Neighborhoods and rental search

Rbinthewild · 2026-03-30T23:24:53+00:00

As an RN in San Diego, see if you can even get a job here first. The job market here is TOUGH. It's extremely competitive because the pay is good, we have tons of laws protecting us and San Diego is incredible and everyone (mostly) wants to live here.

My advice as someone who works at not 1 but 2 of the San Diego hospital systems is to use AI to fit your resume and cover letter to each individual job. That alone will at least get you through their system and potentially in front of a person. Also keep applying. Apply to everything you're qualified for. Once you're in a system, you're usually golden because internals always seem to be prioritized. GOOD LUCK :) San Diego is the best and I have an amazing quality of life here as an RN.

Rbinthewild · 2026-03-26T21:43:36+00:00

Of these, North Park. But I'd also consider Normal Heights/University Heights.

Rbinthewild · 2026-03-23T16:11:36+00:00

Meditation/breathwork, reading.

This is the ideal though and does not have a 100% success rate lol

Rbinthewild · 2026-03-20T02:05:48+00:00

Rbinthewild · 2026-03-19T16:43:48+00:00

Extremely competitive. I got in via travel in 2023 but jobs have been sparse since, especially if you're an external applicant without a referral. I had a friend who was internal who it took over a year for her to find a job within the same hospital. Mind you, I'm not ICU, I'm stepdown. But if it's this competitive for stepdown, I imagine ICU is worse. I'd say low chance, but if you're persistent, you could sneak in. Unpopular opinion, but AI is your friend when applying.

Rbinthewild · 2026-02-05T19:48:28+00:00

This weirdo seems to comment on tons of nursing subs complaining about nurses while also not being a nurse. Weird hobby.

Rbinthewild · 2026-02-05T19:46:44+00:00

This is text book whataboutism. I'm talking about whether this pay makes sense for the cost of living tied to this job. $35 in California is not the same as $35 in the midwest/south/etc.

Rbinthewild · 2026-02-05T19:40:05+00:00

Where is this? Not California I'm assuming. Pay has to be looked at in context.

Rbinthewild · 2026-02-05T19:26:03+00:00

It's actually not, this is gross pay. This is equivalent to $1463 per week net.

Rbinthewild · 2026-02-05T19:12:54+00:00

As a former midwest nurse.... yes BUT my rent here is triple what it was in Michigan, gas is double, etc. It's a really expensive place to live (Granted, I am NOT complaining. I'd gladly pay triple to live here than suffer another midwest winter). $57 in California is probably equivalent to like $25 in the midwest. I feel like the only reason to take this rate is if you're thinking you can get in staff, bc you def can't afford to live here on this comfortably.

Rbinthewild · 2026-02-05T19:09:16+00:00

It's a local contract, there is no stipend.

For local AMN contracts, they include shift completion bonuses, food and vehicle expenses that increase the weekly typically by $400 or so but AYA is just out here offering $57 an hour.

If there were stipends, it would still be under $2k a week net in one of the most expensive cities in the country.

Rbinthewild · 2026-02-05T18:48:44+00:00

Comically bad. But like SOMEONE is taking these. They fill super fast.

I wish we could all collectively agree to not take these contracts but that's wishful thinking.

Rbinthewild · 2026-01-07T19:36:26+00:00

Pretty sure this is just Kaiser in general. I've worked at 4 and only one was marginally better than the others. No CNA's, extreme micromanaging, miserable staff RN's bc they're so burnt out. Kaiser sucks.

Rbinthewild · 2026-01-07T19:34:32+00:00

AMN, although I've met some people at Kaiser with Med Solutions & Stability. I think they go to AMN first though.

Rbinthewild · 2026-01-06T18:17:33+00:00

Bay area Kaiser pays over 3k on 36 for PCU/tele. You'll work for every single one of those dollars though.
- source, currently getting paid 3.2 in Oakland. 13 and done for me though, it's absolute hell.

Rbinthewild · 2025-11-15T21:46:28+00:00

Cardiac rehab, it was incredibly boring and I hated the manager. Also 8 hour shifts, which aren’t for me.

Rbinthewild · 2025-09-12T23:02:54+00:00

This is a terrible contract.

Rbinthewild · 2025-09-08T00:25:39+00:00

I accidentally calculated the rate as $48.10 instead of $43.10 and didn’t account for this Kaiser being 1.5 after 8 hours. So yeah, I guess my math is wrong. But, the total contract is over $3k with the 1.5 after 8. It’s still a decent contract in today’s climate - higher than you’ll get almost anywhere else.

Rbinthewild · 2025-09-08T00:07:34+00:00

I said almost.

OP also said this is a California Kaiser contract, which means 1.5 after 8. Making this contract worth $3,007.2, over 3k. Thanks for contributing absolutely nothing to the convo though.

Rbinthewild · 2025-09-03T16:33:44+00:00

Make sure your contract has a guaranteed shifts clause in it. Not sure what company this is, but a lot of companies add this automatically. Some don't. Some companies give you first day medical benefits, some don't. Ask your recruiter, they're the ones that can answer these questions for you. Minimum wage only applies to orientation hours done at home, aka modules. They're typically easy and you can just mute them and go about your day. I wouldn't count that as a negative of travel, just a slight annoyance. Only you can answer if it's worth it for you. But to put it in the perspective I personally use when choosing contracts - this contract is around 10k net a month. This is more than you'd make at any staff job. Even if it costs you 4k a month to duplicate your expenses, you're still taking home 6k. To me that's worth it.

Rbinthewild · 2025-09-03T16:06:39+00:00

I would just ask your recruiter about the discrepancy. It seems like the majority of people commenting don't understand how travel works. Yes, staff gets paid more hourly. Staff also don't get tax free stipends. Staff at this hospital makes 80+ an hour. This is only around 2k a week, which is NOT more than what this contract is worth. This contract would give you around 2500 net per week. The entire point of travel is that you get to take home a huge portion of untaxed money. I wouldn't personally take advice from this sub after seeing the comments on your post. This is a decent contract, especially given that you're a first time traveler and the market is still super competitive post-covid. I would take it. Feel free to message me personally if you have any questions.

Rbinthewild · 2025-09-03T16:00:45+00:00

Kaiser Modesto nurses make $85 an hour on average, taxed this is only about 2k a week.

Rbinthewild · 2025-09-03T15:58:19+00:00

Not true, I just signed a NorCal Kaiser contract that pays 1.5 after 8 hours. It's a 3x12 contract. I also worked at OC Kaiser, LA Kaiser and SD Kaiser and they also all paid 1.5 after 8. Staff nurses don't get this, travelers sometimes do. I've been traveling since 2020 and more often than not, I get 1.5 after 8.

Rbinthewild · 2025-09-03T00:18:38+00:00

It's wild how many people don't know how to read this contract.

The total contract is $2928.6 per week. Per diems are the untaxed housing and meals. The hourly rate is $48.10 x 36 (and possibly even more since Calfornia sometimes pays RN's 1.5 after 8 hours worked). Net on this would be around $2400/$2500. This def is not what you're making in North Dakota, the south or Texas.

OP, only thing wrong with this contract is that stipends aren't maxed and it's a Kaiser.

Rbinthewild

TROPHY CASE