Saleries in central Florida

U.S.A. Florida

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I am an English nurse wanting to move to sunny central Florida. Can any-one advise me how much I may be able to earn on medical/surgical wards, and is it enough to support my family over there? I have been told I can earn $50,000 per year, plus out of hours benifits, by the relocation agency I have signed up with. I am getting a bit worried reading some of your messages as this doesn't seem to be right.

Thanks

CarrieUK

Don't feel bad, I didn't notice the dates on those posts either until I got to the very end and saw the moderator's comments.

LOL

My eyebrows went up too when I saw someone say you could get a house here for $120,000! :roll :chuckle :smilecoffeecup:

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Well, at least we know that housing prices went up, but the salary stays almost the same. I make 19.00 in Central Florida as anRN. (a new grad) Barely make my life. Trying to get PRN job.

Good luck!!!

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what do you mean when you say barely make my life?

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
what do you mean when you say barely make my life?

I think the above poster means they are just making ends meet. I know for a young nursing student $19.00 sounds like a lot. But the poster is 42, maybe has a mortgage with the high insurance rates and property taxes that have gone sky high in recent years (especially this last one), and a family, maybe college aged kids, a car payment. Who knows. But for a middle class person in Florida, trying to live a middle-class live $19.00 doesn't go far. Granted it's definately isn't poverty level.

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Hi All,

My family owns a four-bedroomed home in Florida for ten years and are thinking of selling it because the management company are struggling to maintain it. The management company currently have a tenant in who has lost their job and is currently in arrears. The company haven't taken any fees for themsevles for four months and the roof insurance monies paid to the management company seems to have been used up. They want us to help with the mortgage until they can get it rented again. My family have had just about enough from this management company. But we're not sure whether we should change agents or sell the property. It would be a shame to get rid just as I am coming to the end of my training and would welcome a move to the States when conditions are okay and I can pass the NCLEX. My family have never received any profits from the rentals over the years only charges for repair work, mortgage and banking charges.

What do you think? What would you do?

Caraibrit

(PS. I've recently recommended the allnurses.com to a Director of Nursing. Keep up the good work!)

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19.00/ hours is very low. I moved here from houston,tx and was working in the military making 18.00/hr. When I moved to fl I worked as a CNA in a LTC facility and they started at 10/hr. There were some people in there that worked there as a full time job. I'm just curious but how do you raise a family and pay off mortgage, and car payments makeing about 10-15/hr. I thought RN's where making 35-40/hr.

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Carabrit, the housing market is just terrible in Florida and everywhere else in the U.S. right now - were you thinking of living in the house once you moved here? That would probably be the smart thing to do, because if you try to sell it now you are competing against countless other houses for sale. Which means that you won't get that much money for it.

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jnmoore, I too was disapointed when I saw Florida nursing salaries - especially because Florida is not as cheap to live in as it once was. I can't imagine how nurses in Miami survive - New York style housing expenses, Florida paychecks. Maybe they're all married to doctors?

The impression I get is that to make decent money, you have to work a lot of weekends and nights and overtime. It's really sad, because I love Florida to death, but once I get through school and get my RN I can definitely imagine shopping around for jobs outside the state.

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Specializes in Cardiology.

To start, $18 or 19 for a new grad in small town hospitals, but when you work in the city, they start at 20-22. How about live in the small town but work in the city? How about work nights or weekends and pick up differential pay? How about get medical insurance through your spouse and work pool or per diem? Shift differential can be anywhere from 35-50% of your base pay. Weekend diff is usually 10%. And if you go pool or per diem, you are looking at another $10 an hour pay increase. You can do it, you just need flexibility.

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Thanks Centralflorida,

I don't think I would be able to do anything unless I've gone through all the hoops for international students. As far as that possibility goes, I've read the threads and recruitment for international students seems a distant dream. But if it was me making the decision, I'd keep the house, just take a room and continue to rent the remainder. I know my family don't want to pay for any more 'works' for it, and it looks dilapidated now, so I guess it'll go under the hammer, losses 'n all..

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jnmoore, I too was disapointed when I saw Florida nursing salaries - especially because Florida is not as cheap to live in as it once was. I can't imagine how nurses in Miami survive - New York style housing expenses, Florida paychecks. Maybe they're all married to doctors?

The impression I get is that to make decent money, you have to work a lot of weekends and nights and overtime. It's really sad, because I love Florida to death, but once I get through school and get my RN I can definitely imagine shopping around for jobs outside the state.

Centralflorida,

Your right, I'm planing to move back to houston,tx once i'm done with school. 19/hr for new grad is just sad. Waiters and waitresses working at a expensive resturants makes about the same amount of money. I just can't see my self working everyday making 19/hr. That's what lpn's are getting in LTC. So, when do you finish school? I start in august 20th. I'm doing the ADN program and will probably finish my BSN in Houston, or California

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Oh, heck, I am nowhere NEAR done. I already have a bachelor's degree in a liberal arts subject from way back when, but I still have half a dozen pre-req's that I have to finish. I'll take a few this year at my local community college. I am actually hoping to go to LPN school starting next summer, then work a few shifts a week once I get my LPN, while getting my LPN to RN bridge program done online. I'm trying to be out of work for as little time as possible.

Does Houston pay nurses better? I lived there for a while and it always struck me as similar to Florida in being a low-paid kind of state.

The challenge is finding somewhere where nurses are paid well AND the cost of housing is relatively affordable - not sure such a state exists unfortunately.

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