$200,000 salary as a RN, it's true

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I'm a NP who works in the Stockton/Sacramento area. One of my boating buddies is a RN at Kaiser. He has been there 10 years and is a charge nurse on a med/surg floor. I didn't believe it until he showed me but he does make a base of $200k a year. With overtime he clears a little of $350,000. This is due to Kaiser in Northern California being unionized. He lives in Modesto which is a low cost of living area but the contracts for the union are tied in with San Francisco which leads to high hourly wages. At retirement he is guaranteed at least $110k annually for life and lifetime medical benefits with any medical insurer he chooses whether it is Kaiser or not. I read the contract and couldn't believe what I was reading but there it was.

SO as a NP it makes me want to jump to Kaiser but......if I was to start at Kaiser with 10 years of NP experience under my belt I still wouldn't be making as much as my friend.

Disturbing??? Maybe....I'm happy for him. It just lets me know that there really are those rare RNs who make more than NPs....way, way more and more than most primary care MDs working on the floor. It makes you wonder if this model is sustainable.

Depending very much on where you live, it costs relatively little to own a low mileage, paid for car.

Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
On 8/5/2019 at 10:22 PM, LilPeanut said:

But community college is free here and our tap water is delicious from the sierras.

Community college is not free in California. It is very low cost for state residents, but it is not free.

Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.
11 hours ago, FullGlass said:

Community college is not free in California. It is very low cost for state residents, but it is not free.

In San Francisco it is!

If you are an illegal alien in California with no social security # community college is 100% free. Truth

Specializes in Psychiatry.
On 7/22/2019 at 10:11 AM, FNP2B1 said:

I'm a NP who works in the Stockton/Sacramento area. One of my boating buddies is a RN at Kaiser. He has been there 10 years and is a charge nurse on a med/surg floor. I didn't believe it until he showed me but he does make a base of $200k a year. With overtime he clears a little of $350,000. This is due to Kaiser in Northern California being unionized. He lives in Modesto which is a low cost of living area but the contracts for the union are tied in with San Francisco which leads to high hourly wages. At retirement he is guaranteed at least $110k annually for life and lifetime medical benefits with any medical insurer he chooses whether it is Kaiser or not. I read the contract and couldn't believe what I was reading but there it was.

SO as a NP it makes me want to jump to Kaiser but......if I was to start at Kaiser with 10 years of NP experience under my belt I still wouldn't be making as much as my friend.

Disturbing??? Maybe....I'm happy for him. It just lets me know that there really are those rare RNs who make more than NPs....way, way more and more than most primary care MDs working on the floor. It makes you wonder if this model is sustainable.

Did he show you a remuneration statement to confirm this?

Many years ago I read about cops in LA making well over $100k/ year which they should. Sounds great especially for cops in my area. But a decent house may cause $1.5M there so that 100k isn't squat.

I saw his paycheck and his union contract.

100% legit.

Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.
21 hours ago, FNP2B1 said:

If you are an illegal alien in California with no social security # community college is 100% free. Truth

Citation please.

https://www.csac.ca.gov/cal-grants

Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.
1 minute ago, FNP2B1 said:

That is not the same as every illegal alien with no ssn can get free community college tuition, which is what you implied.

It is intended for children who have lived in this country for their whole lives to still be able to attend college.

Eligibility Requirements

Cal Grants are for students who are pursuing an undergraduate degree or vocational or career training, and do not have to be repaid. In addition to meeting the financial criteria and Cal Grant requirements, you must:

submit the FAFSA or CADAA application and your verified Cal Grant GPA by the deadline

be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen or meet AB540 eligibility criteria

be a California resident for 1 year

attend a qualifying California college

not have a bachelor’s or professional degree

have financial need at the college of your choice

have family income and assets below the minimum levels

be enrolled or plan to enroll in a program leading to an undergraduate degree or certificate

be enrolled or plan to enroll at least half time

have registered with the U.S. Selective Service, if required to do so

not owe a refund on any state or federal grant or be in default on a student loan

not be incarcerated

maintain the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards as established by the school. Recipients who do not meet the standards are ineligible for Cal Grant payment and will not use eligibility during the terms they are ineligible for payment.

looks like to me if you are here for a year you can get a grant to attend community college for free whether you are a citizen or an illegal alien

Anyways this has gotten off track of my original post.

11 minutes ago, FNP2B1 said:

Eligibility Requirements

Cal Grants are for students who are pursuing an undergraduate degree or vocational or career training, and do not have to be repaid. In addition to meeting the financial criteria and Cal Grant requirements, you must:

submit the FAFSA or CADAA application and your verified Cal Grant GPA by the deadline

be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen or meet AB540 eligibility criteria

be a California resident for 1 year

attend a qualifying California college

not have a bachelor’s or professional degree

have financial need at the college of your choice

have family income and assets below the minimum levels

be enrolled or plan to enroll in a program leading to an undergraduate degree or certificate

be enrolled or plan to enroll at least half time

have registered with the U.S. Selective Service, if required to do so

not owe a refund on any state or federal grant or be in default on a student loan

not be incarcerated

maintain the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards as established by the school. Recipients who do not meet the standards are ineligible for Cal Grant payment and will not use eligibility during the terms they are ineligible for payment.

looks like to me if you are here for a year you can get a grant to attend community college for free whether you are a citizen or an illegal alien

Anyways this has gotten off track of my original post.

I don't have a dog in this fight but the key word is eligible. I take that to mean there is still criteria that must be met. I don't see anything about social security numbers (which some noncitizens can obtain with certain criteria) because a noncitizen may still have an identifying number, such as an ITIN, which may be part of the "eligible" criteria. And grants don't have to be paid back which would make it true for citizens or ELIGIBLE noncitizens. That's just my $0.02.

Edit: I went back and checked further. Here's what I found:

Can I fill out the CADAA if I don’t have a Social Security Number? Yes. Students are not required to have a Social Security Number to submit the CADAA. However, students will need to meet the non-resident exemption requirements under AB 540 to receive state aid.

Submit a signed “Non-Resident Exemption” RequestSome schools will refer to this document as an “AB 540 affidavit.” This form states that you meet all the requirements to qualify for a non-resident exemption under AB 540 and, if you are undocumented, that you are in the process of legalizing your immigration status (or will do soas soon as you are eligible to do so).

Does it matter? Community college is dog cheap bordering on about 1-2k a year in tuition even for those who pay full price. Isn't New York also free for most?

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