Show me the money!!!

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I've been in Colorado for 3 assignments now. Wanted to start traveling. I find that here in Colorado, I'm not making much more than back home. Now I realize that I'm not supposed to be making a crazy amount of money. I mean, it's really all about the experience. Right? But....I've been told that Colorado is not the state to make some green. So, I want to hear from the more experienced travelers. Where should I be if I want to make that green?

Specializes in Oncology, Dermatology, Cardiology.

I live in Boston and I know that the Traveling nurses make about 40-50 bucks an hour or more... so starting @ 23/hr is def not in my range... i make more than that as a new grad lol. So is florida not that high paying in traveling nursing? or nursing in general?

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Specializes in Oncology, Dermatology, Cardiology.

what is PBDS testing?

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
I live in Boston and I know that the Traveling nurses make about 40-50 bucks an hour or more... so starting @ 23/hr is def not in my range... i make more than that as a new grad lol. So is florida not that high paying in traveling nursing? or nursing in general?

Please review the numerous threads on Florida - pay is quite poor here, comparatively speaking for all nurses. And there are numerous threads on PBDS (a controversial test that it is required for travelers to pass to work at certain facilities).

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what company are you with?? And where in Sacramento??? LOL..

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It seems in all the time that I've been traveling that the southern US is the lowest in pay. But it has improved and depending on the company your with will depend on the money you take home. I work for Innovative Placements now, and would work for no other. My take home pay has substantially increased since I started working for them 3 years ago. :twocents:

As for the PBDS test. The threads here can help. But its a test that was design to help employers design orientation for new employees. Unfortunately its a pass or fail test for travelers and if you fail you are terminated immediately. The latest edition of Healthcare Traveler has some good information on it. But there really is no study guide since its uniquely designed for each hospital. It says there are over 800 hospitals using it now. I know they use it a lot in FL, CA, and WA. If you do have to take it make sure the test is outsourced for reading it. Otherwise if they check it in house other hospitals will not excepted it. That is what happen with me and I ended up taking it twice.HA!!!!!!:banghead: The good news is once you've taken it and it has been outsourced you'll never have to take it again:lol2:

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I just signed up for my first travel assignment in Las Vegas. My pay is only 26/hr - 1200 housing stipend and travel rebursment. I have been a nurse in MS for 14 years and ER for only 2 but the position is for ER at a non-trauma 22 bed hospital. The pay seems low but as I talk to others they say this is about right for Nevada???? Anyone have thoughts on this-also anyone out there ever travel and work in Vegas? Also what is this PBDS test? As you can tell I really am dumb about this travel nurse stuff and need a lot of help with it! I am quite anxious about starting this new adventure in my life but ready for a change too-

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.
I just signed up for my first travel assignment in Las Vegas. My pay is only 26/hr - 1200 housing stipend and travel rebursment. I have been a nurse in MS for 14 years and ER for only 2 but the position is for ER at a non-trauma 22 bed hospital. The pay seems low but as I talk to others they say this is about right for Nevada???? Anyone have thoughts on this-also anyone out there ever travel and work in Vegas? Also what is this PBDS test? As you can tell I really am dumb about this travel nurse stuff and need a lot of help with it! I am quite anxious about starting this new adventure in my life but ready for a change too-

On another website for travel nurses, HSN was offering [posted 4/1] $37.00/hour (includes housing and insurance) for a Las Vegas day or night position-so, I think you are getting lowballed (which many companies will do to new travelers who are naive). No, I have never worked with them-I was just trying to illustrate that a quick look at certain forums can provide useful research.

You mentioned PBDS-by any chance is this an HCA hospital? If it is, then that can explain the lower pay. All About Staffing is owned by HCA and is their exclusive 'broker' Any other agency that wants to place a nurse has to go through All About Staffing and pay a cut to them. This tends to lower the nurse's pay. But, $26.00/hour is still one of the lowest rates I have heard. Also, bear in mind that if you go and have to take the PBDS test & fail it, you will be kicked out of your apartment and without a job. Might want to rethink this job; or, at least try to line up something else, with another company, if you choose to fail the test (if you understand what I mean).

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Nurses used to make a great living here, but after the real estate boom, you have to look hard for good pay. I work in Bradenton, Fl at Manatee Memorial Hospital and have 5.5 years experience. I make $25.50 before 3pm and $27.50 from 3p-7p. Weekends are another $2 and after 7p is $4 shift diff. If you opt out of benefits, they pay $38 an hour for float pool. I work on a telemetry/surgical step-down. A mortgage here is approx $1200-$1500 for a normal 3/2 w/ yard or condo. Since the housing crash, rent is cheap and foreclosures abundant for the Sarasota and Bradenton area.

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I work in sarasota and rents for 2/1 avg 750 - 900 depending on location pay 20- 35.00 depending on facilty and experience

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Specializes in ICU's,TELE,MED- SURG.

May I make a suggestion?

You're smart to take the assignment but then you want to rake it in so you also sign up with a local agency and add a couple of shifts here and there and you'll have the green you're looking for. Just make sure that you work with a calendat and pace yourself. Any State can be a green one this way. You need an agency that might work in multiple States so you don't have to keep signing up and taking tests, etc.

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Specializes in ICU/CCU, PCU, Neuro, Telemetry.
I want to move to florida... has anyone worked down there on a medsurge telemetry unit?? What is the pay? What is also the rent? If anyone has information please let me know

Florida generally doesn't pay very well. Average rate for Telemetry/PCU unit is $27.00 not including housing, housing stipend average $1000 per month. Rent depends on where you want to live. I will say that I was lucky and had a GREAT contract that paid M/S $34/hr and PCU $36/hr, but those are far and few between. If you pm me with the area you want to move to I can give you an idea of what the rent is and what avenues you might want to take. Sometimes the "local" pools of the larger hospital systems is the route to take.

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florida really does not pay well. But i like florida, so one thing i do is just contract with the companies that Vendor managea certian hospitals. This has gotten me a rate at 36.00 an hour.

In general, i simply do one overtime shift a week at my assignment, as the OT rate with my company is really quite nice, and thus I find i dont have to be trying to juggle two hospitals, two agencies and two schedules. in some hospitals if there isnt enough need in my unit for one extra shift a week, I've found by asking round they can usually use me in ICU, which is the other place I am qualified to work.

my florida housing stiped though is ranign from 1500 to 1700, not 1000.

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