From the research I've done, it's hard to beat $50/hour unless you're working the strikes...which can be done.

I'm currently in Southern California making the high-40's/hour with Absolute Nursing. My recruiter, Ron Durham ([email protected]), is wonderful and very accomodating. Honestly, I've heard both good and bad about most companies, Absolute Nursing included, but I decided to go with them and have regreted my decision.

I also liked Bret D'Vincent ([email protected]) at Access Nurses or Kristin Ricci ([email protected]) at NovaPro, an affiliate of Cross Country).
Good Luck with you Travels

Travel nursing
DO you work ICU for the 45 per hour or Med Surg? I was wondering which agency I should go with and how to obtain that dollar amount. Do all agencies lowball you the 1st time around?

travel $
the thing about california is that it's a state wide standard to pay you straight time for the first 8 hrs, then time and half for the next 4hrs (say working a 12hr shift), then double time for any hours worked after those 4 hrs. so if you end up working a 16hr shift, you can really rake it in. $45/hr would be the average time and half rate out in CA. it all depends on your specialty. med surg in CA ranges $28-32/hr. any kind of specialty (being like L&D, ICU, OR) you are are going to have a much higher rate than any other traveler. it's almost worth taking 6mo-1yr to get that specialty experience and going back to traveling.

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I was able to make $45/hour in California but that was without housing or benefits. It is possible, to make $45/hour but I noticed that you sacrifice something to make that amount. Either sacrifice housing or benefits or sacrifice your sanity by working at an unsafe hospital that is strike or something like it. I have some friends who had to make $45/hour with housing and benefits. They went on a horrible assignment and were very disappointed. My positive experience was with Access Nurses and they do offer benefits and housing as well as pretty decent pay. If the nurse declines housing benefits, then they can try to get you paid in the 40s per hour.