What would be the estimated starting salary in Flordia?

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Hello My name is Phil and I am currently a nursing student in Chicago Illinois. Basically the purpose of this post was to inquire about starting salary for a male nurse that has a BSN in Flordia. The reason I am curious is because the winter's in Chicago are far to annoying and I was thinking of moving to Flordia to pursue my career. Thank You for your time :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

PS. It is spelled Florida.

Please use the "search" option for Florida, and you will find a great deal of information. There are generally 2-4 threads a week for people wanting to move to Florida.

As a matter of note, the pay varies greatly with the area, but most areas pay substantially less than up North, and the conditions/ratios are poorer. Though there is no state income tax and the COL is usually lower, the COL and sales tax has gone up quite a bit.

Florida has the dubious honor of being rated as highest in the informal Nursing Salary Hall of Shame, for being the worst paying state.

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I know. I am moving there this summer and have been investigating this. They also have no union.

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Specializes in Emergency.

From what I have been seeing this fall/winter with the recent new grads they are looking at around $20-22 hr. Average is around $25 with 5 ot so years experience and I know some nurses that work nights that get around $30 with their shift diff. Agency nurses can get around 40-50hr in certain specialties.

Unions are far and few between- I know of one hospital and comparing it to say one in Michigan, they dont compare.

Rj

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PS. It is spelled Florida.

Please use the "search" option for Florida, and you will find a great deal of information. There are generally 2-4 threads a week for people wanting to move to Florida.

As a matter of note, the pay varies greatly with the area, but most areas pay substantially less than up North, and the conditions/ratios are poorer. Though there is no state income tax and the COL is usually lower, the COL and sales tax has gone up quite a bit.

Florida has the dubious honor of being rated as highest in the informal Nursing Salary Hall of Shame, for being the worst paying state.

While I agree that the pay is lower, I do not agree with the blanket statement that the conditions/ratios are poorer. Yes, maybe with some hospitals, but not all. For example, at the hospital that I work at (SMH) the day ratio is 5 pts to 1 nurse and at night 6 pts to 1 nurse. There are also to PCAs and a unit secretary to 3:30 am.

Kris

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That is beautiful. In the hospital for which I am interning I have 7-10 patients depending on the season. During winter our unit census is high because many kids are admitted with RSV, Bronchiolitus, pneumonia, and asthma. 6 or 7 patient's is not bad at all. Are they total care patients ? What kind of diagnosis?

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

There are a few union hospitals (Lakeland Regional) in Florida.

As far as ratios, the leukemics that would be 2-4 per nurse in NYC, or Boston are 4-7 in Florida. The patients are older and have more comorbidities.

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I used to work in Miami and so I know that most hospitals start nurses around $21-$22. I also know that for the entire state of Florida, South Florida seems to have the highest starting rates and surprisingly Tampa and Orlando are not that cheap to live in.

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The hospitals in my area start at or around $20.00 and hour. With shift diff. and other incentives it is possible to make 36.00 an hour. You have to commit to work two weekend days (FRI SAT, or SUN) and one weekday. They are 12 hour shifts. I don't know what other areas are paying, but that doesn't sound bad to me. And I love Florida!! I have been here for three years and I am happy to be here.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Kris, the ratios in Sarasota, especially at Sarasota memorial are legendary for being so good. Also Sarasota is a richer community that a lot of Florida.

But I can't say the ratios here are worse than elsewhere, they are similar here than North Carolina where I'm from.

But I do trust Carolina as she has traveled many places. I think the ratios suck here.

Anyway, I think new grads here are making about $21.00/hr

Good luck.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Home Health.

In West Palm New grads are making from $17.50 - $21.00. I do hear that Broward and Miami pay a little better and up North a little worse. Either way it is almost impossible to live here on a single income. Median home price is 350,000 (and rising fast). My 1/1 rental apartment in an OK neighborhood is over $1000. We are relocating soon. I will miss the beach, but I'm going to love my new home more! Florida is one of the greatest places in the world to vacation or visit, but living here is a totally different story.

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In West Palm...We are relocating soon. I will miss the beach, but I'm going to love my new home more! Florida is one of the greatest places in the world to vacation or visit, but living here is a totally different story.

How long have you lived in Florida?

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