don't take this the wrong way but I don't think you are a nurse yet based upon your previous post that says you will graduate in May. Most likely, you will pass the NCLEX and do fine in the versant program, but until then you are not a cardiac medsurge or any other kind of nurse. Hopefully someday you will understand where I am coming from. I'm not sure about Texas, but in many states it is against the law to call yourself a nurse unless you actually are.