How Much is Travel Nurse Pay in California?

While the job of a travel nurse offers flexibility and a change of scenery, there have been reports of employment violations involving travel nurse pay.

What is a Travel Nurse?

Travel nurses are skilled nurses who take temporary assignments in hospitals or other health care settings. Due to their willingness to take jobs outside a single geographic location, they are ideal for hospitals that want to supplement their regular staff during cold and flu season without committing to permanent hires. Travel nurse positions often last between one and three months, although contracts may be extended at the discretion of the employer and the nurse. Travel nurses may be new to the profession and using these temporary gigs as a way to increase gain experience and broaden their skill sets, or they may be experienced nurses who simply want to see the country while continuing to earn a paycheck.

How Much is Travel Nurse Pay?

Approximately 40,000 to 50,000 travel nurses are employed in the U.S. at any given time. In 2019, the average travel nurse pay in the U.S. was $92,734 per year or $7,728 per month. The average hourly travel nurse wage was $45. Travel nurse pay may depend on the state. New York is the highest paying state for travel nurses, and North Carolina is the lowest.

Many travel nurses find contract work in California, where the average annual salary for a travel nurse is approximately $94,000, or just more than $45 an hour.

In addition to regular wages, travel nurses may also receive other types of pay or benefits.

How Does Travel Nurse Pay Work?

Travel nurses may receive may be compensated in a variety of ways. While many are paid by the hour, some travel nurses are offered salary packages that pay a set sum per week, or a salary for the length of the contract. In addition to hourly or salaried pay, many travel nurse pay packages also include a non-taxed housing stipend that may be used to pay for hotels or rent during the time that the nurse is employed at the location. Some packages may also include non-taxed per diems, or stipends for food, in addition to travel reimbursements, according to nurse.org.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, some areas of the country may be offering pay incentives and bonuses to nurses willing to work in hospitals and medical centers with many cases of COVID-19.

What Issues are Associated with Being a Travel Nurse?

Although travel nursing may be ideal for nurses who want to gain experience while traveling the country, there are some pitfalls to this type of work. Since medical policies and regulations vary by state, it is important for travel nurses to be aware of the local expectations, and follow individual policies at each place of employment.

Some nurses have reported moving across the country for their contract position, only to find their contract had been canceled, while others have reported having many shifts canceled, leading to an unexpected pay cut.

Additionally, some travel nurses have reported being subject to pay or other employment violations. These violations may include not being paid for each hour worked, not being paid accurate overtime wages, being denied meal or rest breaks, or experiencing difficulty with housing or travel stipends. Employment laws dictate that workers are entitled to be paid for all hours worked. Workers who are not salaried are also entitled to be overtime wages at a rate of at least one and one-half times their usual rate for hours exceeding 40 in a week. Employers who fail to pay owed wages or overtime pay, or deny workers meal and rest breaks, may be in violation of state and federal laws.

It may be complicated for travel nurses in California to resolve these issues, as travel nurses are often employed by a third-party rather than by each individual hospital or medical center. If you have worked as a travel nurse in California and have been denied overtime pay or wages, or experienced other employment violations, you may be eligible to speak with an experienced attorney about your case. Some victims of wage violations may be able to file a class action lawsuit against their employer and pursue reimbursement and additional compensation.

Free Travel Nurse (And Other Travel Healthcare Professional) Wage and Workplace Violation Class Action Lawsuit Evaluation

If you are a travel nurse (or other travel healthcare professional) who has worked in California in the last four years and have experienced employment rights violations, you may be eligible to file a travel nurse pay lawsuit.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.