Nurses Moving States Get Blocked by Licensing and Low Pay
Nurses across various experience levels and specializations are struggling to relocate for work, facing challenges like licensing, job rejections, and concerns about cost of living and career progression in new locations. Many express a desire to move away from their current locations for personal or professional reasons, but encounter significant hurdles in achieving this goal.
SOURCES (60)
“It’s very hospital dependent. I used to work at the Methodist Hospital System (HCA owned) and made $36 and some change. At University Hospital I’m making $42 and some change with a little over 4 years experience in the OR. I’ve heard UT Health pays…”
“Did you check your status on nursys yet? Looks like TN is a participating state. I work in CVO and the status is usually public information and I can get answers faster by just checking myself.”
“I just started the Femba at pepperdine last semester- I work in healthcare and have nearly 10 years work experience but have not been able to get a decent paying jobs.I enrolled in the program in hopes of opening up more doors for myself and I am already 10k in debt for one class. I am trying to decide if I should continue or just keep trying to get a better job.I am interested in hearing from others experience in the program. submitted by /u/JackfruitStrict2422 [link] [comment”
“OP can talk to it more working there but it’s treated very differently. I’m Puerto Rican living in the states but I hear stories all the time from my family. Not uncommon for people to come here for better care”
“It's basically the US system in a nutshell. Billionaires and C-suite really have it figured out”
“You can do a nursing 2 year degree at a community college and start practicing as a registered nurse, most states pay above $30+, if you move more west or larger cities you can get paid 40$+/hr or in west coast like california oregon and washington pay is usually above $50-70/hr. Usually numerous or unlimited overtime due to understaffed facilities. Being a nurse isn’t a cakewalk though..”
“$122/hr base pay in NorCal. Started in TX at $36/hr and been an RN for 10 years. I can never work outside CA without advanced degree”
“The income gap is not worth it to lateral from California nurse pay to PA. I make more than my partner. I'm a California RN. She is a California PA. Combined were probably at the 350k-400k income range. Location may vary that pay but PAs/NPs don't really make much more than most nurses out here, they just have a different job.”
“Varies widely, but, on the higher end, here’s a link with Kaiser NorCal’s pay scale. I think it’s on page 4.”
Where are you making that in CA?! I’m in San Diego and make $75/hour base.
“West coast. Could nearly double my pay. Waiting for more training before I consider.”
“That’ll continue to go up and then skyrocket once they are done with residency. I have lived in a couple different places while being the sole income earner supporting a family of 4 while in the military in both Hawaii and Texas. Some people just have never had experience outside of nursing to compare it to”
“I’m a new grad RN from SoCal, and it’s been really hard to get a new grad job here, so I started applying out of state. I have some job offers and would love to hear from anyone who’s worked at either hospital. 1.) CHI Baylor St Luke (Houston, Tx) - Medsurg PCU - Shift assigned after training - Pay higher 2.) Cleveland Clinic Main Campus (Cleveland, OH) - Cardiac stepdown - Rotating shifts - Pay lower 3.) Ascension St Thomas West (Nashville, Tn) - IMCU - Shift assigned after training - Similar p”
“Hello all, I’ve recently moved to Houston as a new OR nurse at Memorial Hermann (Texas Medical Center) and trying to decide between a few apartments. Any insights for any of these places? Considering: * Fairmont Museum District * Pearl 21Eleven * Village at West University * The Anderson at River Oaks My priorities are safe parking, a quiet place to live, good management/maintenance, and a nice neighborhood. I’m primarily looking for somewhere I’ll feel comfortable and at peace after long work s”
“I’m applying right now. I can’t even get hired as a nurse at the hospital I already work at lol. It’s really tough.”
“How does that compare to cost of living? I'm not familiar with euro. I'm in the US southeast so some of the lower paying states and with 6-ish years experience, I'm making around 40/hour staff job.”
“I’m sure it’s not like that in every state, but here in NY at my hospital there was 2 CTICU RN fellowship positions that had 170 applicants. Nursing in at least NY is oversaturated. The last time we had to hire a new grad to my ICU due to no other applicants was in 2022.”
“How do new grad nurses stand out from the crowd to get into these CA residencies that receive thousands of applications?”
“My hospital hires approx 100 nurses every 6 month to fill the 100 vacancies. Then 110 nurses leave during the 6 months it takes to train them. Sounds like your hospital admins are as smart as ours.”
“Please tell me that when I leave this godforsaken unit I’m going to be a great fckn nurse submitted by /u/CareBusy3339 [link] [comments]”
“I'm looking into procedural jobs (IR, endoscopy, cath lab), some of which require overnight call. I live in a big city, don't own a car, and normally use public transit to commute to work. My usual commute is about 45 minutes, and an Uber/Lyft would be about 20 minutes. What I'm worried about is if I apply to these positions: will I be excluded from these positions because I don't have a car to drive myself to the hospital? Has anyone here done a position like this without a car?”
“I’m getting desperate here!!! I have 1 1/2 years as a mother-baby nurse who recently had to move to NYC. I’ve applied everywhere under the sun to NICU, Mother-Baby, and L&D. I’ve heard nothing back. I put my resume through chat gpt and says it looks good. Can anyone help me get in contact with any recruiters, managers, etc? I want to be able to continue Women’s Health so bad. I’m scared I’ll have to settle for Med Surg and that’s just not where my passion lies. submitted by /u/La”
“hey! im just wondering what's the news on nursing jobs recently in new york? would love to move there once i take my nclex! what tips and advice would you give me to make my resume better? thanks! submitted by /u/Sweaty-Actuator-1499 [link] [comments]”
“I’ve been looking for remote jobs lately because I’m burnt out and gas prices are crazy, plus we’re expanding our family next year. I have an interview with Imagine Pediatrics for a fully remote position with travel to Tampa quarterly. Was wondering if anyone has an experience with this company and could give me any insight? From everything I’ve read thus far in their benefits and compensation, it feels almost too good to be true, like there has to be some kind of catch. But otherwise it seems l”
“It seems like there are a lot more california nursing ceu choices than i thought there were. The challenge for me is finding something that words around shift work. I do not want it to turn into something else on my already packed to do list. I am hoping to connect with people who have been dealing with california renewal requirements. I want to know what has made the process easier for you do you?prefer state specific packages memberships or just picking individual courses as needed? subm”
“hi all, I’m a new grad rn in CA who graduated spring 2025 and have about 4 months of nursing experience in 1:1 school nursing and had to quit for personal reasons. Now after a couple of months, I’m getting back into the job search but looking in both CA and WA. A couple of my family members moved to the Seattle area and I would have housing available in both CA and Seattle. Just hoping to increase my search options. My license is in CA and was wondering if people recommend endorsing my license t”
“A friend of mine just signed a contract and got $20k bonus in UF Health Leesburg, I’m wondering if it’s the same in downtown especially in CVICU? submitted by /u/ItsRainingMean [link] [comments]”
“I’m an RN in North Carolina and have been licensed since January 2025. My goal is to become an OR nurse. The major hospitals around me (Duke, WakeMed, and UNC) all have OR residency programs, but they’re extremely competitive. I’ve applied multiple times and made it through several rounds of interviews (from a large applicant pool down to the final group), but I’ve been turned down twice. I have my ADN, and I know these hospitals require nurses to earn their BSN within a certain timeframe after”
“Hey r/nursing , Long-time lurker here. Every week there's a thread like "new grad ICU offer in Texas, is $34/hr fair?" and the answers are all over the place — someone in California says that's poverty wages, someone in a rural area says that's great money, and the honest answer is nobody really knows what nurses in that role in that state actually make. The big salary sites don't help much either. Glassdoor and payscale numbers for nursing are notoriously off because t”
“I’m a new RN grad in Massachusetts with LPN experience but I’m having a hard time landing a job in the hospital. Any advice? I really want to get my foot in the door for hospitals. All I’ve ever worked in was nursing homes. submitted by /u/ZealousidealLook4193 [link] [comments]”
“Hello everyone I am currently here in Tennessee I am thinking so often about moving to California next year. Given that I want to maximize my earning potential. But I'm hearing and reading that there is also a competitive market to land any permanent RN jobs that will pay well in California and also new grads are also have hard time landing a job? is that true? Any tips on how to make myself marketable? I have total of 9 yrs of experience as a Nurse (7 yrs overseas as ED NURSE and 2 yrs here”
“I am sorry to hear that you are going through some tough times. As others have pointed out, 200k is not very common according to the data here: https://www.informed.fyi/salaries/nurse Most of the data is from Bureau of Labor Satistics as of right now.”
“I mean their requirements are very stringent, but they absolutely are clearly listed on the website. They lost average processing times as well. It's not perfect but it's fairly straightforward. If you call them they're super helpful, call early to get through much more easily, and it'll be in a queue to get a call back. They also do answer email. Just in reading what you wrote I can tell you that a letter from your school saying that there was a lab section for microbio will cle”
“I’m wondering about pay for your years of experience and floor and how your overall experience has been. Is it enough to live comfortably with the cost of living in Phoenix? Where in Phoenix do most nurses live, is it feasible to live near the hospital? Is there parking there? Also wondering about the ICU situation - how many ICU’s and ICU specialties are there? I can only find one job posting that says “ICU”. Plus, how competitive is it now to get a position there? Lastly, what types of shifts”
“What program are you applying to? I’ve never heard of any online RN programs for California except nightingale and chamberlain and I’ve seen that Nightingale is under investigation by the RN board of nursing right now 😩😩😩. I’d love to do an online program too, but I’m going to do LVN-MSN instead because I already have a public health BS.”
“As an LVN of 15 years in California that makes 50 an hour, I say definitely go get your RN! I’m going to get mine too soon. It’s worth it because you have upward mobility and the sky is kind of the limit for RN’s when it comes to pay”
“Hi I was wondering if anyone on this reddit can help about licensing by endorsement to California. My case is a little unique I initially applied for licensure by exam before I took my NCLEX but I ended up getting licensed in NY state where I went to school. I am not looking to endorse my license to California after passing the NCLEX and was wondering if the live scan I completed when I visited home for my old application will be transferred over or will I have to redo the live scan. Also will I”
“I went to nursing school in France, worked there for 5 years, then moved back to the US and have been working as a nurse here for about 4 years now. It was a very long process to get my nursing license here in the US, but I’m sure you’ve already looked into that. I saw someone else post that they never did any hands-on training in French clinicals, whereas I feel like it is much more hands on than what I’ve heard in the US. At your last clinical in France you’re basically taking a whole team of”
“I am a Lebanese Registered Nurse 30M, in 2023 i studied for the nclex in april 2024 i took my nclex test in Michigan and got approved. Then returbed home. I have a minnesota license, my priority date is current but ny coutnry is on pause. I've been working for the same hospital for 5 years in Lebanon. Getting paid 600$ a month and honestly going under. Rent is 400, gas 300, me and my wife's salary totals at 1100, we barely make it through the month, we cannot start a family because of th”
“Just curious if anyone with a compact license has ever applied for a non-compact state license (mainly curious about CA & NY) to be more competitive in the remote job market? I live in the south and have no intentions on returning to bedside (or moving atm) so have been considering if it worth the investment or not with renewal fees, varying CE requirements, etc. submitted by /u/Defiant-Sense-303 [link] [comments]”
“Looking for some advice from anyone who's made the move back to New York! I'm hoping to relocate back to New York State after this upcoming school year. By then, I'll have my Leadership Certification in Georgia, along with a Specialist degree in Special Education. I have 11 years of experience teaching in self-contained special education classrooms. Over the years, I've also been honored as Teacher of the Year, served as a mentor teacher, and been an active member of my school”
“Just moved back to Boston and have been applying to sooo many positions -- I applied to 50 positions just last week. I have my BSN and have 6 years of experience, 4 of which are in the ICU, 1 year in peds rehab and 1 year outpatient specialty clinic. What am I doing wrong here? I used to work at BCH inpatient about 4 years ago but I am not interested in going back to inpatient. I even tried to contact the recruiter who hired me previously in a desperate attempt. I have even gotten rejected for p”
“My tax home is in NC, and our rate is 4.25 I believe. Trying to figure out how my income tax would be calculated for OR before I accept a 3 month contract there, since I've read it can be quite high but there is a range up to 9 or so percent. I just am not sure if OR would base that range off what I earn each month in OR, or over the whole year? Is it based off prior year federal reported income? I appreciate any help on this! submitted by /u/Pretend-Alps-6438 [link] [comme”
“just curious whats a good state to live in for LPNs ? I’m currently in PA and want to move but I’m looking for s good pay that matches the COL submitted by /u/Top-Professional2800 [link] [comments]”
“I looked at possibly moving to Germany because my partner lives there and they get paid just a tiny bit more than dental assistance and dental assistance and nurses go for the same amount of school which is three years and I would only make around €3000 a month with less autonomy and eight hour shifts and having to wear white scrubs”
“I'm not looking for an entirely correct answer, just some anecdotes, and luckily I already had a comment from someone who also trained in my country (France)”
“Thinking of moving here for a job at the hospitals. What is the culture like for nurses? submitted by /u/Exciting_Dare_8924 [link] [comments]”
“Hi, im relocating to Snellville per contract request and from what i heard, i might end up at this hospital, do you guys have any working experience at this location? Is it where they have lots of international nurses? Staffing and pt ratio? Etc please let me know, social life, demographics, is it diverse? I try to look for more info, unfortunately couldn't find much. Thank you submitted by /u/Silent_Highlight9099 [link] [comments]”