1st time Traveller: Per diem through current Agency or Per diem Direct to Hospital

NedRN · Mar 5, 2013

Per diem in hospital may pay upwards of $70 an hour and more depending on years of experience - union - and shift, versus maybe $45 max local agency. Also half pay for call and double time for callback if you are cath/OR/PACU. The problem is that it is very difficult to land a hospital per diem slot these days in the Bay area, in fact, almost impossible.

You are better off landing a travel contract there for at least two reasons. One is that it will maintain your tax home status (if you have a tax home) where per diem will lose it automatically (open ended job is an indication to the IRS that you have abandoned your previous tax home). Two is that a travel contract should pay somewhat better than agency per diem. If you gather travel contract offers for the Bay area and use PanTravelers calculator to figure out true compensation, most offers should fall in the $50 plus range, easily beating the local agencies.

Also, doing a contract will make it much easier (but still hard) to get a hospital staff per diem position if they like you.

multi10 · Mar 7, 2013

One thing I love about California: Overtime is paid by the day, not by the week. In most states, you don't make time-and-a-half until you work more than 40 hours a week. In California, you make time-and-a-half after 8 hours a day, and double-time after 12 hours a day. This is in addition to holidays, weekends, and shift differentials. Does anyone remember the "Baylor Plan" where you work 12 hour shifts on weekends and get paid for 40 hours plus full benefits?

NedRN · Mar 7, 2013

Overtime after 8 is the underlying law in California, however there is an exclusion virtually every hospital takes advantage of for 10 and 12 hour shifts. Staff works 12 hour shifts straight pay so there is no advantage per se for working in house per diem (except for the high California pay). Working for an agency, the legal issues get a little more complicated. But in general, agencies may freely choose to pay straight time for 12 hour shifts if the unit worked is paying staff that way. Even so, some agencies will pay overtime after 8 anyway for a number of reasons, but don't think for a second that you make more money that way - you don't! Agencies will drop the base pay so it comes out the same as they would have paid anyway - the so called "blended rate".

Overtime after 12 is always double time - there is no exclusion for that.