RPN looking to do travelling nursing in Florida

loriangel14, RN · Feb 14, 2012

You would need to get a visa and a PN license for Florida first.

Fiona59 · Feb 14, 2012

From what's been said around AN, Florida is a low paying, high patient ratio state.

One of the guides used to work there and I'm sure she'll fill you in.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Feb 14, 2012

LPN will not allow you to live and work in the US, I think you will find minimum for nafta is BSN

Moved to the International forum

itsmejuli · Feb 14, 2012

I was an LPN in FL...made $18 an hour and had no health insurance.

Its great to be back in Canada :)

ilikesake · Feb 15, 2012

Wow! This is so...depressing! But I have a friend who is going to the US and she is doing NCLEX as an RPN. So I'm still slightly confused. I know the money is with a degree but I just wanted to do it for the time being I guess

ilikesake · Feb 15, 2012

itsmejuli, how did you do it? Can you tell me the process and for how long? I seem to be getting conflicting information..

Fiona59 · Feb 15, 2012

Juli is a Canadian who lived in and was educated in Florida. That's how she "did it". She moved home to Canada last year.

Oh, and even with a BScN, Florida and most of the deep south pay lousy wages in comparisson to Canada. They are even pesky "right to work" states and can and will terminate staff for pretty much any reason.

itsmejuli · Feb 16, 2012

I was a US permanent resident for a very long time. I was educated in FL. Trust me, you don't want to live there nor work there.

New grad RNs are getting $22 an hour in the Tampa Bay area, if they find a job. The unemployment rate in Tampa Bay is still around 10%, its going to take years for FL to recover from economic disaster. There are continual cut-backs going on in the public and private sectors.

Does your friend have a work visa? Has she/he been approved to sit the NCLEX and in what state?

ilikesake · Feb 16, 2012

Fiona, thank you for answering on itsmejulis behalf... FYI, I am not looking for information on pay. I am doing this for experience, not just the money.

To itsmejuli. Thank you for getting back to me. I understand the pay is low, but I also understand that cost of living is EXTREMELY low compared to Toronto ($80,000 houses in FL??). As I mentioned, I just wanted information on agencies because I am not looking to live there forever. I just wanted to work for the summer.

My friend is set to write NCLEX this summer and is going to Chicago I believe. I am unsure about the visa...

Silverdragon102, BSN · Feb 17, 2012

As a LPN I think your friend is going to find it hard to meet work visa requirements and no work or immigrant visa means no working. If they are looking at immigrant visa and main applicant they a) will not meet immigrant requirements as a LPN and b) have a several years wait ahead of them. Suggest you find out what sort of visa they are getting

itsmejuli · Feb 17, 2012

Who knows anymore what the real value of a house is? Houses here in Calgary are ridiculously expensive and I could never afford a condo or house here ( I don't want to buy anyway)

So let's look at rental costs of an apartment.

In FL I was making $18 an hour as an LPN, a new grad RN makes around $22. I've heard that the wages of LPNs and RNs are going down in FL because there are so many available new grads and few jobs. I knew LPNs who were making $16 an hour doing home healthcare.

In Clearwater, FL (where I was living) a one bedroom apartment costs $700-$1000 a month. Here in Calgary I have a lovely one bedroom apartment and pay $850 a month. Doesn't make much sense does it?

To be honest, you have very little chance of finding a "summer" job in FL in nursing or anything else.