Travel Nursing in California

If you are curious about getting your California nursing license or trying to decide if California travel nursing really is that good, this post is for you!

I have worked 3 travel nurse contracts in California so far (along with some extensions). In this article, I’ll share what I’ve learned about the differences of working in California vs other states. I’ll also give you a quick run down of the process for getting a California nursing license.

Is Nursing Better in California?

Yes! Nursing is 1000x better in California than most other states. *A little caveat here, Washington and Oregon are great states to work in as well. Many of the benefits of working in California are also true for many hospitals in Washington and Oregon.*

So far, I have worked as an RN in Georgia, Texas, Oregon, and California. I can also say that I have worked alongside nurses from all over the country. Those of us that have had a taste of California nursing agree- it is better. 

I’ll give you 3 reasons:

1. Mandated ratios
2. Rest Breaks
3. Higher Pay

In short, you get treated better and paid better. 

Mandated Nurse to Patient Ratios

California has the advantage of strong nursing unions and state laws that restrict the number of patients that a nurse can care for at one time. Hospitals incur fines if the ratios are not kept as promised. For you as a nurse, this means safer patient assignments. This is better for you and safer for the patients. 

Rest Breaks

As an ER nurse, rest breaks are my favorite part about nursing in California. Seriously, I don’t know how I survived so long without them. 

Have you ever had to scarf down some food while you catch up on charting? Have you ever been in trouble with your nurse manager for “not taking a break” even though there wasn’t another nurse available to care for your patients in your absence? Have you been told that you should use “the buddy system” to take a break- meaning that you are responsible for two patient assignments at once?

Luckily, this kind of gas-lighting doesn’t fly in California when it comes to breaks. In California, another nurse (who does not have a second patient assignment) will cover your patients while you take a real break. What’s even better is that you get more than one break, AND if for some reason the hospital does not have the staffing to give you all of your breaks, they pay you extra for the missed break! This blew my mind when I took my first California travel nurse contract. 

Higher Pay

On top of the safer nurse to patient ratios and multiple rest breaks, California has the best pay in the country for nurses. 

I know what you’re thinking- “but the cost of living and taxes are higher too!”- This is true. After three different contracts in California, I agree that both housing and gas prices are outrageous. As far as taxes go, it honestly hasn’t been as bad as I expected. The fact that a large portion of our income as travel nurses is not taxed helps (I’m referring to stipends). 

Despite the higher costs associated with California, I still find that I’m pocketing more money than I did working in other states. 

Getting your California Nursing License

California is not a part of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), so it requires a separate nursing license. It’s known to be one of the most tedious licenses to get through endorsement.

For my readers that are new to travel nursing: endorsement is the process where a state board of nursing grants a license to a nurse who already has a nursing license from another state. 

When I applied for my California nursing license, my agency (Aya Healthcare at the time) paid for and walked me through the process. Aya made the process pretty simple.  

How long does it take to get a California nursing license by endorsement?

I received my California nursing license by endorsement at the end of November in 2022. The process took around a month and a half for me. The time delay can vary quite a bit. I’ve heard of some applications taking as long as 6 months. The California Board of Nursing states they average around 10-12 weeks for turnaround time. 

You can also apply for a temporary license. In order to apply for a temporary license, you must first apply for a permanent license by endorsement. The temporary license gets issued after the California BON processes your fingerprints, but while they are still reviewing your transcripts for the permanent license. 

What are the steps for licensure by endorsement?

This is meant to give you an idea of what to expect from the process. Please follow the instructions on the California BON website or your agency for exact instructions. 

1. Complete an application online with the California BON. They use a system called BreEZe. This is also when you pay for the license unless your agency is covering the charge. The total at the time I applied was $450 (for both the permanent and temporary licenses)
2.  Submit fingerprints- if you are having this done outside of California, they must be ink/rolled prints. If the facility you go to for fingerprinting does digital prints, they must be printed onto your physical fingerprint card. If you are already in California, you can use live scan (digital) fingerprints. 
3. Verification of license from Nursys system. This one is a fairly quick online form and another payment. If the state you are currently licensed in does not participate in the Nursys system, you will need to submit a verification of license form through your board of nursing. 
4. Submit transcripts from nursing school. Your nursing school will likely have a way to do this online. My school, for example, used a system called Parchment to send my transcripts to California. I ran into a hiccup with this part. My transcript was missing a psychology requirement. Luckily, this was solved with a letter from the school and a class syllabus that proved the requirement was met (my school just titled the course differently). 

Is getting a California Nursing License Worth it?

As you can see, the steps for California license endorsement can be lengthy, but not terrible. I say it’s absolutely worth the process!

Being a travel nurse in California has been awesome experience that I am truly grateful for! If you are interested in finding some fun things to do while on contract in California, check out my travel guides page. You’ll find a mix things to do in Southern California (especially Palm Springs) as well as the Bay Area. 

Want to compare California travel nursing to other areas? Check out these posts on travel nursing in the Pacific Northwest and travel nursing in Colorado.