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wow...it's still that low? That is just insulting. How do they get away with that? Reminds me of why I left FL, though I miss it every day.

"so I dont think I believe the " $19 per hour" base comment" Airbrushguy- really?? So I'm lying? Wow. I'll repeat this: I started at Shands in 2007 on Unit 65 Neurosurgery/Neurology and my base pay was $19.75/h. I got a shift diff for nights of approximately 3 bucks extra per hour. As for the whole 'no state tax' thing... I've worked in states that have a state income tax and some that don't. Bottom line is that Florida was still the lowest paying state I've worked in. (I've worked in Fl, MT, AZ, CA)

I'm with the above poster. Pay in Florida is among the lowest in the country. When I started at Shands in 2007 (major university hospital just 2 hours north of Orlando) my base pay was 19.75h (RN-BSN). South Florida (especially Miami) pays a little bit more but is still dismal when you take the high cost of living into account.

None at all. Carrying private malpractice insurance makes you an unnecessary target in any civil litigation. Don't do it. It won't help you in criminal prosecution and in civil cases you're much better off letting the plaintiff go after the hospital rather than you (they want money and I don't think it's presumptuous to say that the hospital has much more than you do).

I know what you're talking about, been there more than once. But you do have options. Have you considered moving to a state with ratio laws? Here in Cali it's 5:1 max on M/S, 4:1 on Tele...hospitals get fined if they don't comply and for the most part they do. Another option is to move away from floor nursing. Areas to consider would be dialysis (never met an unhappy HD nurse), endoscopy, cath lab, radiology (that's what I do these days). I hope you find something that makes you happy. Nursing is a wide field with many different paths. Best of luck!

Thanks again. Do any of you have experience working staff (i.e. full benefits) in places like that? What is pay like with my kind of experience? I remember that in 2007 hospitals in Central Florida were offering in the low low 20s per hour for fully benefited positions and that's just sad...

Thanks guys. As for what I consider 'dismal'- I should clarify. I pretty much have to make 30+/h to be able to pay my bills and get by. Of course the bay area pays extremely well, so the pay cut you incur moving away from here stings quite a bit.

Hello all. I'm currently working in the California Bay Area, but would love to move somewhere warm outside of California (ideally in the south, but flexible). There are obviously warmer places here in Cali, but real estate is insane almost everywhere in the state and taxes are very high. I have considered places like Austin, Houston, Atlanta, Memphis, parts of Florida... the one thing all places have in common is dismal pay (I have large student loans to pay off from two degrees) Have any of you found niches in places like these that offer better pay than floor nursing? I have looked into correctional nursing, home health, MD office jobs etc, but found that there isn't much difference (I was actually very surprised that the correctional jobs I saw seemed to pay even less than hospitals in that area). I have about 3.5 years of experience (RN-BSN) in acute care neuro, cardiac tele and most recently interventional radiology (moderate sedation etc) Any input would be greatly appreciated.

"Hi, I am waiting for my CA license now. Just a note....no more walk throughs in CA since Aug. (maybe Sept?). They will not give any license out until the fingerprint records go through the FBI-which effectively did away with the walk-through thing. Just thought I would let you know. Good luck. One question from me, though.... I did a travel assignment in Fla. at 2 different hospitals back in 2003-2004. One was union and one was not. Are many hospitals in Fla union? Is CA all union at every hospital and other facility? " Interesting. I had no idea they did away with walk throughs (got my cali license that way in late 2007). As for unions, few RNs in Florida are union members. In Cali unionization is wide spread and the CNA (California Nurses Association) is a very strong union.

I have my BSN from U of Miami, but am currently working in Cali. If you take your NCLEX in FL and have a current/valid FL RN license, you just need to apply for 'licensure by endorsement' in California. Might take a few weeks, unless you personally hand in the application in Sacramento, in which case they do a one-day walkthrough. In any case, you don't have to take the NCLEX again or anything like that. As for practicing nursing in CA vs FL- it's mostly the same, except you get paid 1.5x for every hour you work over eight hours (great for those of us that do 12s). Also, Cali has RN to patient ratios mandated by state law. 5:1 max on M/S and 4:1 max on Tele. And we get breaks. Also the law. (I remember not getting them in FL)

I can only advise you not to move to Florida as an RN. In fact I kinda hope more RNs will leave FL and send a message to hospital managers that their treatment of RNs is unacceptable. And I'm sad to say that because I absolutely love Florida. But you just can't live decently on those hourly wages, especially if you've experienced life in other states. I have no idea why employers in FL get away with underpaying nurses so badly (when I left about 2 years ago a major hospital in Central FL was starting BSN-RN's at $19/h) I do suspect that the absence of unions has something to do with it. In addition, working conditions are terrible (no breaks on 12h night shifts, way too many patients, etc) Try places like Northern California, Chicago, NYC, parts of Oregon, New Jersey, Alaska, Hawaii. Also, (not trying to open up a can of worms or flame war) I personally have come to realize that unionized hospitals not only offer better wages, but working conditions are way better.

Thanks guys. We haven't really decided anything yet but it's good to know that hospitals up there are at least hiring. I think the hardest part would be the pay cut compared to where I work now. SF pays 50+/h. It's easy to get spoiled here.

Hi there- I'm considering moving to Portland or perhaps Vancouver, WA -my GF and I want to live closer to her parents. Can anyone tell me what hospitals in the area are paying these days? I am an RN-BSN with 3+ years experience in acute care neuro, telemetry/ms and interventional radiology. Thanks!

i've been in the exact same situation in the past, working 12h nights and being in relationships with someone working a normal 9-5. it has never worked for me. you're always on opposite schedules, i'd get home in the morning and my gf would leave for work. i'd leave in the evening and see her for maybe 5 minutes after she got home from work. and even on nights when i didn't work i'd be totally nocturnal, sleepy during the day and wide awake at night. you get the idea. it effectively destroyed the relationship.

Short answer, they should. I have worked at places that showed consideration and compassion to recent grads and young nurses, and at some that don't. It's actually a good criterion to judge your employer, manager and charge nurses by. No charge who cares about you will throw you to the wolves by giving you the same patients they would give to a seasoned RN with years of experience.