Gomer

I'm guessing that 29/hr is your average hourly rate. In other words, your hourly rate is lower than 29/hr but they have calculated your 4-hours of OT into the lower rate. Suggest you check with HR...ask them if 29 is your average hourly rate or will you get 4-hours of OT (assuming you are on 12-hour shifts) on top of the 29.

RE: the time and a half OT opinions.....CA labor law allows for hospitals with union contracts which have specially stated that OT be paid after 40 hrs/week not to be required to pay OT after 8 hours/day. Also, state owned hospitals are exempt from the OT after 8 hours/day law. And, hospitals may be exempt from the OT after 8 hours/day (in other words they pay OT after 40 hours/week) if they hold an election to be voted on by that particular employee groups (e.g., RN's, LVN's, etc) where the vote is (1) willing to work 12-hour shifts with OT paid after 40 hr/wk or (2) willing to work 8-hour shifts with OT paid after 8 hr/day. This vote has been perceived by the employee group as a threat to force them to change from the 12-hour shift (which most people love) back to the 8-hour shift. So they accept the OT for 12-hr shifts after working 40-hr week. And, yes, according to CA labor law, this is legal.

Yes, Los Angeles is considered southern CA. Last I heard, LVN's make between $18-24/hr depending on experience and where they work. Hospitals pay the most, doctor's offices and extended care facilities the least. And, some hospitals no longer hire LVN's and are concentrating on all RN staff or RN/PCA staff.

Thomas Guide is a large paperback book of maps. It comes out yearly and is the most helpful map to LA I've ever used. Costs about $35.00 but well worth it. You will never get lost in LA if you have one. I believe some of the responders are confusing North Hollywood with West Hollywood. West Hollywood is our primary gay community and some celebs do live there. North Hollywood is more iffy with both good and bad areas and, in my opinion, less safe. Both UCLA and Cedars (located in Hollywood, but very near to West Hollywood) are teaching hospitals and have excellent new grad programs. There are very few "regular" people who live in LA....we are are a little crazy to live here, but, I too love it.

As for Los Angeles: First, I suggest you get a good map of the LA and/or San Diego areas. AAA has them no matter where you currently live. If you have an AAA membership you can get the information on-line. Or, get a "Thomas Guide for LA and Surrounding Areas". (Barnes and Noble can order this for you) You also order this on-line. Just do a search on Thomas Guide. There is also a "Thomas Guide" for San Diego. GET A MAP...you will need one no matter which city you decide on. Second, no area in LA is close to another even if they are side-by-side. Traffic and the freeway system are a b*tch. LA and NH may look close on a map but given the traffic you commute could take hours, especially on a Friday evening. Also, NH is an iffy area to live in. Third, "affordable house" depends on what you consider "affordable". A nice 1-bedroom apartment in a safe area will probably cost you at least $1500-$2000/mo. There are many apartments available in the Westwood area (where UCLA is located), but considering there are about 30,000 students competition for a good apartment is very high. Fourth, UCLA has a fine graduate school and gives its nurses a break on tuition/fees. I'm in the LA area, so have limited knowledge of San Diego.

My hospital used to have NLN accreditation as a requirement. Now we just required that RN's be a graduate of an accreditated program. And, we do background checks on education degrees.

Strongly suggest you contact the BON immediately. They are the only ones who can answer your questions.

Yes, you can commute from MDR or Santa Monica to the Torrance area. Depends on the time of day whether or not it would be an easy commute. Torrance is a cheaper area to live in however. You might want to look for an apartment in the Torrance area, Palos Verdes (expensive community, but closer than Santa Monica), San Padro area, or any of the "beach" cities. Suggest you get a map of the area (from AAA or get a "Thomas Guide")

First you need to realize that a 2-bedroom apt. in many of the LA areas will cost you at least $1500-$2000/mo assuming you want a safe area with parking. I suggest you go to http://www.apartmentguide.com to help you in your search. Cedars is located on the edge of Beverly Hills so you've got Hollywood/West Hollywood to your east, Sherman Oaks (over the hill in the valley) to the north, Century City, West Los Angeles, Brentwood, and Santa Monica to the west, and Culver City to the southwest. All areas have good and bad parts (many areas have some gang activity). Cedars is a great hospital, but a little too big for my taste. Welcome!

Subways? In California? Underground public transportation in earthquake country? Well, in the LA area there is the limited Metro and in San Francisco there is BART. But this is the land of the automobile/freeway where public transportation is a joke.

Some (but not all) of the "valley" hospitals I know of are: St. Joseph's (Burbank), Methodist (Arcadia), Huntington (Pasadena), Glendale Memorial (Glendale). I don't know if they have new grad programs and if they do if they are in you areas of choice, but it wouldn't hurt to give them a call. Also, you might want to go to http://www.nurseweek.com as I noticed they have a couple of LA-area job fairs coming up and you might find more information there. Good Luck!

Monday through Friday from 0600 to 0930 and again from 1600 to 1900 it's impossible, aka, a parking lot. You are talking about the 101 and 405 freeways which are the most crowded freeways in southern California. If you are planning on driving this route might I suggest you pack a lunch, get alot of books-on-tape, and have the patience of Job. (Saturdays and Sundays are about 75% as bad). This not a good commute!

Suggest you look into http://www.nurseweek.com (which is part of Nursing Spectrum). It has alot of info on CA hospitals and job opportunities. Also, you might want to decide in which part of CA you want to live. SF, LA, and SD pay the most and have a hight cost of living due to the coastal locations.

Get yourself a "Thomas Guide" (probably for San Diego or San Diego County). It's a great large paperback of street/area maps and you will never get lost. I think you can find it by doing a google search of Thomas Guild or try Amazon.com.

There are 2 hospitals in Torrance: Little Company of Mary and Torrance Memorial (? I believe it's called) Hospital. Both are excellent. Most of Torrance and surrounding areas are are safe good places to live, but there are pockets of bad areas. And since Torrance is close to the ocean it can also be expensive. If you are looking for an apartment I suggest you go to http://www.apartmentguide.com and enter either Torrance, or Palos Verdes (very nice area), or Redondo Beach. Good luck and welcome to California.