RN pay in Los Angeles CA area

[Marcus119]

Hello,

I'm an RN currently working in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've got about 6 years of experience in my specialty and am considering relocating to or around Los Angeles. Can anyone give me a rough idea of what the pay is like down there for nurses working in unionized hospitals? 

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

It would depend on your specialty and education. I lived 30 minutes from Los Angeles, have an ADN and work psych. I get $49/hr but average more due to overtime.

Hppy

[Marcus119]

9 hours ago, hppygr8ful said:

It would depend on your specialty and education. I lived 30 minutes from Los Angeles, have an ADN and work psych. I get $49/hr but average more due to overtime.

Hppy

Is that at a freestanding psych hospital or a psych unit part of a general hospital? Union or not? 

[Marcus119]

9 hours ago, hppygr8ful said:

It would depend on your specialty and education. I lived 30 minutes from Los Angeles, have an ADN and work psych. I get $49/hr but average more due to overtime.

Hppy

Is that a freestanding psych hospital or a psych unit that’s part of a general hospital? Union or non-union? Thank you.

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

14 hours ago, Marcus119 said:

Is that at a freestanding psych hospital or a psych unit part of a general hospital? Union or not? 

Free standing psych non union / psych units in acute care hospitals with union get paid more around 60/ hr I think. Job works for me as mine is 2nd income and it’s two blocks from home

[Marcus119]

4 minutes ago, hppygr8ful said:

Free standing psych non union / psych units in acute care hospitals with union get paid more around 60/ hr I think. Job works for as mine is 2nd income and it’s two blocks from home

Thank you for the information 

[Rvc40]

Why are you thinking of moving to SoCal? I am thinking of moving from UCI to UCSF for a different environment for just me and my wife. Where do nurses live if working in the city? DO you think the higher salary will compensate for the cost of living? and is it worth it with all the crime going on? Sorry to ask a lot of questions

[Marcus119]

If you’re both nurses then your combined salaries should afford a great lifestyle and you could afford to live in a nice area. I’m single though and making roughly 160k here doesn’t get you all that much. Very close to the tenderloin which is the worst neighborhood in the city. There’s feces all over the sidewalks and it reeks of urine. Trash everywhere. You can’t walk down the street without somebody begging for money or trying to sell you drugs. I haven’t experienced any violent crime but I’m sure some do. 

[Rvc40]

He is a pharmacist in a biotech. I just don’t know if where can we stay that is safe but won’t have to drive that far. I know there’s crime everywhere but if we can avoid it I would greatly appreciate any leads in the area. How’s the drive from peninsula to SF if working nights? 

[Marcus119]

I live in the city and don’t have a car so can’t comment much on traffic. There are nice parts of the city and I think a pharmacist and nurse couple should be able to afford to live in them.