blacksea pebble

In CA you need to have a bachelors degree (in any field), RN (may be ADN), and preliminary school nurse services credential( with above qualifications you just need to apply and get your credentials), then you have 5 years to get your clear credential(1year study full time). Then if you want to have a management position in the school system, you need a masters in education. I hope this helps:)

Thank you everyone for your replies. I completely agree with you that when you break down the hourly rate, you get the same $$ or even more than in the hospital. I also have a PD position on telemetry unit at the local hospital, it pays my summer travel expenses and keeps my IV skills sharp.

Hello everyone! I just wanted to know if school nurses get paid the same as teachers in other states. In CA we are on teachers' payscale; kind of low when you take into consideration that school psychologists start form 90,000 per year. I used to make much more at the hospital, but I love my school job:redbeathe. I would NEVER want to go back to critical care;)

I lived in Bakersfield for 10 very long years. Negatives: THE WORST air quality in the nation, valley fever (nasty disease), terribe summers with temperatures in 100s, very dry ( you'll need buckets of lotion to keep your skin on), high crime in some areas, loads of sex offenders,health care is behind, one of the poorest counties in CA, crappy real estate market. Positives: cheap housing, RN salaries are good, especially in prison, many nice people, easy access to the coastal areas, skiing, hiking, and other recreational activities. With your salary as a prison nurse you'll be very comfortable, it just depends on what you want. Good luck with your move.

Thank you for the reply. I am a little discouraged. I can not go active duty- my kids don't do well with 3 12 hour shifts, let alone deployments!

Hi everyone! I have a quick question for you: I would like to apply for an RN position in the army as a civilian. I 've looked through government jobs and there is an announcement for multiple locations and specialities closing in February. I just wanted to know how difficult it is to get a position with the army and what chances do I have with 1 1/2 years of tele experience as an ADN ( I also have a BA). I would move anywhere in the Coastal states or Germany. If you have any tips on applying for military jobs, please let me know- all comments would be appreciated. Thank you!

Thank you all for your replies. I have already checked BON website for critical areas. Now I need to work on my OR license.:wink2:

Jules, what state are you in? Please pm me if you can. I really want to get out of CA SOMEDAY. To the poster of this thread: the salary seems to be very low, especially with gas prices and inflation. Mortgage payment is not the only aspect of COL. Can you talk to your mgr and see how you can increase your pay? Maybe ACLS and other certifications will allow you to get a higher salary ? Good luck!

Hi, I passed NCLEX at 75 questions and can say that there are not many study tools that can prepare you for the exam. I studied Saunders book and CD, NCLEX 3500, and Kaplan on-line course. I can say that Saunders is good for general knowledge ( refreshing what you have already learned in school) but not good for strategies you can use for the exam. I think that Kaplan Q bank and strategies mimick the exam quite well. Questions on Saunders CD seemed to be quite easy and straight forward compared to what I encountered during NCLEX. Kaplan , on the other hand, seemed to have the same level of difficulty as NCLEX questions and the strategies I had learned helped me to eleminate wrong answers. I think that NCLEX is a very unique experience- when you take it you will say to yourself: " There is nothing in the world that could have prepared me for this test!" and than you'll feel horrible for the next three days before your license shows up on the website. I hope this ordeal will be over for you very soon. PS: I've talked to many people who passed NCLEX on the first try and they said that Saunders was great. I think you need to choose what works best for you. Please let me know how it goes for you. Good luck!:)

Pacificwhales, I think you can find info on rentals through Remaxx or craigslist. I'll PM you. Good night.

Still, with $20/h rents are very high even in the suburbs and you have to take into consideration the price of gas with a longer commute to work.

Yes, I am still looking for a position at Sutter in Crescent. I REALLY, REALLY need a day position though (small baby at home and I don't function well after 2200). I WOULD LOVE TO RELOCATE TO CRESCENT! Please keep me posted! Good luck!

Vikichck, I was thinking about moving to NC and wrote a thread COL vs salaries in NC. I live in CA and constant fires, heat, and crime started me thinking about moving to NC. I looked up salaries for new grads and was shocked to find out that they range from $17-20/h; even with the lower COL I still would not be able to afford the same lifestyle on this salary. I talked to some friends in Charlotte area and they said that you can make decent money as a traveler, but for a new grad salary was quite ridiculous. I am afraid I am stuck! I hope you will find a beautiful place to live where RNs are well compensated.

Yeap, ratios are great. Unfortunately, in many areas, nurses are not compensatetd quite well for the COL ( just think central coast or San Diego). California is smoking me out quite literally.:chuckle TX seems quite good to nurses but why is liability insurance so much higher than the other states? Makes me wonder...

Glad to hear that! Good luck with everything else!