Thinking about coming back

[monkeyman1001]

Hello, I was hoping to get some opinions. I was an ADN RN. My license expired about 10 years ago. I only worked about 2.5 years. One year in Med Surg ICU, one year plus in trauma surgical ICU and a brief foray in home health. I am also a Physical Therapist Assistant and have had that license for about 17 years. I left nursing originally bc the pay in Florida and Oklahoma was ridiculous ( low to mid 20s depending on the shift compared to $30 an hour as a PTA) and I wanted to be a traveler. After 2.5 years I didn't feel confident enough to travel as a nurse and I wanted to do it while I was still youngish ( 47 years old now ). My wife and I are wanting to settle down now, probably in OR or WA and I am thinking of going back to nursing. Looking at a refresher course thru WSU. TWO QUESTIONS- 1) I am curious about pay out here. My friend told me nurses in his hospital in CA start at $37/hr but was wondering about OR and WA. I can make about 30-33$ as a PTA in those two states but I don't have anymore room to grow and nowhere to go with it. PT school is out of the question. SECOND QUESTION- Considering going back to ICU even though I was terrified the whole time I was there LOL but with my experience as a PTA I was wondering if somewhere else would be a better fit, say like an ortho floor. Any advice would be appreciated. George