Sunshine & Scrubs: Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Take A Travel Nurse Assignment In Los Angeles

Why Should You Take a Travel Nurse Assignment In Los Angeles?

Sunshine year-round? Every type of food imaginable? Getting paid over $1,000 every time you step into the hospital? Six months ago I accepted a contract in LA and I have a gazillion reasons why it’s been one of my favorite assignments so far, but I will give you my top 6 reasons why you should take a travel nurse assignment in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Is One of the Sunniest Cities in the United States

I come from one of the rainiest states in the USA, Washington State. It rains all the time so one of the first things I noticed when I came to LA is that it’s sunny every single day? Like the sky is actually blue and not gray all of the time, wild.

Not only is it simply convenient because I don’t need to run to my car every time I go somewhere, dodging puddles, but the warm rays actually have made quite the difference to my mental health. If I’m feeling a bit down, I just put in my Airpods and go for a little hot girl walk and my mood is instantly elevated. Going to the beach throughout the winter has been a huge plus as well. Truly one of my top reasons.

Los Angeles Contracts Have Some of the Highest Rates in The Country For Travel Nurses

Travel nurses already make a significant amount more than staff nurses, but LA travel nurses are really rolling in the dough. This is because of the high stipends in LA county. Stipend rates in LA are consistently one of the highest thanks to the high costs of living here. 

Current, federally-allocated stipend rates for LA county are $184/day for lodging and $74/day for meals for around $1,800/week of tax-free dollars to more than cover costs of living. Add onto this a generous hourly rate, overtime pay over 8 hours, sign-on/extension bonuses, travel reimbursements, and licensure/certification reimbursements, and you have a very nice pay package. 

And, if you’re into overtime, my hourly overtime rate for extra shifts  is currently $116/hour. Just saying.

Los Angeles is a Dream Come True For Foodies

I’ve been a foodie for as long as I remember and trying new cuisines is one of my top reasons why I love to travel and LET ME TELL YOU. Omg Los Angeles knows what’s up, seriously. Italian, Mediterranean, Indian, American, Mexican–I really should not even bother listing these because truly anything you can think of is here…as well as cuisines I have never even heard of.

As of right now, LA has around 25 restaurants with Michelin Star accolades, and thousands (yes, thousands. Google it.) of food trucks so from fast to fancy, LA literally has it all. Prove me wrong, I don’t know what else to say.

You Will Never Run Out of Things to Do In Los Angeles

Coming from a town where the only thing to go out and do is bowling (a half hour drive away), LA has been a dreammm. Mansion parties, music festivals, concerts, rollerblading along the coast, football games, happy hour, theaters in Hollywood, and beach days have been some of my favorites. Omg I have so many stories I could tell. I’ll show some pics instead hehe.

Los Angeles Has Some of The Best Hospitals 

There are five Level I trauma centers in LA county, and several more highly acclaimed and specialized hospitals. Working in an inpatient trauma/psych/med/surg unit, I’ve had the opportunity to care for a very wide range of patients.

Trauma cases from auto accidents, gun shot wounds, stab wounds, home invasions, suicide attempts, domestic violence, and 20-foot+ falls have truly increased my skills at a nurse, which I’ll be able to carry with me for the rest of my career.

Los Angeles Is The Perfect Home Base For Other Travels On Those Weekly Four Days Off

LAX airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, let alone the USA, making it the perfect home base for extra adventures. With four days off every week, I’ve been able to travel to Bermuda, Mexico, New York, Washington, and Vegas so far on this assignment.

So Yeah, Take a Travel Assignment in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has too much to offer for you not to take a travel nurse assignment here. I’ve already extended my contract with Aequor once, and am in the process of extending another 13 weeks. As travel nurses, you can extend up to a year in any single location and I fully intend on using up the entirety of that year here in LA. And know I’ll be back when I am eligible again. 

If you have any questions about traveling in Los Angeles, or travel nursing in general, please reach out! You can leave a comment, email me, or send me a dm on instagram @mele_yeah.

Want to learn more about travel nursing?

Check out my recent post about how travel nursing has truly changed my life for the better.

What Is Travel Nursing? How Travel Nursing at 21 Catapulted Me Into a Life of Financial Abundance and Thrilling Adventure