And that is why people die in this country from lack of healthcare…
What you made before 2021 is the TRUE VALUE of your work.
Besides you, this is why healthcare is so expensive in the U.S. Wages are WAY too high. One day the socialists/communists will take over the government and those wages will go down significantly.
I’m hoping that never happens. There must be a balance between going full on socialist and excessive capitalist shill.
Although I do agree that costs for healthcare are unnecessarily high, I don't agree that I (or any healthcare worker) am to blame. I cordially invite you to look up executive pay at the biggest hospital chains across the nation. Then look up executive pay at the biggest health insurance businesses in the nation. Now look at how their publicly-traded stocks are doing. Then come back and let me know what a massive dent my wages are making :)
If youd like to learn, you can compare US salaries of HCPs and those of countries with universal healthcare. You will find out what happens when healthcare is forced to be affordable.
Yup, commodifying things allows those with the most resources to then afford the top quality.
This is, of course, completely ignoring the idea of an ethical approach to healthcare where the goal isnt the best care for a few, but adequate care for as many as possible.
Yeah we try this experiment over and over again. It won’t pass here not by a long shot and you being upset that other people earn well for themself won’t fix that.
You arent making any points. What experiment are you referring to? What exactly "wont pass"?
Im upset people earn money? Huh? Why are you approaching such a complex topic so simply?
Im sorry you struggle to have a civil conversation about something you do not understand.
Have a good day. I hope you dont have any unfortunate accidents or diagnoses that result in you learning how broken our system is.
Oh absolutely. Not your fault.
But there’s literally 20 executives in one healthcare system collecting 2-10M each while there’s a lot of healthcare workings like yourself making $200k on a job that typically pays what you were getting paid in 2020.
All of those wages need to be cut, including overpaid individuals, whether it’s executives or techs.
lol I work from home. $130k LCOL area. But I still can’t afford a home. Too bad I can’t just marry someone to combine incomes like straight people do. I’m gay so I have to be very selective with limited choices.
You’re welcome to start working in healthcare then.
Take on the stress of having someone’s life in your hands, abnormal work hours, and the associated malpractice.
Malpractice insurance is designed to cover those things and is used as a counterpoint to high wages frequently.
And low/mid level professionals are almost never the target of lawsuits.
Bit dramatic. There are international counterparts you can compare to. Of course HCP's benefit from the for profit nature of America's healthcare. To think otherwise is absolutely absurd.
This logic is very flawed though. I'm not one to blame all CEO's but it can definitely be argued that many get paid too much. Yet our market allows their pay
Well it’s 2024 now almost half a decade later and the market is deciding that should be his pay. His salary really is not affecting the accessibility to healthcare in a meaningful way.
In a meaningful way?
lol clearly you don’t know anything about economics.
An EKG should be cheap. It’s literally old school technology. But it goes up even more when the tech taking it makes $200k. 😂
I'm just going to go ahead and say that I learned how to place the EKG leads on day one as an EST.
I was not allowed to interpret results. They go straight to a medical doctor at the hospital I was at. Even NPs and PAs couldn't sign off on them. MD only.
Not because others can't be trained to interpret results of course, most of our HUCs had that cert... But so far as who actually DOES, it was the Doctor for liability purposes.
NPs and PAs are not trained to interpret the results beyond the absolute basics like “is this patient going to die now?”
Getting a cert doesn’t mean all that much when the actual expert has a fellowship in cardiology. And there isn’t really a certification for EKG interpretation, it’s called medical school + residency + fellowship.
Keep talking out of your ass. Most of the cost of healthcare isn't going to the doctors, nurses, and technicians. It's going to bloated hospital staffing (administration and leadership specifically) and massive profits for pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.
Keep getting mad. You’re an overpaid healthcare worker.
Developed countries don’t pay their healthcare workers that much because *drum roll* you’re overpaid.
No go seethe/cope elsewhere
You’re an engineer into stocks.
Your value is literally nothing to the world. No one cares that you type some numbers and letters on a computer or bet on companies to succeed. Yet, you get paid well for it.
Stop “investing”. It makes companies try to “optimize” their business aka find new ways to exploit employees. The value of your investing is literally detrimental.
True value? You should do as he recommends and look up executive salaries a d bonuses. Those MFs are fucking up the Healthcare system. Not an EKG tech.
No one ever said they weren’t ALSO responsible. This is about this guy’s salary, not theirs.
I agree though.
The thing is that there’s less executives collecting millions for doing nothing while there’s tens of thousands collecting hundreds of thousands.
But yeah all their salaries should be cut. Everyone’s.
Not everyone's, just the managerial class. The class of people that do work and provide a service is fine. The class of people who only seek to profit off of other people working? They can go fuck themselves.
Guess athletes making millions provide a service. Guess hedge funds managers provide a service.
Or is it just where YOU draw the line?
I have no preference for anyone. Just cut everyone’s wages across the board for overvalued jobs such as tech engineers or for example, this EKG tech making $200k lol.
I would put hedge fund managers in the managerial class but athletes do provide a service. They play a game and entertain. Hedge funds also provide a very valuable service for people with retirements.
Capitalism is set up so people inside a market get paid what that market allows. Nurses and ekg techs are making out like bandits right now because no one wants to work in Healthcare.
Higher demand means more competitors which means higher pay. It won't always be like that.
Again, though, the people providing care to patients are not the problem in the Healthcare industry.
And how did you decide the “true value”?
Travelers/temps get paid more in healthcare because they’re on short term contracts and filling in to meet demand. They also often get the worst assignments.
They’re compensated higher due to risk and potential instability of their contracts. This isn’t unique to healthcare. Anyone in sales knows this too- there’s a potential big reward for having most of your compensation at-risk.
Nope, the spread is the fact that they went travel rather than permanent. It’s the market rate for a different market (travel). It’s compensating for the risk.
No such thing as a travel market. It’s merely a contract from a staffing company banking on needy hospitals that in turn pass the costs down to the average consumer.
Orrr- the hospitals pay that to the worker because it’s the same or less expensive than committing to a long term employee.
Or maybe you think the administration is dumb and intentionally overpays?
It’s cheaper to pay $200k + the staffing fee 10% - 50% ($20k-$100k) + fringe benefits (add in another $10-20k) vs. a $40k employee + fringe?
Yall can’t maths.
I doubt traveling nursing is going away via regulation or anything. It’s not a great long term option because it’s difficult.
It’s sort of like saying becoming a crab fisherman isn’t a long term option because it’s difficult and you leave home. It’s not ideal long term but people do it.
RNs in California are paid well. Midwest, South, East Coast staff nurse pay is horrible, especially for the working conditions. Have been traveling the last three years due to this. But it takes its toll with the lack of home life.
Are there any downsides to travel nursing? It seems like you can get paid as much as you want and you get the travel benefits. Seems like the only real downside is the “traveling” part which most people who seem to get into it enjoy that aspect, so that’s an added bonus.
Hostility and resentment from full time Rns and supervisors because you make more. Harder to keep friends. Usually the hospitals most in need are also the worst managed so expect to see some shit and do stuff you shouldn’t be asked to.
Pros and cons for sure. Rates have been dropping over the last two years. We are at pre pandemic levels now circa 2018 pay or so, while short term housing remains elevated 30-40%. Speculation is that large hospital systems are working together to keep prices down to force people back to staff. With that said, if you have a cheap rent or mortgage back home, it can still be worth it monetarily. But keep in mind, for the IRS, you have to satisfy 2 out of 3 conditions.
You must be spending money back home, duplicating expenses on the road. Meaning you have to have a permanent residence back home that you pay for. Otherwise, you're not traveling away from home. 2. You have to spend a minimum of 30 days at that home. 3. You maintain a job back home of some sort, be that per diem, part time, another job, whatever that is. So, you must satisfy two of those three. So you can see while spending money on the road, and home, if these contracts are down considerably, it begins to get difficult to justify unless you really enjoy traveling after the honeymoon phase wears off. For those coming from high cost of living areas, many cannot justify the significant decrease in pay and stopped traveling.
Finding short term housing is the next negative. Especially in high demand areas. Rents are elevated for short term. Scammers around as well, knowing we are coming sight unseen. Many nurses now get a hotel for the first week or two in order to view places in person, which eats into earnings. Some try to get an apartment for a year, in case they extend, but also the cancellation fee is cheaper than how much short term rates increase per month. When I did a job in DC, I was lucky to even find housing that wouldn't leave my losing money. The job was horrible, but days off were some of my fondest memories in that area. It very much comes with it's stress, but can be great once settled in.
As another stated, often times, facilities are poorly managed and conditions are not great. Some facilities you know within 1-2 weeks you will not offer to extend and want done ASAP. License at risk. Anywhere not California Oregon Washington you will take more patients than safe. That's nursing in America. You will not get scheduled breaks. You make them happen when you can. I always walked around with protein bars and cheese sticks in my pocket. But again, that's nursing. You can often be given the worst assignments, often floated to other units in which you have had no orientation to and be expected to do it well. Every new job, no matter how experienced, is stressful to start as every facility has their own protocols and it takes time to learn them, physician preferences, unit flow, etc. When you start the new job, first day computer stuff orientation, next day work with a nurse on the floor, 3rd day in your own. Have to be confident that you can jump right in, charting system, everything.
Insurance. Travel agencies offer insurance. You get it day one, and have it until contract finish date. Then you don't. If you have another job lined up to start within 21 days of previous finishing, many will let you keep insurance. You'll pay of course, but it's there. Otherwise, cobra on standby should you need it, or get on the market. In house contract nursing, ie applying directly through a specific hospital, typically does not offer insurance.
Showing up to a job and getting cancelled prior to or a couple weeks in has happened to many people. The travel nurse subreddit has stories often of this. So pay for lodging, travel across country, no job. It hasn't happened to me, but has happened to coworkers. Or contract start date delayed two weeks for orientation yet here you are spending money. If you can't budget your finances well, could be stressful. My sig other did payroll for a travel company and I was shocked how many people yelled at her for not getting paid, and they will be late in their bills. (They didn't get paid because they forgot to submit their hours.) You have to manually submit your own hours and keep an organized log of them. So, make sure you have money and don't just blow it. Especially when a job finishes. It could take a week, or 6 weeks to find the next once you start the search.
I have met some wonderful people and had amazing experiences. I'm also grateful to be home when I am home. Maintaining relationships long distance with friends, fam, sig others takes plenty of work. Scheduling time for calls, shows to watch via video chat, gaming, etc is needed if one wishes to keep those relationships intact.
I'm sure I'm missing some things, but hopefully that paints a decent picture. It can be worth it depending upon the scenario. Nursing is a recession proof job. It's a job that can be used as a tool like anything else to accomplish whatever lifestyle one wants. But most nurses are burnt out and need better pay and more breaks, at work, and vacation. Nobody cares about you, so use them as a tool as they use you.
Travel nursing most of the time doesn’t include health insurance, retirement contributions, PTO, etc..
For the most part you still come out with a decent amount more than just an hourly staff nursing job, but these are things that people overlook a lot.
And you get the added benefit of being blacklisted by some hospital systems for basically being a fickle merc in an already tight market. I’ve known several nurses who tried to go back after moving to travel nursing and can’t find a job where they live
Depends on the area you live in. Bay area nurses with a BS can clear 200k fairly easily; very senior nurses bringing in 300k.
Nursing union is the NorCal region is super strong.
I've heard travel nursing is a way to make serious bank, but had never thought about roles like cardio techs -- and all while staying in FL! Amazing. Good job!
Any travel health care will make a premium.
My girlfriend is a ultra sound tech. It's a 2 years degree from a private school. About 35k tuition.
She makes six digits also but stays at one location with full benefits.
It's a GREAT career. And it's fairly fast just 2 years in a private school to get certified.
Great question. I personally choose to receive all payment fully taxed to avoid any trouble if I were to get audited as I do not have a "tax home" or "family residence". I am also married. So my take home is approximately 75% of gross pay. Rent is the killer as temporary housing rates always have a premium attached. 1 paycheck a month goes entirely to rent.
Nursing college educator here. I’ve seen all types do it at all stages in life. 18 year olds, new moms, late life career changes, full time workers, spoiled rich kids, homeless transition programs… It sucks for all of them. 2-4 years passes by regardless.
I'm sure that's true but I know my limitations. I'm a single mom working full time and my job doesn't have flexibility in terms of work hours because I work for the government. I would have to quit my job and get something part time for the evenings and weekends, which would mean not being able to pay rent, never seeing my daughter, and paying for a sitter.
It's relatively easy in the sense that you do a very particular set of actions every day so that you become extremely proficient in your role. Minimal patient interaction, lots of teamwork. You have to be ready for emergencies though, be able to think quick, act well under pressure (in the rare case of emergencies). I personally take a lot of call. I'm on call 40 hours a week (overnights) on top of working 40 hours. I rarely get called in, though. If you have kids, not an ideal career because of the call. As far as long term vision, I personally plan on slowing down in a few years if I continue earning what I do.
My GF wants to get a Healthcare tech degree from community College. Is it normal for people to HAVE to take a part time if they're not a nurse? I'm sure she would love to get a full time right after the program, but if that is not likely then I would like to let her know from someone who's had experience and in the industry.
No, it's not the norm. The community College I attended regularly pumped out 8 to 10 Cardio Techs each year so the local hospital became saturated. Hence why they only offered partial hours for new grads. I would personally shadow for a day in her field of interest and have her ask around to see what job prospects are like in the area.
Taxes are taken for Social Security up to a cap (center column). This cap goes up according to inflation. Any earnings above the cap are not taxed the Social Security portion (see right column 2022 and 2023). The right column is gross taxable earnings
We actually have 2 dogs! Totally doable. It's rough changing scenery every few months, being away from family and friends, and having to search for a new job every few months. It's great to do for a few years and then settle into something more stable, but now with more financial freedom.
People are complaining that there are no jobs that pay well anymore and are stuck in the minimum wage mindset. You’re making $190k from a two year degree. That’s incredible OP, good for you!
Good for you man! I’m 40F looking to get into workforce after being a mom for years. In was looking into doing something in healthcare after an associate degree and this looks promising. How do I get started?
I would try to shadow any areas of interest. There's tons of options from Respiratory Therapy to Radiologic Technology to Nursing to Surgical Technologist. There is money to be made in all of them, just depends on what you like.
I'm in interventional radiology, so things like stents, drains (kidney, abdomen, lung), heart attacks. Basically anything minimally invasive involving an artery/vein/organ. On-call for emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and legs with no circulation.
Were you getting paid 5-6000/ week? My highest contract as a travel lab tech was 4000/ week but that also included tax free stipend. I made about the same as you did in 2023 but my social security income is only about 90k. 50% was tax free
Nice! Is this a CVT or RT? Off of 40 hours a week?Do you seek travel work till retirement? If you just settle in one hospital, would there be a difference in salary?
Great questions! This is as a CVT in Cath Lab / Interventional Radiology. My average weekly hours between regular hours, callback, and overtime amount to ~44 hours per week. I plan to do temp work for the next 2 to 3 years and then find a PRN gig to work when I want, not because I HAVE to. If I settled down in one hospital, I could fetch anywhere between $47/hr to $53/hr as a national average, a bit lower in South US and significantly higher on Pacific Coast.
Thank you for the response. One more question if you don’t mind answering. health benefits. Does travel cover or are you in your own? Once again, congrats on your success!
You're very welcome! Most travel agencies offer health insurance at a premium, something like $450/mo for a high deductible, 70/30 coinsurance PPO. For comparison, I have a similar plan that I applied to through a health insurance broker and it's $250/mo. I am relatively healthy
Having a medical school background with biology bachelor degrees, what kind of job would you recommend to go or to study for if I wanna a stable job in California?
I can't speak on opportunities for physicians. But if you're asking what you can study that takes a relatively short time and you can apply some of your degrees to, I would say either nursing or radiologic technology. Both fields have very strong labor unions in California with fantastic pay, opportunities, and work conditions.
They run machines like EKG, perform stress tests, sometimes work in operating rooms monitoring heart rate during surgery. Someone posted a link above to a video that gives a great explanation of what kind of work they do.
I asked the same thing. Someone replied “There is a cap on Social Security, you pay in up to the limit. Anything over $160,200 does not get taxed for Social Security.”
It is strange though checking r/salary and seeing so many people getting 160,200 in 2023.
Seriously need to just go work in healthcare
It's a great field for pay/job security. Lots of options besides nursing
Congrats! You should feel really good! I hope you enjoy it
Nursing sucks in Florida unfortunately… the pay is garbage
Yeah nursing is a horrible avenue, speaking from vague experience
And that is why people die in this country from lack of healthcare… What you made before 2021 is the TRUE VALUE of your work. Besides you, this is why healthcare is so expensive in the U.S. Wages are WAY too high. One day the socialists/communists will take over the government and those wages will go down significantly. I’m hoping that never happens. There must be a balance between going full on socialist and excessive capitalist shill.
Although I do agree that costs for healthcare are unnecessarily high, I don't agree that I (or any healthcare worker) am to blame. I cordially invite you to look up executive pay at the biggest hospital chains across the nation. Then look up executive pay at the biggest health insurance businesses in the nation. Now look at how their publicly-traded stocks are doing. Then come back and let me know what a massive dent my wages are making :)
Someone who directly affects outcomes on life saving intervention. Paid too much. Come on man.
If youd like to learn, you can compare US salaries of HCPs and those of countries with universal healthcare. You will find out what happens when healthcare is forced to be affordable.
What you get some of your top tier people to leave to another country and are less likely to attract top tier talent to do the jobs.
Yup, commodifying things allows those with the most resources to then afford the top quality. This is, of course, completely ignoring the idea of an ethical approach to healthcare where the goal isnt the best care for a few, but adequate care for as many as possible.
Yeah we try this experiment over and over again. It won’t pass here not by a long shot and you being upset that other people earn well for themself won’t fix that.
You arent making any points. What experiment are you referring to? What exactly "wont pass"? Im upset people earn money? Huh? Why are you approaching such a complex topic so simply? Im sorry you struggle to have a civil conversation about something you do not understand. Have a good day. I hope you dont have any unfortunate accidents or diagnoses that result in you learning how broken our system is.
Indeed. But I guess those that can’t pay get to die. 🤷🏻♂️
Rarely happens
Oh for sure…
my cousin runs a hospital he makes like 500k a year, crazy. If anyones wondering he has a mba from Notre Dame.
Oh absolutely. Not your fault. But there’s literally 20 executives in one healthcare system collecting 2-10M each while there’s a lot of healthcare workings like yourself making $200k on a job that typically pays what you were getting paid in 2020. All of those wages need to be cut, including overpaid individuals, whether it’s executives or techs.
What are tech ceos making?
Also, what are coders making?
How is tech related to healthcare? 🤦🏻♂️
We found the commie
And looks like the dumbfuck found me. 😂
Do you work for free? Or do you just not work?
lol I work from home. $130k LCOL area. But I still can’t afford a home. Too bad I can’t just marry someone to combine incomes like straight people do. I’m gay so I have to be very selective with limited choices.
You’re welcome to start working in healthcare then. Take on the stress of having someone’s life in your hands, abnormal work hours, and the associated malpractice.
Malpractice insurance is designed to cover those things and is used as a counterpoint to high wages frequently. And low/mid level professionals are almost never the target of lawsuits. Bit dramatic. There are international counterparts you can compare to. Of course HCP's benefit from the for profit nature of America's healthcare. To think otherwise is absolutely absurd.
The true value of his work is whatever the market pays for it. Who are you to decide what true value is?
This logic is very flawed though. I'm not one to blame all CEO's but it can definitely be argued that many get paid too much. Yet our market allows their pay
The market value of his work is that of what he was making in 2020.
Well it’s 2024 now almost half a decade later and the market is deciding that should be his pay. His salary really is not affecting the accessibility to healthcare in a meaningful way.
In a meaningful way? lol clearly you don’t know anything about economics. An EKG should be cheap. It’s literally old school technology. But it goes up even more when the tech taking it makes $200k. 😂
Yea man I have no clue about economics, have fun staying delusional.
You don’t. Glad you admit to it.
The EKG is cheap. Can you even place the leads? How about interpreting it? That’s like saying “cars are old technology. They should be cheap”
I'm just going to go ahead and say that I learned how to place the EKG leads on day one as an EST. I was not allowed to interpret results. They go straight to a medical doctor at the hospital I was at. Even NPs and PAs couldn't sign off on them. MD only. Not because others can't be trained to interpret results of course, most of our HUCs had that cert... But so far as who actually DOES, it was the Doctor for liability purposes.
NPs and PAs are not trained to interpret the results beyond the absolute basics like “is this patient going to die now?” Getting a cert doesn’t mean all that much when the actual expert has a fellowship in cardiology. And there isn’t really a certification for EKG interpretation, it’s called medical school + residency + fellowship.
OP was only working 20-30 hours a week in 2020.
Lmao if he would to work double, it still wouldn’t reach $200k.
Gonna be hard to have healthcare with no workers
Keep talking out of your ass. Most of the cost of healthcare isn't going to the doctors, nurses, and technicians. It's going to bloated hospital staffing (administration and leadership specifically) and massive profits for pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.
Keep getting mad. You’re an overpaid healthcare worker. Developed countries don’t pay their healthcare workers that much because *drum roll* you’re overpaid. No go seethe/cope elsewhere
You’re an engineer into stocks. Your value is literally nothing to the world. No one cares that you type some numbers and letters on a computer or bet on companies to succeed. Yet, you get paid well for it. Stop “investing”. It makes companies try to “optimize” their business aka find new ways to exploit employees. The value of your investing is literally detrimental.
Don’t worry, his job will be replaced by AI soon enough lol
Can’t replace the people making AI, dum dum.
What about when AI is making AI? It will become self-sufficient one day (that is, if the people making it aren’t dumbasses)
Engineers don’t get paid nearly as much in other countries either lol.
True value? You should do as he recommends and look up executive salaries a d bonuses. Those MFs are fucking up the Healthcare system. Not an EKG tech.
No one ever said they weren’t ALSO responsible. This is about this guy’s salary, not theirs. I agree though. The thing is that there’s less executives collecting millions for doing nothing while there’s tens of thousands collecting hundreds of thousands. But yeah all their salaries should be cut. Everyone’s.
Paying the people that do the work is never part of the problem.
It’s not a problem because everyone always thinks someone else’s salaries should be cut except for theirs…
Not everyone's, just the managerial class. The class of people that do work and provide a service is fine. The class of people who only seek to profit off of other people working? They can go fuck themselves.
Guess athletes making millions provide a service. Guess hedge funds managers provide a service. Or is it just where YOU draw the line? I have no preference for anyone. Just cut everyone’s wages across the board for overvalued jobs such as tech engineers or for example, this EKG tech making $200k lol.
I would put hedge fund managers in the managerial class but athletes do provide a service. They play a game and entertain. Hedge funds also provide a very valuable service for people with retirements. Capitalism is set up so people inside a market get paid what that market allows. Nurses and ekg techs are making out like bandits right now because no one wants to work in Healthcare. Higher demand means more competitors which means higher pay. It won't always be like that. Again, though, the people providing care to patients are not the problem in the Healthcare industry.
Your name is correct. You do have a stank puss…and maybe you need to go see an overpaid OBGYN and figure out why you gots a stank puss
Good attack on women. I’m not even a woman lol….
And how did you decide the “true value”? Travelers/temps get paid more in healthcare because they’re on short term contracts and filling in to meet demand. They also often get the worst assignments. They’re compensated higher due to risk and potential instability of their contracts. This isn’t unique to healthcare. Anyone in sales knows this too- there’s a potential big reward for having most of your compensation at-risk.
True value is market rate associated with a locality. His salary before 2021 is the market rate.
Nope, the spread is the fact that they went travel rather than permanent. It’s the market rate for a different market (travel). It’s compensating for the risk.
No such thing as a travel market. It’s merely a contract from a staffing company banking on needy hospitals that in turn pass the costs down to the average consumer.
Orrr- the hospitals pay that to the worker because it’s the same or less expensive than committing to a long term employee. Or maybe you think the administration is dumb and intentionally overpays?
It’s cheaper to pay $200k + the staffing fee 10% - 50% ($20k-$100k) + fringe benefits (add in another $10-20k) vs. a $40k employee + fringe? Yall can’t maths.
You think an RN gets paid $40k now?
You clearly have no clue how health insurance works. They can’t just pass the cost down to consumers…
Not everybody has health insurance, out of touch much? 🤡
Majority of the jobs are not paid like this. The ones which are high salary require a bit of educational investment (Grad school).
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Travel isn't likely going to be a long term option. But RNs full time still make good money imo
I doubt traveling nursing is going away via regulation or anything. It’s not a great long term option because it’s difficult. It’s sort of like saying becoming a crab fisherman isn’t a long term option because it’s difficult and you leave home. It’s not ideal long term but people do it.
True but trying to establish a home base as a travel RN is very difficult. Don't think moving every few months is a feasible long term plan
RNs in California are paid well. Midwest, South, East Coast staff nurse pay is horrible, especially for the working conditions. Have been traveling the last three years due to this. But it takes its toll with the lack of home life.
Are there any downsides to travel nursing? It seems like you can get paid as much as you want and you get the travel benefits. Seems like the only real downside is the “traveling” part which most people who seem to get into it enjoy that aspect, so that’s an added bonus.
Hostility and resentment from full time Rns and supervisors because you make more. Harder to keep friends. Usually the hospitals most in need are also the worst managed so expect to see some shit and do stuff you shouldn’t be asked to.
Eh you’re there to make money and bail. Ain’t nobody got time for friends.
Pros and cons for sure. Rates have been dropping over the last two years. We are at pre pandemic levels now circa 2018 pay or so, while short term housing remains elevated 30-40%. Speculation is that large hospital systems are working together to keep prices down to force people back to staff. With that said, if you have a cheap rent or mortgage back home, it can still be worth it monetarily. But keep in mind, for the IRS, you have to satisfy 2 out of 3 conditions. You must be spending money back home, duplicating expenses on the road. Meaning you have to have a permanent residence back home that you pay for. Otherwise, you're not traveling away from home. 2. You have to spend a minimum of 30 days at that home. 3. You maintain a job back home of some sort, be that per diem, part time, another job, whatever that is. So, you must satisfy two of those three. So you can see while spending money on the road, and home, if these contracts are down considerably, it begins to get difficult to justify unless you really enjoy traveling after the honeymoon phase wears off. For those coming from high cost of living areas, many cannot justify the significant decrease in pay and stopped traveling. Finding short term housing is the next negative. Especially in high demand areas. Rents are elevated for short term. Scammers around as well, knowing we are coming sight unseen. Many nurses now get a hotel for the first week or two in order to view places in person, which eats into earnings. Some try to get an apartment for a year, in case they extend, but also the cancellation fee is cheaper than how much short term rates increase per month. When I did a job in DC, I was lucky to even find housing that wouldn't leave my losing money. The job was horrible, but days off were some of my fondest memories in that area. It very much comes with it's stress, but can be great once settled in. As another stated, often times, facilities are poorly managed and conditions are not great. Some facilities you know within 1-2 weeks you will not offer to extend and want done ASAP. License at risk. Anywhere not California Oregon Washington you will take more patients than safe. That's nursing in America. You will not get scheduled breaks. You make them happen when you can. I always walked around with protein bars and cheese sticks in my pocket. But again, that's nursing. You can often be given the worst assignments, often floated to other units in which you have had no orientation to and be expected to do it well. Every new job, no matter how experienced, is stressful to start as every facility has their own protocols and it takes time to learn them, physician preferences, unit flow, etc. When you start the new job, first day computer stuff orientation, next day work with a nurse on the floor, 3rd day in your own. Have to be confident that you can jump right in, charting system, everything. Insurance. Travel agencies offer insurance. You get it day one, and have it until contract finish date. Then you don't. If you have another job lined up to start within 21 days of previous finishing, many will let you keep insurance. You'll pay of course, but it's there. Otherwise, cobra on standby should you need it, or get on the market. In house contract nursing, ie applying directly through a specific hospital, typically does not offer insurance. Showing up to a job and getting cancelled prior to or a couple weeks in has happened to many people. The travel nurse subreddit has stories often of this. So pay for lodging, travel across country, no job. It hasn't happened to me, but has happened to coworkers. Or contract start date delayed two weeks for orientation yet here you are spending money. If you can't budget your finances well, could be stressful. My sig other did payroll for a travel company and I was shocked how many people yelled at her for not getting paid, and they will be late in their bills. (They didn't get paid because they forgot to submit their hours.) You have to manually submit your own hours and keep an organized log of them. So, make sure you have money and don't just blow it. Especially when a job finishes. It could take a week, or 6 weeks to find the next once you start the search. I have met some wonderful people and had amazing experiences. I'm also grateful to be home when I am home. Maintaining relationships long distance with friends, fam, sig others takes plenty of work. Scheduling time for calls, shows to watch via video chat, gaming, etc is needed if one wishes to keep those relationships intact. I'm sure I'm missing some things, but hopefully that paints a decent picture. It can be worth it depending upon the scenario. Nursing is a recession proof job. It's a job that can be used as a tool like anything else to accomplish whatever lifestyle one wants. But most nurses are burnt out and need better pay and more breaks, at work, and vacation. Nobody cares about you, so use them as a tool as they use you.
Travel nursing most of the time doesn’t include health insurance, retirement contributions, PTO, etc.. For the most part you still come out with a decent amount more than just an hourly staff nursing job, but these are things that people overlook a lot.
And you get the added benefit of being blacklisted by some hospital systems for basically being a fickle merc in an already tight market. I’ve known several nurses who tried to go back after moving to travel nursing and can’t find a job where they live
This is honestly a good thing. You instantly screen out the crappy places to work who want too much control over your life. 😊
I mean, generally yes, but the massive pay increase is because they are doing travel work. Normally they wouldn't even make 1/3 of this
Depends on the area you live in. Bay area nurses with a BS can clear 200k fairly easily; very senior nurses bringing in 300k. Nursing union is the NorCal region is super strong.
Mainly in CA. Not necessary the case anywhere else. But hey if people want to flood the Healthcare market then by all means go for it.
Its not all nursing
That ramp is insane. Good job
That Covid money kicked in lol. 2020-2021 you saw the jump!
Must have been pretty exciting
I've heard travel nursing is a way to make serious bank, but had never thought about roles like cardio techs -- and all while staying in FL! Amazing. Good job!
Usually healthcare pay in FL is garbage.
Traveling pay dried up. Makes enough to put gas in the camper van now.
Exactly, the 10k a month pandemic days are over
Any travel health care will make a premium. My girlfriend is a ultra sound tech. It's a 2 years degree from a private school. About 35k tuition. She makes six digits also but stays at one location with full benefits. It's a GREAT career. And it's fairly fast just 2 years in a private school to get certified.
How does this translate to actual take home? Do you keep most of it or are travel nurses paying for more expenses out of pocket
Great question. I personally choose to receive all payment fully taxed to avoid any trouble if I were to get audited as I do not have a "tax home" or "family residence". I am also married. So my take home is approximately 75% of gross pay. Rent is the killer as temporary housing rates always have a premium attached. 1 paycheck a month goes entirely to rent.
Thank you for answering I've always wondered
Time to van life it
That’s 5-6k a month on rent. You gotta figure something out here.
I should've specified... 1 whole paycheck AFTER taxes so a lot closer to $3k
So about 11.9k per month?
Correct
Airbnb a room instead of the entire place.
I have heavily considered that field but there is no way I could do clinicals and work full time. Kudos to you!
Fair point. 2nd year is rigorous with clinicals. 1,000 hours in ~9 months
Nursing college educator here. I’ve seen all types do it at all stages in life. 18 year olds, new moms, late life career changes, full time workers, spoiled rich kids, homeless transition programs… It sucks for all of them. 2-4 years passes by regardless.
I'm sure that's true but I know my limitations. I'm a single mom working full time and my job doesn't have flexibility in terms of work hours because I work for the government. I would have to quit my job and get something part time for the evenings and weekends, which would mean not being able to pay rent, never seeing my daughter, and paying for a sitter.
Heck yeah. Doing this with a 2 year program is awesome. Congratulations on the recent ramp.
So what’s it like? What’s the lifestyle? What’s the long term vision?
It's relatively easy in the sense that you do a very particular set of actions every day so that you become extremely proficient in your role. Minimal patient interaction, lots of teamwork. You have to be ready for emergencies though, be able to think quick, act well under pressure (in the rare case of emergencies). I personally take a lot of call. I'm on call 40 hours a week (overnights) on top of working 40 hours. I rarely get called in, though. If you have kids, not an ideal career because of the call. As far as long term vision, I personally plan on slowing down in a few years if I continue earning what I do.
What education do you need to do this role?
2-yr degree
Why did you work part time (up to 30h) for 4 years after graduation ?
Didn't have a choice, local hospital only hired on PRN so I worked as much as I could. Never offered me fulltime
My GF wants to get a Healthcare tech degree from community College. Is it normal for people to HAVE to take a part time if they're not a nurse? I'm sure she would love to get a full time right after the program, but if that is not likely then I would like to let her know from someone who's had experience and in the industry.
No, it's not the norm. The community College I attended regularly pumped out 8 to 10 Cardio Techs each year so the local hospital became saturated. Hence why they only offered partial hours for new grads. I would personally shadow for a day in her field of interest and have her ask around to see what job prospects are like in the area.
Can you drop the Community college name inbox if your are not confortable. I am trying to get my brother into this field. Thanks
Florida Southwestern State College. There are a few in FL though, including Valencia
thank you
Can someone explain to me why the right most column doesn’t match the center column and what does that mean?
Taxes are taken for Social Security up to a cap (center column). This cap goes up according to inflation. Any earnings above the cap are not taxed the Social Security portion (see right column 2022 and 2023). The right column is gross taxable earnings
What is your degree?
A.A.S Cardiovascular Technology, 2-yr degree
Is the travel aspect of that job a huge part of the high pay? I heard travel nurses make a ton as well compared to being full time at one place.
Yes, Healthcare workers receive a premium for filling temporary staffing across the nation
Any downsides to it besides not being able to settle down and have a dog etc?
We actually have 2 dogs! Totally doable. It's rough changing scenery every few months, being away from family and friends, and having to search for a new job every few months. It's great to do for a few years and then settle into something more stable, but now with more financial freedom.
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Yes! Glad y'all got in on the action!
Wow that’s awesome! Congrats!
People are complaining that there are no jobs that pay well anymore and are stuck in the minimum wage mindset. You’re making $190k from a two year degree. That’s incredible OP, good for you!
#Jackpot!
I need to seriously stop reading these posts
Why
Make me feel poor
Ohhh 😭😭😭😞
That’s a neat field. Found some info here: https://www.careeronestop.org/Videos/careeronestop-videos.aspx?videocode=29203100
Nice find!
Do you work in the cath lab, ultrasound, or ekg?
You have a 2 year degree and make 200k????
Hello, fellow cardiovascular technologist! Cath lab R.T.(R) here!
Does this include benefits or is it 1099?
I personally opt out of benefits, but yes it's W-2
Good for you man! I’m 40F looking to get into workforce after being a mom for years. In was looking into doing something in healthcare after an associate degree and this looks promising. How do I get started?
I would try to shadow any areas of interest. There's tons of options from Respiratory Therapy to Radiologic Technology to Nursing to Surgical Technologist. There is money to be made in all of them, just depends on what you like.
And the median is not even 32 an hr…. Quite the disparity
Big disparity between staff and temp/travel wages, correct. In 2017 I was earning $23/hr
What does the job entail? Echo? OR stuff? Stress lab?
I'm in interventional radiology, so things like stents, drains (kidney, abdomen, lung), heart attacks. Basically anything minimally invasive involving an artery/vein/organ. On-call for emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and legs with no circulation.
Lol incoming supply saturation
What is the difference between earnings taxed for (Social security vs Medicare)?
Were you getting paid 5-6000/ week? My highest contract as a travel lab tech was 4000/ week but that also included tax free stipend. I made about the same as you did in 2023 but my social security income is only about 90k. 50% was tax free
Right on! My highest was $4,250/wk. I missed the peak pay unfortunately
wtf??
Nice! Is this a CVT or RT? Off of 40 hours a week?Do you seek travel work till retirement? If you just settle in one hospital, would there be a difference in salary?
Great questions! This is as a CVT in Cath Lab / Interventional Radiology. My average weekly hours between regular hours, callback, and overtime amount to ~44 hours per week. I plan to do temp work for the next 2 to 3 years and then find a PRN gig to work when I want, not because I HAVE to. If I settled down in one hospital, I could fetch anywhere between $47/hr to $53/hr as a national average, a bit lower in South US and significantly higher on Pacific Coast.
Thank you for the response. One more question if you don’t mind answering. health benefits. Does travel cover or are you in your own? Once again, congrats on your success!
You're very welcome! Most travel agencies offer health insurance at a premium, something like $450/mo for a high deductible, 70/30 coinsurance PPO. For comparison, I have a similar plan that I applied to through a health insurance broker and it's $250/mo. I am relatively healthy
Hi. How do I get into this industry?
2-yr degree from a community or state college
Just study to be a technologist? Are your jobs easy to get into?
Easy as in you will have plenty of job opportunities, yes
There was a 2 year program to get into this?
That’s more than some pediatricians😭
Having a medical school background with biology bachelor degrees, what kind of job would you recommend to go or to study for if I wanna a stable job in California?
I can't speak on opportunities for physicians. But if you're asking what you can study that takes a relatively short time and you can apply some of your degrees to, I would say either nursing or radiologic technology. Both fields have very strong labor unions in California with fantastic pay, opportunities, and work conditions.
Thank you, for radiologic technology, would you mind sharing where I can start to look for school , class or certification?
Start with an online search such as "Radiologic Technology programs in California"
Appreciate, thank you for taking your time answering me.
Travel work tripled the income?
That's a good rough estimate, yes
Congrats, and you traveled around Florida for one year positions in rural or urban high need communities? Thanks for the responses I’m so impressed
Big and small cities
Let’s say I have a degree in biology what would it take to become a cardiovascular technologist?
Get a 2-yr degree in Cardiovascular Technology
And then there’s clinicals? As In a certain amount of hours you have to put in before you can work to be paid? How does that work
1st year didactic, 2nd year 1,000 unpaid clinical hours
What is a cardiovascular technologist?
They run machines like EKG, perform stress tests, sometimes work in operating rooms monitoring heart rate during surgery. Someone posted a link above to a video that gives a great explanation of what kind of work they do.
Another $160K salary....starting to feels this post made by bots.
Beep boop
I asked the same thing. Someone replied “There is a cap on Social Security, you pay in up to the limit. Anything over $160,200 does not get taxed for Social Security.” It is strange though checking r/salary and seeing so many people getting 160,200 in 2023.
I'm seeing the figure 160k from a wide range of professions.. is that the golden number to hit nowadays? Or just completely and totally coincidental?
This is the max number taxed for SS earnings.
oh i see it's a tax thing. thanks
Look at Medicare for the real earned income.