Working in Ca, living in another state

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Hi all,

So i've been offered a dream staff position in an ICU at UCSF but my family can't move yet. I am considering flying in for my three shifts and then flying home. Is anyone else doing this currently or previously and do you have any advice?

Thank you

Thanks... dreams shattered!

I mean, you can check out zillow to see comps for houses around Santa Barbara, and see if it works out for your family. Again living in Santa Barbara as in the city per se is expensive. But if you're willing to drive about 15-20 miles out, Goleta is a beautiful place too then it may be manageable.

Just really depends what you're looking for in a house and how/what your lifestyle is really.

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Me and my husband are thinking of moving to Santa Barbara from South Carolina, for a better lifestyle change, etc! With a nursing job in one of the hospitals there, will it be too expensive for us?

Were you brought up in Cali?

I lived in Los Angeles for over 15 years and San Francisco for 10. Trust me, you will have a better quality of life living in NC. California is too expensive to live properly, unless you are very wealthy. You are constantly being bombarded with taxes or "fees" for just about EVERYTHING. Your income is going to be eaten up quickly, leaving you with very little for fun. Try googling a cost of living calculator.

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The Pay is Sweet. For a full time position at UCSF (40 hours a week and/or three 12s). I'm guesstimating, at least over 140K annually if you have more than enough experience.

It is true that SF is a very expensive place to live in. But you don't really have to "live inside and within the City", where it truly is expensive!

Basic commodities in the Bay Area cost about the same: gas prices, milk, food, clothing etc. Sure, one will say, traffic/parking can be a challenge but the public transportation is a great option. Rent an in-law or a room outside of the city and you can find one for a little less than $1,000.

I say go for it!!! What do you really have to lose if you try it?! :up:

I'd check by sources if I were you.

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I'm considering doing it for 6 months and then making a decision, the experience at ucsf will be amazing. I'll post an update then.

Thank you for your replies.

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Good luck!

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Of course u can do it! That s what all my roommates does. Just came to work and leave. But, you need to get a per diem position that way you do all your shifts together and go home for a week or more.

Living in San Fran, is very expensive. We pay close to 3k for a small place and share it. Is possible but u need to be very flexible and go PRN.

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I am going to talk to my manager about going prn, the only issue being health insurance for my son. Are you at ucsf?

i found some airbnb shared rooms for $40-$50/nt and airfare is ~$200, so a huge chunk going towards travel.

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Thank you!

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Specializes in Float Pool, acute care, management/leadership.

I work in the Bay Area and there are definitely people that commute from out-of-state, but the two people that I knew who did it have family/friends that they stay with while working their three 12s to help offset the costs of commuting. One colleague lives in Arizona, but stays with her sister during her work week. Another co-worker lives in SoCal, but he stays in the area at his parents' place during his work week.

As others have alluded to, housing is crazy expensive around here and I didn't realize how far people are willing to commute to work until I moved here; some people I've talked to will drive as much as 2+ hours one way from the more "affordable" areas just to work in the Bay Area.

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Specializes in ICU.

As others have alluded to, housing is crazy expensive around here and I didn't realize how far people are willing to commute to work until I moved here; some people I've talked to will drive as much as 2+ hours one way from the more "affordable" areas just to work in the Bay Area.

I just could not imagine doing that. I would relocate my family to a more affordable place where I don't have to spend 12-16 hours commuting a week. UCSF is not paying you for travel time. They expect you to be on time every shift. Overall it just sounds strenuous and my time is important to me. Time is how you spend it and being in a car 12-16 hours a week I could be doing something a lot more productive than honking my horn, cursing and rocking out just to get me home. 12-16 hours I could be working an extra shift nearby, hobby time, working out, me time etc...

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Hi! I know a few of my friends and family that work at UCSF Parnassus and the new Benioff and being from the Bay Area, I can confirm that this is a top notch hospital to work at! I would have applied to work there but needed a change and decided to work in southern california. I can also confirm that cost of living is high, but I've also lived in NYC, and I can say that if you get temporary living not in the city of SF if can be more affordable! I went to school in the city and many of my friends have had clinical at UCSF and they loved it. Benefits are great too, according to those I know that work there! If I relocate back to the Bay Area UCSF would be one of the places I would choose to work. Even though you are coming out of state, UCSF is one amazing place to work and create connections, and if you are serious about gaining excellent experience and maybe even moving here, I would say anything is possible. There are those that say it is hard since you are out of state so I suggest the temporary housing situation while you are working here! But really UCSF is amazing!! If you can find housing while you are here such as a friend or short term lease that's not in the city of SF while you work your shifts, trust me I went to school in the city, outside is affordable but you would have to commute in! Hope your situation works out, maybe you can move without your family just for a short time to gain experience! Wish you the best :) P.S. Bay area pay is extremely high in comparison to other parts of this state/other states, if money is a factor you will be making a lot, and that's something I look forward to when I come back to the Bay, but being young I like to travel and experience new cities :)

Ok long story short yes you can do it! If you have the time, perseverance, and ability to be flexible with your traveling then anything is possible! Welcome to the Bay Area!!

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Quick update, i just did my 3 month review. I absolutely love it. i got a room for 945 a 20 minute walk away from the hospital, flight average out to $50 each way, this month was $30 on frontier. the hospital is top notch, the nurses i work with are amazing, and i don't think i'll be able to work anywhere else. they try to bunch my shifts so i do three and then head back to denver. the money is absolutely amazing! 2 hour breaks!

if anyone else is thinking about it i say go for it (if you are looking for a cheap room you will likely get one from a fellow nurse but also walking through the medical school their are dozens of rooms for rent in the 900-1000 range).

i do want to say that everyone is different, and it seems like it is really easy for people who have never tried it to unload their fears on you and promise you it can't be done, but always try something before giving up on it. Also, thank you everyone for taking the time to provide insight and talk about what to watch out for.

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