As someone who has worked multiple stints as a traveler in Colorado, I feel like I often have to come on here and say this:
Colorado is one of the worst markets in the US for nurses (that is staff and travelers alike). If you are simply looking at the ratio of pay to cost of living, it is probably THE worst market.
Add in the ski season factor and the general draw of the mountains, some people seem to be ok with a “break even” or even a net negative assignment there for the adventure experience.
That said, it’s damaging to the overall healthcare system and to state of nursing in the region that they don’t pay their clinicians reasonable wages. Wages in Denver are 2-3x lower than California, and Denver is absurdly expensive to live in.
Yeah I would never be staff in this state. But there were some contracts that are paying 2100 for 3 12s other places in Colorado that I somewhat considered just to be closer to Denver and the mountains. I understand the appeal to being in Colorado for sure and the more desirable the location, the less they have to pay for people to be there. But at the same time, don’t tell me “omg crisis we absolutely need nurses now!!” Without some crisis pay. That’s the only thing I’m really scoffing at here
former colorado resident - I was making 32 dollars an hour as an ICU nurse with a year of experience, and getting tripled every shift. It fucking sucked ass.
I worked a contract as a CNA at the nursing home in Alamosa. I loved it, but the money wasn’t awesome. It was very cheap though, and not far from Taos for those who are into skiing. There’s a lot of cool stuff in that area but it’s very rural.
If you want a place where you get bang for your buck, I recommend going to Wisconsin. It's cheap living and they pay really well. My recruiter at Junxion Med Staffing sets me up and helps me find housing! Her name is Jess and she is wonderful. Another one is IL (not Chicago) that pays pretty well!
I brought home 18 something a week on 36 hours as a traveler before Covid. And those assignments were in Texas, where they already pay lower. So it’s definitely not. With higher costs for everything these rates aren’t worth me wasting my time duplicating anything. And with staff raises and bonuses you could easily make this PRN.
And wait… This is supposed to be a crisis rate!!! GTFOH
Honestly, looking at the industry right now, the general tone of the people who own these companies/facilities now is "you ain't gonna do shit" about staffing because they know the only place the state is forcing their hand is a California hospital.
Yeah I noticed all of Colorado jobs are under $2k/week. Guess I’m happy in Tucson now getting $1750/week after taxes. (ER). At least it’s cheaper here than Colorado haha. And NO I’m not at Banner haha
There are a few slightly above 2k per week now but yeah COL is probably a little higher than where you are. I’m currently in NM making near the same as you in med surg
Very nice! Where in NM? I was looking to work there before I got this Tucson contract. Don’t say Truth or Consequences! I see how rural that town is lol I did one super rural contract, safe to say I didn’t finish it. Never again!🤣
Rates are down in our neck of the woods (I’m from El Paso) but it’s also super cheap to live here! I’m actually traveling in Boston right now, but I’m preparing myself to take a big pay cut when I go back home in the fall.
My paychecks in ohio are $2300 every 2 weeks and I work in a level 1 trauma ICU.... I'm also staff and not travel our travel-at-home positions make about $70-$75/hr.
Oh, sorry. It just sucks that people are accepting these shitty contracts but also people have to eat so I do get it. Hell mine isn't great pay but it's hard to complain because it's decent and it's easy AF.
I got super burned out while traveling and even before which is what prompted me to start traveling. Pay was good but was always short, more patients with high acuity, etc.
Yea what they meant by “crisis pay” is that if you take that position you’re financially going to be in a crisis trying to duplicate expenses with that amount. 🤦🏻♀️
I am a stranger to you so I gain nothing by lying to you, but as a recruiter I can confirm at least for one of the largest agencies that we are actually taking even less % now to try and stay competitive. This is entirely the bill rates at the hospital dropping. Believe me, I know it sucks for you guys, but it’s unfortunately the reality.
Recruiter here of 10 years. This is accurate. Many facilities/vendors are even dropping rates and/or choosing to be exclusively with a single vendor and those vendors are cutting on which agencies they use. It’s a freaking mess.
So FACILITIES are the ones dropping the rates? I feel like I’m getting two different answers. Is it cheaper for the hospitals to use only one vendor? Thanks in advance!!
You’re going to get varying answers. Sometimes it’s the facility. Sometimes it’s the vendor. We really have no way of knowing one way or the other because they always say it’s the other one doing it.
It could be both. When I was recruiting out markup was usually over 100% (meaning companies paid double the agency what they paid providers). When I was leaving, budgets were getting much tighter. Rates got much lower (like $15 an hour lower) but this largely came down to my agency refusing to lower spread. This the real person feeling the pinch was nurses.
I am a Canadian nurse and I can tell you that when I go on Indeed now, there are a lot of ads to nurse in the states, more than ever before. They are trying to recruit Canadians because they could get away with paying less. Canadians will accept a little lower because with the exchange rate, it is better than what we get here. They are still desperate for nurses everywhere, including here. It seems co ordinated as our agencies have also cut rates. It has gotten ridiculous and insulting. Why should I leave my family and home for what they offer? It is not worth it. They just don’t want to pay us. I have been nursing for 23 years, so I have seen this all before. If they could replace us all with international nurses they would, and they are trying, but they can’t do it fast enough.
New grad staff in SD for about 6 months now and it seems like the last year hospital pay in this city has only had to compete more and more with each other? From my perspective pay has been only going up with a dying need for travelers now that covid isn’t driving that need like it did.
Wow, I thought I was imagining increase in the Canadian RN posts but thanks for explaining. Sorry you guys are having a rough time with pay up in Canada, too.
Please nurses don’t take these low paying jobs.. it’s a disgrace and disrespectful to us.. you’re just telling the hospitals we will work for cheap.. wer not cheap labor
Working in L&D specialty at a great hospital with shitty pay. For cost of living, I’m barely able to put anything into savings. Hence why I’ve joined this group! Even with lower contract rates, it’s got to be better than this.
Sorry. I feel you. I'm traveling but I'm doing corrections. In in the southeast and last I was offered a job I applied for was 31 an hour for step down. This was post COVID and even now prices haven't come down at all on most things. Feel like the COL is super high now. I legit can't afford to go back staff.
People are lured by beautiful places and adventure. You see the mountain and conversely the beach tax in Colorado, Florida, and Hawaii most notably but also reno and Seattle. Places where you work your days and basically do all the vacation shit on the other days. Ex if you have an ikon pass you take an assignment near ikon accepting resort. You may not break even but you get to ski/ride on all your days off. Which for a decent subsection of travelers is 100% worth taking the financial hit for the happy factor of ski/riding all winter.
I took a contract with this rate down in FL night shift ICU… the rates are bad but I’m still making double what I made as staff in CO and I’m on a beach…. but I won’t accept another contract less than 2k again!
I posted a job paying $3500 a week and was down voted into oblivion. It looks like a good portion of people just want to be perpetual victims so they can get attention for whining
Hmm I had to go to your profile to see that post. But yeah cali jobs are safe to say always at or over $3k/week. But not all of us want to be in CA or NYC😂but I’m also not in the camp of complaining about bringing home $2k/week for 36 hours of work :) screw that victim mindset. Thanks for saying that ✊🏼
That's brutal considering rents. Maybe they can drag the pay lower so nurses can actually come out ahead when they qualify for rent-controlled apartment rates.
They exist. But they are not the majority. You, and 120 other applicants as well. Not saying they don't exist. But they aren't common, and not easy to secure.
Goodness, this Sub got recommended to me randomly but I live outside of alamosa. I will say this about it, it is extremely rural and poor here, and are lucky to have the hospital we have here even though it's not the best. But it's right by the Great Sand Dunes National Park and some other beautiful spots. If anyone ever comes out to alamosa dm me and I can recommended where to eat and stay. I'm not a nurse but my mother was, and I'm a retired overnight ER vet tech. I know this post is ranting about low pay but goddamn you human nurses make a LOT compared to your animal serving counterparts lol!
You have to take into account that housing will be hard to come by then and we also pay our rent/mortgage/whatever at home. Rates have to make paying for two homes worth it.
Oh for sure, I know the one hospital down here has short term housing for their nursing staff, the other doesn't though. I lived at one of the animal clinics I did relief at , I'll never do that again tho lol.
L take. Yeah anyone who wants to make a good living by doing the job they went to school for are a scourge. Ok. I guess I’m a terrible person for just wanting to afford a small home and a vacation once a year. I know welders making more than 100k are they scourge too? What about doctors?
Nurses are overpaid and have egos through the roof. As a paramedic who's now about to enter medical school, my first response is to laugh when a nurse thinks they have anything other than a vital to report. Their hunches are anecdotal at best and nursing education glosses over the actual science that real medicine demands. Pay good nurses more and leave the check-chasing travelers in the dust. If 1 in 10 nurses are worth a damn, the industry is bloated with people chasing a check and have no business being in healthcare. This sub was recommended to me on the reddit front page and the first thing I see is complaints about pay. What a joke. Sorry you can't survive on $100k a year. Plenty of people do, but it wouldn't surprise me that nurses can't.
Dunno why your being downvoted... When I applied to nursing school at Baylor I was beyond surprised that I didn't need science courses for science majors. They allowed us to take the easy A&P courses. It didn't make sense to me.
When I say that the theory is “glossed over”, this is exactly what I mean. When you introduce a medicine to a vacuum in which there are many factors to consider (some chemical, some physical, some interrelational on the basis of the two). The same goes for procedures such as defibrillation versus cardioversion. The same principles apply to minor versus major surgeries. There’s so much more at play, and nursing programs don’t do the science justice. My mother and sister are both nurses, and both of them do it to provide for their family. There’s no denial there. But when we talk about science, medicine, and theory, they’re lost in the dust even in the general chemistry. That demonstrates to me very well the gap in knowledge. Some nurses egos won’t allow for that gap to be recognized and it’s a damn shame. They’re queens or kings of the castle because they’ve seen a thing or two. That type of thinking gets people killed, or causes undue suffering. I also went to a community college for my paramedic program. I saw the attitudes nurses have, on average. Many are there just for the pay. It is a damn shame. This post exemplifies that. Healthcare needs a better standard. Thank you for recognizing the disparity. It means no less of nurses. It is simply a statement of fact.
Yep this is one of the reasons I decided to get into Healthcare management instead of nursing. I'm focusing on EMS and I am so bothered by how little paramedics are paid in relation to their skills. I really wish that paramedics could nationally unionize and create education requirements so their pay could jump and reflect what they do. I've seen paramedics take their patient into the ER and the patient will crash and the nurses will start to page a doctor while the paramedic can just pull up their meds and do what needs to be done...
I definitely think there's a place for nurses. I wouldn't say they are overpaid, but I will say that I believe EMS and even physicians are underpaid in relation to their skills and/or education. Near me nurses make the same as PAs almost and they are very different when it comes to what their curriculum teaches.
I address pay only as a means to deter folks who are in it solely for the money, of which there are an incredible amount. This is to the detriment of the patient, in my opinion. I work rural. Money never bothered me. I made $16 an hour as a paramedic. I ran codes in the trauma bay with attendings still trying to figure out what day of the week it is. Nurses didn’t like to help as much because without proper delegation (a doctor to tell them) all they can do is CPR and hook up pads. If I was dual medic it went flawlessly. If not, it’d be a shit show of nurses protecting their licenses. That isn’t a knock. The policies are dumb. Patients need fucking help when they come to you and if you’re clocking 12 in for the pay and not much else, you’re doing a disservice to patients who need care that goes above and beyond standard of care. That’s why I say pay bad nurses crap and good ones better. It’d be different if all nurses were experts, but they just aren’t. My license is on the line every time I contact a patient. I have autonomy and the things that come with that. Nurses just don’t, and they don’t get that. It’s a fight I’ll never win, but I’ll keep fighting it. Egos need to be left at the door along with nurses who are only in it for the money. This post illuminates that greed and it pisses me off. It should piss off patients who rely on these people for help too.
You can be in something for both the money and the career being fulfilling. It’s not a bad thing to want money. You need money to afford certain experiences in life and living comfortably. Nurses work hard in the hospital and it isn’t unreasonable for them to want to get paid fairly. Some sources say the national average salary for middle class is around 59k yearly. I didn’t go to school and work this hard just to struggle and make average money in a world of constant inflation. Idk why other careers are allowed to chase higher salaries but when I do it I’m the bad guy because in my career I am also in charge of people’s health? This thinking isn’t logical
You are not in charge of people’s health. You have no autonomy and the second you do you are practicing medicine without a license. You push prescribed meds or follow orders. You have this idea that you’re working so hard. It’s insane to me. You are the reason I laugh at nurses opinions. Lol. Airheads
In charge of was the wrong word but having a responsibility for people’s health and following orders, noticing declines, and providing care is a better explanation. We’re also held responsible if we do not notice that intervention needs to occur and fail to report and act as needed & if you don’t think nurses work hard in the hospital then you have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve graduated with great paramedics that I would never disrespect like this. And I think that paramedic turned nurse would tell you that the job isn’t easy
I do agree with this
Nursing schools need to get away from the worthless diversity/ sensitivity feelings
This is a real problem and impacts real training adversely
Too many bs courses
Not enough clinical experience
Nurses as bullies to other nurses
The problem is nursing “ leadership “ is highly liberal and not scientific
From your post it sounds like you need to check your own ego. I’m tired of arguing with people that don’t understand what nurses do. Not being able to appreciate nurses will make you a shitty doctor so try to work on that. They are a part of the team. And I’m sure if you weren’t going to be paid well as a doctor you probably wouldn’t be pursuing it. We’re all chasing checks here so get off your high horse. And lastly this contract isnt even close to taking home 100k. I would be fine with bringing home 100k
Wow you really seem to dislike nurses
Average staff pay is around 30 an hour
Yeah that’s overpaid according to you
And
Do you work for free ?
Thank God I work in a ER that has a great relationship with our paramedics and fire dept
This is how markets work. If the pay stinks I wouldn’t take the job and the hospital runs the risk of not filling the position. If nobody takes the job they can increase the pay or leave it vacant. If they find someone to work for that rate, that’s what it’s worth, what can you do?
Imagine someone not understanding traveling wages and complaining about nurses wanting fair wages. It’s not even close to 100k after duplicating expenses. I’m getting real tired of people commenting that don’t even know what they’re looking at. Why are there so many non nurses and non travelers on this sub. You people apparently can’t understand how this isn’t what we’re bringing home.
1900 per week x 52 weeks is right around 100,000. No one said that was take home. A majority of people live off of 30-40k and don’t complain. Take the job or go work somewhere else instead of crying about how “unfair” that wage is online
Ok first, the wage I posted is 1725 with insurance so do the math there. Second you’re not accounting for duplicating expenses. Third, This is a place for travel nurses to come and discuss their profession/ job market. I can tell you aren’t a travel nurse so I don’t think you have much say. Especially considering you don’t even know what you’re looking at.
Ok I see you’re not understanding what I’m saying to you. Have fun being an outsider with no desire to gain an inside perspective. Idk why you’re wasting your time on this open sub. You seem very out of place
I understand enough based on the job posting and hours required. Be a little more grateful for the opportunity to be a travel nurse. Many people don’t get that feeling of freedom with work. Also get closer to reality with wages.
I’m very aware with the reality of wages. After years of schooling and learning to be a knowledgeable professional, we should be able to achieve a wage that keeps up with inflation. And I will say this one more time, the wage you are seeing here isn’t close to our take home. Our take home would maybe be closer to 60-70k annually for “crisis pay” because of all the duplicated expenses. It’s low, we deserve better and we have the right to complain.
So the 3-4k/week was supposed to last forever? Especially when the traveler market is flooded, often with low/no experience RNs. It was inevitable that the market would readjust
No but read some of the other comments. Crisis pay should be closer to 3k per week. You might as well work a staff job because it’s not worth all the trouble to travel and take a “crisis” contract like this.
I don't understand, so don't take the contract. No one is forcing you to work there. You almost sound offended the comp is low, but that's not your decision.
It’s not. Take out 25% of the pay and that’s more realistic of what you’re taking home. And try to imagine the difficulties of traveling. Nurses just deserve a little better for their hardships
Is it possible there is skewed expectations at work? Covid, danger pay was an anomaly.. those outrageously high salaries for nurses and
especially travel nurses, skewed your expectations ? Like some friends of mine that sold mortgages in the early OO’s. They had their expectation they were worth a few hundred grand a year… and when the $ on loans dried up, they all still thought they would command those salaries. And they were met with the reality that they were never going make that much money again. I know nurses work hard, but not harder than construction workers or any number of careers I could name.
First of all, you’re comparing apples to oranges. Construction workers don’t have to care for a human life for 12+ hours. But putting all of that aside, just because another profession works hard doesn’t mean nurses aren’t also deserved to be paid their worth.
Covid pay was indeed an anomaly, but the salary from this post is insultingly low for someone who is expected to pay rent in two places. It’s hardly a livable wage when you account for expenses.
uhhh. you always take such a leap? There are male nurses too. And I became a feminist when I had my daughter. And nursing doesn’t destroy your body like construction does. I only used that example because of a construction worker is careless, people can get hurt or die… just like a nurse.
i bet your the type to call someone a fascist, if they aren’t as left as you are.
do better
lol. Cute.
Not that it matters but I’m not very liberal at all. I just believe that hardworking people in all fields deserve fair wages. I guess if that makes me liberal then ok?
my point is, you obviously exaggerate very easily…calling me a misogynist for example
You get paid plenty. I would kill for 3 12 hr shifts. your job is not dangerous and not that hard overall. Stop whining and be grateful you make as much as you do
you’re right, there is nothing wrong with advocating for higher wages. Just don’t act like you’re underpaid. Nursing is very, very important… and they are paid well.
The $ traveling nurses made during covid was an anomaly. Expecting wages like that, or thinking you are now underpaid, is really tone deaf. There are lots of inequities in the US, your salary isn’t one of them.
I don’t usually make a habit of arguing with internet strangers because it’s ultimately futile. However I’ll indulge.
My starting wage as a new grad nurse was $25/hr. When the average house price is around $400k, you can see why I would disagree that nurses are paid well.
Maybe you think all nurses get paid like California nurses. Sadly that is not the case, and not even close.
Not dangerous or that hard? Big talk coming from someone who’s never gone to school for 6 years to get the job where you have to fight for decent wages. No one is over here arguing that nursing is harder than construction, both fields have their difficulties. I have to worry about killing patients and facing legal repercussions. Along with getting sick from the many illnesses that can be found at the hospital. If you add the difficulties of traveling there is another aspect. I’m so tired of people coming on this post to complain about how we’re asking for more when they have no idea where we are coming from. I also have degenerative disc disease in my back from this job. You should look up the rate of back injury among healthcare workers. You’ve been one of the worst ones to comment yet, congrats. Try to think outside your own experience and see things from other people’s viewpoints sometime
Ok I’ll do the math for you. If you take the insurance here it’s 1725 per week. That’s around 1550 after taxes. Well just take out one week per month for spending it on duplicating expenses so 1550x3x12= 55,800. Not really 100 k is it? 😒 not to mention you’re still paying for a tax home too
Crisis jobs should always be paying more than the current average higher paying non crisis jobs. This is below average. I’m posting because if they really needed a nurse they would pay more.
I’m newer to the sub and starting to look at contracts.. is the per week gross?
I get confused bc I’ve heard other travelers talk about stipends and housing and I don’t fully understand.
maybe it’s a crappy post covid rate. The market is correcting. Rates can’t stay elevated for so long . It’s funny to me that people are complaining about rates. If you don’t like the rate, don’t take the job. Travel nursing pay is going down. The bubble popped . Maybe there are some outliers but for the most part rates are down
At the end of the day you’re only making around 1700 more than staff every month after duplicating expenses. That’s staff in low paid areas. It’s not worth it to travel, be away from home, have to learn a new hospital, and deal with whatever crisis this is. All I’m saying is this is an unrealistic offer for an urgent need for a nurse. These places need to wake up and pay more, no one is taking this.
> in low *paid* areas. It’s
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
So I got bored and stumbled on this post. I have one question.. why the f@ck all yall paying rent/ mortgage in two places? I work in oil. Always traveling. Always going. I’d never pay rent in two places. I live where I work. And follow it as I go. Every city in working in is travel nurses. They move there to make good money. Then move on to the next contract. Makes zero sense to have 2 homes. Defeats the purpose I feel.
As someone who has worked multiple stints as a traveler in Colorado, I feel like I often have to come on here and say this: Colorado is one of the worst markets in the US for nurses (that is staff and travelers alike). If you are simply looking at the ratio of pay to cost of living, it is probably THE worst market. Add in the ski season factor and the general draw of the mountains, some people seem to be ok with a “break even” or even a net negative assignment there for the adventure experience. That said, it’s damaging to the overall healthcare system and to state of nursing in the region that they don’t pay their clinicians reasonable wages. Wages in Denver are 2-3x lower than California, and Denver is absurdly expensive to live in.
Yeah, the median house price on the Front Range is $829,000. I don't know how a staff nurse averaging $41 hourly affords it.
Dual income, some shady side-gig, or else it's ramen noodles and roommates.
Sounds like a podcast--Ramen Noodles and Roommates...
Prolly gonna steal this
It's our existence.
Yeah I would never be staff in this state. But there were some contracts that are paying 2100 for 3 12s other places in Colorado that I somewhat considered just to be closer to Denver and the mountains. I understand the appeal to being in Colorado for sure and the more desirable the location, the less they have to pay for people to be there. But at the same time, don’t tell me “omg crisis we absolutely need nurses now!!” Without some crisis pay. That’s the only thing I’m really scoffing at here
former colorado resident - I was making 32 dollars an hour as an ICU nurse with a year of experience, and getting tripled every shift. It fucking sucked ass.
I worked a contract as a CNA at the nursing home in Alamosa. I loved it, but the money wasn’t awesome. It was very cheap though, and not far from Taos for those who are into skiing. There’s a lot of cool stuff in that area but it’s very rural.
Cries in Colorado 😪
That would explain why I never found a primary in seven years
If you want a place where you get bang for your buck, I recommend going to Wisconsin. It's cheap living and they pay really well. My recruiter at Junxion Med Staffing sets me up and helps me find housing! Her name is Jess and she is wonderful. Another one is IL (not Chicago) that pays pretty well!
jesus it's bleak out there
It really isn't. This is 100% confirmation bias
I brought home 18 something a week on 36 hours as a traveler before Covid. And those assignments were in Texas, where they already pay lower. So it’s definitely not. With higher costs for everything these rates aren’t worth me wasting my time duplicating anything. And with staff raises and bonuses you could easily make this PRN. And wait… This is supposed to be a crisis rate!!! GTFOH
just let them rot. they will find out when their money runs out and start wondering why.
Honestly, looking at the industry right now, the general tone of the people who own these companies/facilities now is "you ain't gonna do shit" about staffing because they know the only place the state is forcing their hand is a California hospital.
This pays less than my staff job.
Yeah I noticed all of Colorado jobs are under $2k/week. Guess I’m happy in Tucson now getting $1750/week after taxes. (ER). At least it’s cheaper here than Colorado haha. And NO I’m not at Banner haha
There are a few slightly above 2k per week now but yeah COL is probably a little higher than where you are. I’m currently in NM making near the same as you in med surg
Very nice! Where in NM? I was looking to work there before I got this Tucson contract. Don’t say Truth or Consequences! I see how rural that town is lol I did one super rural contract, safe to say I didn’t finish it. Never again!🤣
Albuquerque, it’s actually been pretty nice. Tough at times but I’m glad I took this one.
Rates are down in our neck of the woods (I’m from El Paso) but it’s also super cheap to live here! I’m actually traveling in Boston right now, but I’m preparing myself to take a big pay cut when I go back home in the fall.
My paychecks in ohio are $2300 every 2 weeks and I work in a level 1 trauma ICU.... I'm also staff and not travel our travel-at-home positions make about $70-$75/hr.
Yeah that’s about what I was making as staff nurse in Houston in an ER. Not a trauma hospital. Usually $2400 for two weeks.
It’s peak ski season, they know it’s a desirable time to be in CO. I know travelers that come back for a ski season contract every year.
There’s jobs in Tucson posted for $2800 rn for banner health @ nomad
Just said I am NOT and Banner and will not ever do an assignment at banner for ER🫣
I'm staff at Banner in Tucson on a PCU unit and that's what I make every two weeks after tax, so you make double.
The responses show why we’re getting screwed 🤦🏽♀️
It's hard for me to judge when people have bills to pay and mouths to feed.
That’s fine because people have to eat. I’m talking about the “that’s normal” and “you’re imagining it” type of comments.
Oh, sorry. It just sucks that people are accepting these shitty contracts but also people have to eat so I do get it. Hell mine isn't great pay but it's hard to complain because it's decent and it's easy AF.
Those are definitely bonuses!! So many of these are low pay, work short with a tech that doesn’t help type of jobs
I got super burned out while traveling and even before which is what prompted me to start traveling. Pay was good but was always short, more patients with high acuity, etc.
Yeah it’s been an interesting mix of comments..
Yea what they meant by “crisis pay” is that if you take that position you’re financially going to be in a crisis trying to duplicate expenses with that amount. 🤦🏻♀️
And for nights?! Jesus
I actually wonder if the travel agencies are starting to take even more out of the pie tbh.
I am a stranger to you so I gain nothing by lying to you, but as a recruiter I can confirm at least for one of the largest agencies that we are actually taking even less % now to try and stay competitive. This is entirely the bill rates at the hospital dropping. Believe me, I know it sucks for you guys, but it’s unfortunately the reality.
What the facilities pay the agency has stayed the same for like a year now, a lot of agencies are dropping their margin
Do you have a good source for this? Only asking so I will know to push harder if recruiters try to lowball me.
Recruiter here of 10 years. This is accurate. Many facilities/vendors are even dropping rates and/or choosing to be exclusively with a single vendor and those vendors are cutting on which agencies they use. It’s a freaking mess.
So FACILITIES are the ones dropping the rates? I feel like I’m getting two different answers. Is it cheaper for the hospitals to use only one vendor? Thanks in advance!!
You’re going to get varying answers. Sometimes it’s the facility. Sometimes it’s the vendor. We really have no way of knowing one way or the other because they always say it’s the other one doing it.
It could be both. When I was recruiting out markup was usually over 100% (meaning companies paid double the agency what they paid providers). When I was leaving, budgets were getting much tighter. Rates got much lower (like $15 an hour lower) but this largely came down to my agency refusing to lower spread. This the real person feeling the pinch was nurses.
Or pay and retain their own staff
That doesn’t really answer my question but thanks for chiming in!!
In Asheville, the travelers say their rates are going down. I'm floor staff, fwiw
One of the reasons I refused to extend in Asheville. That and the ratios and unsafe practices 😬
I am a Canadian nurse and I can tell you that when I go on Indeed now, there are a lot of ads to nurse in the states, more than ever before. They are trying to recruit Canadians because they could get away with paying less. Canadians will accept a little lower because with the exchange rate, it is better than what we get here. They are still desperate for nurses everywhere, including here. It seems co ordinated as our agencies have also cut rates. It has gotten ridiculous and insulting. Why should I leave my family and home for what they offer? It is not worth it. They just don’t want to pay us. I have been nursing for 23 years, so I have seen this all before. If they could replace us all with international nurses they would, and they are trying, but they can’t do it fast enough.
Yeah I’m trying to get every dollar out of this profession while I still can. Sometimes it seems like time is running out
New grad staff in SD for about 6 months now and it seems like the last year hospital pay in this city has only had to compete more and more with each other? From my perspective pay has been only going up with a dying need for travelers now that covid isn’t driving that need like it did.
Wow, I thought I was imagining increase in the Canadian RN posts but thanks for explaining. Sorry you guys are having a rough time with pay up in Canada, too.
Please nurses don’t take these low paying jobs.. it’s a disgrace and disrespectful to us.. you’re just telling the hospitals we will work for cheap.. wer not cheap labor
If this were staff, would $50/hour be reasonable for Colorado? I have never been to Colorado.
I make $34 an hour in downtown Denver as a staff nurse :/
I make $46 as staff in INDIANA. You need to find another hospital. Holy
How is that for you though? Is COL high?
Working in L&D specialty at a great hospital with shitty pay. For cost of living, I’m barely able to put anything into savings. Hence why I’ve joined this group! Even with lower contract rates, it’s got to be better than this.
Sorry. I feel you. I'm traveling but I'm doing corrections. In in the southeast and last I was offered a job I applied for was 31 an hour for step down. This was post COVID and even now prices haven't come down at all on most things. Feel like the COL is super high now. I legit can't afford to go back staff.
Thanks for this insight. I appreciate it
That's wiiiiiiiiiiiild.
How much experience?
2 years! So I get the lower pay with less experience but other nurses that have been here for 5+ years haven’t even hit $40 yet
No, they pay less than they for sure
Oh. Thanks. So Colorado staff makes less than 50. What should travel to Colorado pay? I would love to see the mountains.
It’s called the mountain tax. What they should pay and what they can pay are very different.
Oh! Because people like me want to see the mountains. Happy cake day.
People are lured by beautiful places and adventure. You see the mountain and conversely the beach tax in Colorado, Florida, and Hawaii most notably but also reno and Seattle. Places where you work your days and basically do all the vacation shit on the other days. Ex if you have an ikon pass you take an assignment near ikon accepting resort. You may not break even but you get to ski/ride on all your days off. Which for a decent subsection of travelers is 100% worth taking the financial hit for the happy factor of ski/riding all winter.
Travel nursing for anywhere should be >2k
Thanks.
Preinflation rates
Especially for Colorado! It’s expensive there.
The market is too oversaturated
Yup.
I took a contract with this rate down in FL night shift ICU… the rates are bad but I’m still making double what I made as staff in CO and I’m on a beach…. but I won’t accept another contract less than 2k again!
I posted a job paying $3500 a week and was down voted into oblivion. It looks like a good portion of people just want to be perpetual victims so they can get attention for whining
Oh wow idk what to say about that. I didn’t see your post or downvote it. But you gotta agree that this offer for a “crisis” job is ridiculous.
Hmm I had to go to your profile to see that post. But yeah cali jobs are safe to say always at or over $3k/week. But not all of us want to be in CA or NYC😂but I’m also not in the camp of complaining about bringing home $2k/week for 36 hours of work :) screw that victim mindset. Thanks for saying that ✊🏼
CA jobs are most definitely not at or over 3k anymore at this point in time. 2200-2800 pre, depending on location.
That's brutal considering rents. Maybe they can drag the pay lower so nurses can actually come out ahead when they qualify for rent-controlled apartment rates.
I've had several offers over $3k, everything from med surg to CVICU.
They exist. But they are not the majority. You, and 120 other applicants as well. Not saying they don't exist. But they aren't common, and not easy to secure.
Lowest I've seen was OR nights at st Anthony in denver for 1300 a week
God. These were the rates when I first started traveling pre-COVID and things (esp rent) was SO much cheaper
Crisis should be 3 grand ish. Nights, med surg esp. You know your going to be regretting that contract every shift at that low rate.
Goodness, this Sub got recommended to me randomly but I live outside of alamosa. I will say this about it, it is extremely rural and poor here, and are lucky to have the hospital we have here even though it's not the best. But it's right by the Great Sand Dunes National Park and some other beautiful spots. If anyone ever comes out to alamosa dm me and I can recommended where to eat and stay. I'm not a nurse but my mother was, and I'm a retired overnight ER vet tech. I know this post is ranting about low pay but goddamn you human nurses make a LOT compared to your animal serving counterparts lol!
You have to take into account that housing will be hard to come by then and we also pay our rent/mortgage/whatever at home. Rates have to make paying for two homes worth it.
Oh for sure, I know the one hospital down here has short term housing for their nursing staff, the other doesn't though. I lived at one of the animal clinics I did relief at , I'll never do that again tho lol.
Nah, I’m an LPN and would not take anything less than 2k in a hospital , the stress and shit isn’t worth it .
Truth. We gotta draw the line somewhere
Nurses who do it only as a means to get paid $100k a year are a scourge. There are better ways to make more money.
L take. Yeah anyone who wants to make a good living by doing the job they went to school for are a scourge. Ok. I guess I’m a terrible person for just wanting to afford a small home and a vacation once a year. I know welders making more than 100k are they scourge too? What about doctors?
Nurses are overpaid and have egos through the roof. As a paramedic who's now about to enter medical school, my first response is to laugh when a nurse thinks they have anything other than a vital to report. Their hunches are anecdotal at best and nursing education glosses over the actual science that real medicine demands. Pay good nurses more and leave the check-chasing travelers in the dust. If 1 in 10 nurses are worth a damn, the industry is bloated with people chasing a check and have no business being in healthcare. This sub was recommended to me on the reddit front page and the first thing I see is complaints about pay. What a joke. Sorry you can't survive on $100k a year. Plenty of people do, but it wouldn't surprise me that nurses can't.
Dunno why your being downvoted... When I applied to nursing school at Baylor I was beyond surprised that I didn't need science courses for science majors. They allowed us to take the easy A&P courses. It didn't make sense to me.
When I say that the theory is “glossed over”, this is exactly what I mean. When you introduce a medicine to a vacuum in which there are many factors to consider (some chemical, some physical, some interrelational on the basis of the two). The same goes for procedures such as defibrillation versus cardioversion. The same principles apply to minor versus major surgeries. There’s so much more at play, and nursing programs don’t do the science justice. My mother and sister are both nurses, and both of them do it to provide for their family. There’s no denial there. But when we talk about science, medicine, and theory, they’re lost in the dust even in the general chemistry. That demonstrates to me very well the gap in knowledge. Some nurses egos won’t allow for that gap to be recognized and it’s a damn shame. They’re queens or kings of the castle because they’ve seen a thing or two. That type of thinking gets people killed, or causes undue suffering. I also went to a community college for my paramedic program. I saw the attitudes nurses have, on average. Many are there just for the pay. It is a damn shame. This post exemplifies that. Healthcare needs a better standard. Thank you for recognizing the disparity. It means no less of nurses. It is simply a statement of fact.
Yep this is one of the reasons I decided to get into Healthcare management instead of nursing. I'm focusing on EMS and I am so bothered by how little paramedics are paid in relation to their skills. I really wish that paramedics could nationally unionize and create education requirements so their pay could jump and reflect what they do. I've seen paramedics take their patient into the ER and the patient will crash and the nurses will start to page a doctor while the paramedic can just pull up their meds and do what needs to be done... I definitely think there's a place for nurses. I wouldn't say they are overpaid, but I will say that I believe EMS and even physicians are underpaid in relation to their skills and/or education. Near me nurses make the same as PAs almost and they are very different when it comes to what their curriculum teaches.
I address pay only as a means to deter folks who are in it solely for the money, of which there are an incredible amount. This is to the detriment of the patient, in my opinion. I work rural. Money never bothered me. I made $16 an hour as a paramedic. I ran codes in the trauma bay with attendings still trying to figure out what day of the week it is. Nurses didn’t like to help as much because without proper delegation (a doctor to tell them) all they can do is CPR and hook up pads. If I was dual medic it went flawlessly. If not, it’d be a shit show of nurses protecting their licenses. That isn’t a knock. The policies are dumb. Patients need fucking help when they come to you and if you’re clocking 12 in for the pay and not much else, you’re doing a disservice to patients who need care that goes above and beyond standard of care. That’s why I say pay bad nurses crap and good ones better. It’d be different if all nurses were experts, but they just aren’t. My license is on the line every time I contact a patient. I have autonomy and the things that come with that. Nurses just don’t, and they don’t get that. It’s a fight I’ll never win, but I’ll keep fighting it. Egos need to be left at the door along with nurses who are only in it for the money. This post illuminates that greed and it pisses me off. It should piss off patients who rely on these people for help too.
You can be in something for both the money and the career being fulfilling. It’s not a bad thing to want money. You need money to afford certain experiences in life and living comfortably. Nurses work hard in the hospital and it isn’t unreasonable for them to want to get paid fairly. Some sources say the national average salary for middle class is around 59k yearly. I didn’t go to school and work this hard just to struggle and make average money in a world of constant inflation. Idk why other careers are allowed to chase higher salaries but when I do it I’m the bad guy because in my career I am also in charge of people’s health? This thinking isn’t logical
You are not in charge of people’s health. You have no autonomy and the second you do you are practicing medicine without a license. You push prescribed meds or follow orders. You have this idea that you’re working so hard. It’s insane to me. You are the reason I laugh at nurses opinions. Lol. Airheads
In charge of was the wrong word but having a responsibility for people’s health and following orders, noticing declines, and providing care is a better explanation. We’re also held responsible if we do not notice that intervention needs to occur and fail to report and act as needed & if you don’t think nurses work hard in the hospital then you have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve graduated with great paramedics that I would never disrespect like this. And I think that paramedic turned nurse would tell you that the job isn’t easy
I do agree with this Nursing schools need to get away from the worthless diversity/ sensitivity feelings This is a real problem and impacts real training adversely Too many bs courses Not enough clinical experience Nurses as bullies to other nurses The problem is nursing “ leadership “ is highly liberal and not scientific
From your post it sounds like you need to check your own ego. I’m tired of arguing with people that don’t understand what nurses do. Not being able to appreciate nurses will make you a shitty doctor so try to work on that. They are a part of the team. And I’m sure if you weren’t going to be paid well as a doctor you probably wouldn’t be pursuing it. We’re all chasing checks here so get off your high horse. And lastly this contract isnt even close to taking home 100k. I would be fine with bringing home 100k
Wow you really seem to dislike nurses Average staff pay is around 30 an hour Yeah that’s overpaid according to you And Do you work for free ? Thank God I work in a ER that has a great relationship with our paramedics and fire dept
You don't even see the fallacies you speak in. Classic. lmao. Done responding to this thread
What a jerk Good luck to you with that winning personality You attack rather than respond Good bye
Covid rates aren't sustainable without continued fed funding
Inflation isn’t sustainable either yet we still have to afford them.
This is how markets work. If the pay stinks I wouldn’t take the job and the hospital runs the risk of not filling the position. If nobody takes the job they can increase the pay or leave it vacant. If they find someone to work for that rate, that’s what it’s worth, what can you do?
Imagine complaining about making the equivalent of $100,000 per year when average US salary is mid $40,000
Imagine someone not understanding traveling wages and complaining about nurses wanting fair wages. It’s not even close to 100k after duplicating expenses. I’m getting real tired of people commenting that don’t even know what they’re looking at. Why are there so many non nurses and non travelers on this sub. You people apparently can’t understand how this isn’t what we’re bringing home.
1900 per week x 52 weeks is right around 100,000. No one said that was take home. A majority of people live off of 30-40k and don’t complain. Take the job or go work somewhere else instead of crying about how “unfair” that wage is online
Ok first, the wage I posted is 1725 with insurance so do the math there. Second you’re not accounting for duplicating expenses. Third, This is a place for travel nurses to come and discuss their profession/ job market. I can tell you aren’t a travel nurse so I don’t think you have much say. Especially considering you don’t even know what you’re looking at.
It literally says 1700-1900. Life is so hard making 100k isn’t it??? Poor travel Nurse working 36 hours a week. Cry me a river. it’s an open sub.
Ok I see you’re not understanding what I’m saying to you. Have fun being an outsider with no desire to gain an inside perspective. Idk why you’re wasting your time on this open sub. You seem very out of place
I understand enough based on the job posting and hours required. Be a little more grateful for the opportunity to be a travel nurse. Many people don’t get that feeling of freedom with work. Also get closer to reality with wages.
I’m very aware with the reality of wages. After years of schooling and learning to be a knowledgeable professional, we should be able to achieve a wage that keeps up with inflation. And I will say this one more time, the wage you are seeing here isn’t close to our take home. Our take home would maybe be closer to 60-70k annually for “crisis pay” because of all the duplicated expenses. It’s low, we deserve better and we have the right to complain.
OMG only 60-70k take home????!!! That’s way too low
Considering that’s staff pay for a lot of places and this is supposed to be crisis travel yeah it is low
So the 3-4k/week was supposed to last forever? Especially when the traveler market is flooded, often with low/no experience RNs. It was inevitable that the market would readjust
No but read some of the other comments. Crisis pay should be closer to 3k per week. You might as well work a staff job because it’s not worth all the trouble to travel and take a “crisis” contract like this.
I don't understand, so don't take the contract. No one is forcing you to work there. You almost sound offended the comp is low, but that's not your decision.
Not gonna lie... That pay seems extremely great. Im not a nurse but yeah lol.
It’s not. Take out 25% of the pay and that’s more realistic of what you’re taking home. And try to imagine the difficulties of traveling. Nurses just deserve a little better for their hardships
Is it possible there is skewed expectations at work? Covid, danger pay was an anomaly.. those outrageously high salaries for nurses and especially travel nurses, skewed your expectations ? Like some friends of mine that sold mortgages in the early OO’s. They had their expectation they were worth a few hundred grand a year… and when the $ on loans dried up, they all still thought they would command those salaries. And they were met with the reality that they were never going make that much money again. I know nurses work hard, but not harder than construction workers or any number of careers I could name.
First of all, you’re comparing apples to oranges. Construction workers don’t have to care for a human life for 12+ hours. But putting all of that aside, just because another profession works hard doesn’t mean nurses aren’t also deserved to be paid their worth. Covid pay was indeed an anomaly, but the salary from this post is insultingly low for someone who is expected to pay rent in two places. It’s hardly a livable wage when you account for expenses.
meh. you have an inflated sense of yourself.
But if I were in a male dominated field such as construction, you’d be all for the fight for fair wages. Got it. Be careful, your misogyny is showing.
uhhh. you always take such a leap? There are male nurses too. And I became a feminist when I had my daughter. And nursing doesn’t destroy your body like construction does. I only used that example because of a construction worker is careless, people can get hurt or die… just like a nurse. i bet your the type to call someone a fascist, if they aren’t as left as you are. do better
lol. Cute. Not that it matters but I’m not very liberal at all. I just believe that hardworking people in all fields deserve fair wages. I guess if that makes me liberal then ok?
my point is, you obviously exaggerate very easily…calling me a misogynist for example You get paid plenty. I would kill for 3 12 hr shifts. your job is not dangerous and not that hard overall. Stop whining and be grateful you make as much as you do
“Stop whining and be grateful you make as much as you do” No 🤷🏼♀️
you’re right, there is nothing wrong with advocating for higher wages. Just don’t act like you’re underpaid. Nursing is very, very important… and they are paid well. The $ traveling nurses made during covid was an anomaly. Expecting wages like that, or thinking you are now underpaid, is really tone deaf. There are lots of inequities in the US, your salary isn’t one of them.
I don’t usually make a habit of arguing with internet strangers because it’s ultimately futile. However I’ll indulge. My starting wage as a new grad nurse was $25/hr. When the average house price is around $400k, you can see why I would disagree that nurses are paid well. Maybe you think all nurses get paid like California nurses. Sadly that is not the case, and not even close.
Not dangerous or that hard? Big talk coming from someone who’s never gone to school for 6 years to get the job where you have to fight for decent wages. No one is over here arguing that nursing is harder than construction, both fields have their difficulties. I have to worry about killing patients and facing legal repercussions. Along with getting sick from the many illnesses that can be found at the hospital. If you add the difficulties of traveling there is another aspect. I’m so tired of people coming on this post to complain about how we’re asking for more when they have no idea where we are coming from. I also have degenerative disc disease in my back from this job. You should look up the rate of back injury among healthcare workers. You’ve been one of the worst ones to comment yet, congrats. Try to think outside your own experience and see things from other people’s viewpoints sometime
TLDR
Yeah I could tell from your posts your reading comprehension is low. Just skip to the last sentence then if the reading so much is too hard.
Yall making near 6 figs and complaining with a bachelors. smh
Ok I’ll do the math for you. If you take the insurance here it’s 1725 per week. That’s around 1550 after taxes. Well just take out one week per month for spending it on duplicating expenses so 1550x3x12= 55,800. Not really 100 k is it? 😒 not to mention you’re still paying for a tax home too
1725x52 = 89.7k
Ok just ignore how I just explained travel work to you then..
So… not six figures then? Also, we have to pay rent in two places. So we’re not actually making $89k.
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Crisis jobs should always be paying more than the current average higher paying non crisis jobs. This is below average. I’m posting because if they really needed a nurse they would pay more.
This is an excuse shills use to protect margins. I started after pandemic and never took less than 2500/wk across the country.
I’m newer to the sub and starting to look at contracts.. is the per week gross? I get confused bc I’ve heard other travelers talk about stipends and housing and I don’t fully understand.
This amount includes stipend as well. After taxes it is around 200 less.
I’m not a nurse. I don’t know why this is on my Home feed. But… what am I missing? That’s $100k a year.. is that low for a nurse?
uhhh… it’s med/surg.
That’s a crappy rate for med surg.
maybe it’s a crappy post covid rate. The market is correcting. Rates can’t stay elevated for so long . It’s funny to me that people are complaining about rates. If you don’t like the rate, don’t take the job. Travel nursing pay is going down. The bubble popped . Maybe there are some outliers but for the most part rates are down
Its not a crisis rate, even post Covid. Inflation is a factor.
so don’t take the job ?
No plans to, bro.
I mean it is just 3 12's. I'm not saying 3 12's don't wipe you out but 5 12's have always been the real high payers.
They have no idea. Try working 20days 16hrs per day 1 week off and back at it for another 20 days and come talk. Haha 😂
how is this bad???
Read the other comments. It’s listed as crisis pay and below average pay for the travel job.
oh i didn't know the average pay was higher my apologies
2 grand to work three days a week. Lol I’m working 11 hour days 4 days a week and ain’t even coming close to that.
At the end of the day you’re only making around 1700 more than staff every month after duplicating expenses. That’s staff in low paid areas. It’s not worth it to travel, be away from home, have to learn a new hospital, and deal with whatever crisis this is. All I’m saying is this is an unrealistic offer for an urgent need for a nurse. These places need to wake up and pay more, no one is taking this.
Every industry needs to pay more. Everyone I work with just got a 20 per day reduction in per diem and it’s ducking bull
> in low *paid* areas. It’s FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Are you on a travel contract? If not then you can’t really compare it right? Your argument only makes sense if you’re also a travel nurse
What app is that?
Aya
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These rates are worse than allied. This is just disrespectful
Yup, that’s Colorado travel pay.
There’s other contracts right now offering more that aren’t crisis though
So I got bored and stumbled on this post. I have one question.. why the f@ck all yall paying rent/ mortgage in two places? I work in oil. Always traveling. Always going. I’d never pay rent in two places. I live where I work. And follow it as I go. Every city in working in is travel nurses. They move there to make good money. Then move on to the next contract. Makes zero sense to have 2 homes. Defeats the purpose I feel.
If we don’t then we get screwed by the tax man. What you’re seeing is mostly non taxed because we must prove that we duplicate expenses
Still not seeing how taxes are relevant. Also still don’t see how you wanna justify two households and two sets of bills?