California Nursing?

Posts: 3 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 3 Location: Idaho

I am a nursing student from Idaho and will graduate in a few months. Where I work there is the beginning of a mass exodous to California hospitals due to the much more impressive pay scale and benefits. These nurses will continue to live in Idaho and fly down weekly (more or less) to work in California. I am very curious about the work environment (I work in a VERY small hospital) and if anyone out there would recommend that a new grad consider this type of work environment. I am concerned about an unfriendly environment (do the resident nurses feel invaded? Shocked

) and if the stress on my family is worth the double (or triple) pay.

Thanks so much for you input ! Very Happy

Posts: 3 · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 3 Location: USA

I like the Terminators new initive in Cali. He made a progressive law that the pt load in the hospitals may not exceed 4 to 1. Smile

I also think that work environments are what you make of them. Every hospital has people there for the same reasons.

Posts: 1 · Joined: 10 Mar 2006 Posts: 1 Location: www.nursetv.com

California may be a great place to work now, but Schwarzenegger has been nothing less than hostile towards nurses until very recently. Thanks to the California Nurses Association, all his anti-nurse props were defeated in last November's election. Now he's changed his tune, but the nurse ratio was something he initially sought to defeat. Here is one link, but the internet & media is full of information regarding this:

http://www.arnoldwatch.org/articles/articles_000620.php3

Good luck.

Emily

"I stand at the altar of the murdered men, and, while I live, I fight their cause."
-- Florence Nightingale, 1856

Posts: 3 · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Posts: 3

I am a travel nurse in CA. There are as many reasons to come here as to stay in your home state. The ratio law is better for the nurses and patients. However, it is true that it depends on what hospital you decide to work in. If you are used to a small facility the bigger hospitals may be scary at first but have much to offer to new nurses. There are some nurses who are put off by the invasion of the other states, but for the most part all the staff are glad for the help. You must look at all your options and your personality. If you can stand to be away from home, take on new things and chalnges then yes you should try it. However, if you are timmid and are not comfortable going to new places, learning new people, ways of doing things than no you should stay where you are.

The money is very nice, howver as they say money is not everything. I hope this helps. You may e-mail me at stacysmom02@yahoo if you have further questions

Posts: 82 · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 82 Location: florida

I have been in California for over 6 months, first as a traveler and now working local agency. California nurses are very nice and supportive. They are glad of the help like any sensible person would be. They don't care where you come from as long as you know and do your job. Then the only thing they say is when can you come back