San Diego Staff vs. Travel Nursing?

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Hi! I am new to this board and am trying to figure out something that initially sounded crazy to me, but with the little information I've gotten so far, seems like may be true-

I am about to move to San Diego with my husband for a year while he trains at the Naval Medical Center, and though I have previously been travel nursing and taking care of all of our bills with the extra housing money travelling pays, I am considering going staff out in San Diego because it SEEMS, as far as the quotes that I've gotten from a few agencies, that staff nurses may actually make way better wages! I've been travelling, and we probably wouldn't have been able to pay our bills up until now if I hadn't- we've been living throughout the midwest and staff nurse wages aren't fantastic.

However, out in San Diego, the quotes for most staff nurses that I've seen so far are around $30/hr or more for experienced ICU nurses- is this true, and if so, is this not including the time-and-a-half you get in California after eight hours (so would you make $45/hr for four hours each day)? If this is the case, the monthly take-home will probably work out to as much, if not more, than contracting- and without the sacrifices in expendability and benefits that you give up as a traveler. Just curious, because I'm starting to wonder if it might be worth it just to relax and actually be permanent somewhere! Any advice or input on the hourly wages out in San Diego would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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Specializes in Midwifery, Case Management, Addictions.

My part-time case management position pays $33 per hour here in San Diego. Other RNs I know are making considerably more than that as CMs. Can't speak to hospital nursing salaries personally but maybe this will help a little.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

I have a friend who lives in NYC and she does travel nursing, but only in the city. Enough hospitals belong to her agency that she just floats between them. It pays her mortgage and then some. I don't know if SD does something like that, but if you want to stay as a travel nurse it may be something to look into.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Telemetry, Hospice, Home Health.

I can speak for beginning wages as a new grad at a prominent magnet, union hospital in SD.

Orientation = $27-$28

After 3 months= $30-$31

NOC differential $4 = $35-$36

Most shifts in most hospitals are 12 hours. You will sign a waiver that OT begins after 12 hours. (which is then double time)

As an experienced nurse your wages of course would be more.

Oh, and full benefits (medical, dental, vision) cost a whopping $60 bucks a month. Not to mention the 5 weeks of paid time off the first year.

Good luck in your decision and welcome to San Diego.

It is a wonderful place, especially if you want to go barefoot year round. The coastal neighborhoods are more expensive but much much cooler in summer. I love it!

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Thanks for the information! That's interesting that they make you sign a waiver to get around paying time-and-a-half after eight hours- a lot of the travel agencies pay considerably less per hour to begin with to get around this, so you end up making an "average" hourly wage of around $32-$35 per hour since your regular hourly is in the mid-$20 ranges. Do all hospitals in the area do this waiver with hourly rates for staff nurses?

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Specializes in Peds, ER/Trauma.

I am currently on a travel assignment in San Diego. Most of the hospitals will have their regular staff sign a waiver that they will make OT only after 12 hours. As a traveler, though, I get paid OT after 8 hours. You could just try taking local travel assignments- then you'd get paid a monthly housing stipend as well... Nurse Finders does a lot of travel assignments in the SD area.....

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