Traveling to NC

[BD-RN, BSN, RN]

I used to work in the Durham/Chapel Hill area before I started traveling, and I attended nursing school there so I'm pretty familiar with the general RN salary for permanent staff. I'm curious if anyone has travelled there? I am considering spending the summer and using a travel contract as an excuse to see old friends, etc., and figured it would be a great first REAL travel assignment since it's an area I'm familiar with (I've been traveling around So Cal near my family this year).

Anyway, I'm just trying to get an idea of TRAVEL RN salary out there; obviously I expect it to be significantly lower than here, and I'm not too worried about that since I'm aware of the cost of living. Anyone have any ideas of what kind of stipend/hourly to expect? Just so I can do some financial planning... As a staff RN I made around $21/hr before any differentials and taxes, this was 2 yrs ago. Will it average out to about that or should I expect to negotiate a bit more? Any info would be helpful :)

[NedRN]

You should get significantly more than $21 an hour as a traveler. I made more than that when you factor in housing and per diems on my very first travel assignment in 1995 at Duke. Travel compensation is complicated and agencies can quote pay very differently so any real reports posted here will not really apply to quotes you get, even if reported accurately and you have exactly the same amount of experience in the same specialty. There is zero harm in calling a couple agencies to get a real ballpark for your expectations.

[BD-RN, BSN, RN]

Thanks so much Ned! I was hoping you'd have some insight. Good to know I won't be spending an entire paycheck on rent like I used to for a decent place near work!

[DeLynn, RN]

I PM'd you