mrw1971

michellex1013: LA county hospitals are the ones in the news right now...(remember the woman who died in the ER?...LA county). These county hospitals are under a lot of scutiny right now and it is a very stressful work environment.

Don't go anywhere near LA county facilities. Personal experience...it sucked...Had a friend that worked Cedar's Sanai (?) said it was ok.

I Don't Know If I Can Answer All Of Your Questions But I'll Try...most Hospitals Will Ask For Your Availability And Schedule You When They Are Working On The Schedule...from What I Understand About My Friends And Other Nurses Who Are Working Per Diem They Work Their 8 Day Stretches All At Once And Alot Of Them Are Pulling Double Shifts Because The Hospitals Need Them...i'm Not Sure What Most Hospitals Consider A Weekend...in Oh One Sat Or Sun Per Month Covers My Weekend Worked...from What I've Been Told Double Time Doesn'r Kick In Until After Your Fifth Day In A Row Worked (which Would Start On The 6th Day)...i'm Not Real Clear On When The Double Time Starts Everyone Is Telling Me On The Sixth Day In A Row Because You Are Already Getting Time And A Half After First 8 Hours...i Think Sacramento Pays On The Lower End Of The Per Diem Scale (more In The $50 Range) Everyone I Know Works In S.f. Area Because They Pay The Most...i Claim Married 4 On My Taxes And They Take Out 20%...i Think You Anyone Can Claim Up To 10 On Their W-4 But I Would Be Afraid Of Owing Too Much At The End Of The Year Because On Taxes You Have To Claim What You Actually Are Which Would Be Unmarried 1 (right?)...ther Is A Shift Differential Paid It's Usually Between $1-$4 Depending On Which Facility You Work...again All The Per Diems I Know And Have Talked To Work Their Days Straight In A Row And Have Never Had A Problem Doing This To Maximize Their Take Home Pay...sorry I Couldn't Answer Everything...just Interview With A Few Places And See What They Have To Say And Then You Can Better Decide What You Can And Can't Do As Far As Your Schedule

From My Own Personal Ca Travel Experience On Average You Take Home @ $6000/month Ona Travel Assignment. You May Be Able To Take Home A Bit Moe If You Are Willing To Take The Stipend And Find Your Own Housing. Your Best Bet In My Opinion Would Be To Take A Per Diem Job. In General Northern Ca Pays Higher Than Southern. San Francisco Area Pays The Highest. Per Diem Pay Rates Range $55-$70/hr. Most Hospitals Require 8 Shifts Per Month (most Are 12 Hours) Which Includes 2 Weekend Shifts Per Month. Time And A Half After 4 Hours Double Time After Fifth Day (if You Choose To Work All Days In A Row (i Plan On Doing This)...you Can Expect To Bring Home @ $8,000/month Working This Way...if You Are Willing Andable To Pick Up Double Shifts You Can Bring Home More...you Also Get Half Of Base Pay For Being On Call Which Some Facilitites Require...after Working In Ca For Over A Year As A Traveler I've Learned This Is The Best Way To Make The Most Money...alot Of Travelers Are Doing This Instead Of Traveling Because You Can Make So Much More. Hope This Helps!