Travel Nursing in CO

NedRN · Dec 5, 2013

Except for ski areas, Colorado does have relatively low pay. The recruiters are sort of right but that is not the best way to put it. Have you checked other agencies?

wanderlust99 · Dec 6, 2013

I wanted to go to CO too, my recruiter was a bit rude about it telling me how low they pay, etc.. I know University of CO has an in house travel program, check their website. I applied for one last year through my company, it was 28/hr in the ICU. Decided against it because it was nights. I have friends who really love it there.

cosmicmama, BSN, RN · Dec 6, 2013

I'm getting ready to leave for Denver. Going to the University of Colorado through their in-house travelers program. The pay is pretty low, $34/hr plus a $1450 TAXED housing allowance each month. I understand it's a great place to work and I really want to go to Denver, so I will put up with the pay for 3 months. It's a magnet facility and I'm looking forward to working in the Birth Center there. You do most of the benefits of a full-time employee, including medical insurance.

NedRN · Dec 6, 2013

Sounds like good pay for Denver to me! The health insurance benefit is worth around $3 an hour. With housing, I make your total package as about $46 an hour, definitely excellent for Denver. If you are getting a travel stipend as well, you really have a killer deal.

You can deduct your housing costs as a business expense if you have a tax home so that may make up for some of the extra taxes.

cosmicmama, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2013

Oh yeah, I forgot, $400 travel money. The housing stipend being taxed does put a huge dent in take-home pay, but I'll recoup that when I file my taxes for 2013. No per diems, but I'll also recoup that when I file taxes.

NurseRies, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2013

Seems like everyone wants to travel to CO (at least that's what recruiters are saying). Has anyone worked as a travel nurse there? Specifically ICU? Pay seems LOW! As in under $30/hour...just wondering what agency pays better and has more available jobs in that area... Recruiters are telling me because it's a vacation destination, they don't have to increase the pay--travelers will go anyway--[/quote']
When I came here in July, I made $25/hr taxed, plus $720 a week non taxed for housing and meals. Plus travel costs ($800 round trip). I worked with 4 other travelers that all got a lesser deal, but not by too much. I decided to move here permanently after my assignment. Housing is pretty expensive here (not to mention my heating bill), but my pay is WAY better then it was in South Carolina!

NedRN · Dec 7, 2013

Your travel package calculates out at over $46 an hour as well because of the higher reimbursements. Net pay is better than cosmicmama's because the reimbursements are not taxed. Again, great pay for Colorado. Perhaps I will have to raise my expectations of pay in Colorado.

Just for some perspective, if you use PanTravelers Calculator, most assignments come in at between $40 and $50 an hour total pay. But also affecting bankable pay is housing costs. I see $46 an hour as being average for California for instance, but with higher housing costs than Colorado (on average), it is effectively lower pay than the same pay rate in Colorado.

meandragonbrett · Dec 7, 2013

The UofC in house travel is a good program to do...much better hourly rates than what you can get on a travel assignment generally. Enjoy your contract!

NurseRies, BSN, RN · Dec 7, 2013

Your travel package calculates out at over $46 an hour as well because of the higher reimbursements. Net pay is better than cosmicmama's because the reimbursements are not taxed. Again great pay for Colorado. Perhaps I will have to raise my expectations of pay in Colorado. Just for some perspective, if you use PanTravelers Calculator, most assignments come in at between $40 and $50 an hour total pay. But also affecting bankable pay is housing costs. I see $46 an hour as being average for California for instance, but with higher housing costs than Colorado (on average), it is effectively lower pay than the same pay rate in Colorado.[/quote']
I had a hard time finding affordable housing in a decent neighborhood in denver. My rent was $1500 all inclusive furniture and utilities. So I needed most of my stipend. Denver is exploding with growth and expansion. The denver, boulder, Westminster, metro area has over 3 million people. So you will pay for location. Traffic and travel time can be very time consuming. If you want to live near u of c, you will either be paying a lot of money for the good neighborhood, or choosing the bad neighborhood with high crime. A 900 square foot house in the suburbs that was built in the 1950s will easily go for over $200,000 here. Jobs are also hard to come by unless you're specialized. I am surprised by cost of living here.

NedRN · Dec 7, 2013

With the exception of parts of the midwest and South, no big cities in America have inexpensive housing and Denver is no exception. But it is still less expensive than many parts of of California where residents feel lucky to get a 900 square foot house for less than a million dollars. Even in less expensive areas of California, houses such as that will easily go for more than double the price you quoted. I paid just over half that price in Ohio for a 900 square foot house, and could have paid a quarter of that price in nearby communities (my home town is a bit of a permanent housing bubble).

As a now permanent resident, you may be best off purchasing a home while interest rates are so low. As a traveler, I suck it up and often get shared or attached housing as the best way to go. It has been a while since I worked in Denver, but I had a memorable private apartment in a youth hostel for $800 a month everything included. Almost never do I pay over that anywhere I've worked ($800 is almost the most I've paid), including the San Francisco Bay area (I haven't been in SF proper for a while and doubt I could do that today). I am very picky, but perhaps differently than many travelers who insist on their own place. That strategy allows me to put perhaps an extra 10K in the bank every year over always private housing.

cosmicmama, BSN, RN · Dec 9, 2013

I had a hard time finding affordable housing in a decent neighborhood in denver. My rent was $1500 all inclusive furniture and utilities. So I needed most of my stipend. Denver is exploding with growth and expansion. The denver, boulder, Westminster, metro area has over 3 million people. So you will pay for location. Traffic and travel time can be very time consuming. If you want to live near u of c, you will either be paying a lot of money for the good neighborhood, or choosing the bad neighborhood with high crime. A 900 square foot house in the suburbs that was built in the 1950s will easily go for over $200,000 here. Jobs are also hard to come by unless you're specialized. I am surprised by cost of living here.

I have already secured a private all-inclusive, furnished apartment in the Capitol Hill area near downtown for $1100 a month. It's a 20 minute drive to UofC. It's small, but I think the location will more than make up for the cramped quarters.