Yes, this is called a sharing circle. Don’t come at me.
Who looks out for nurses? No one. So we’re doing it ourselves.
Think of this as an extended group of work wives and work husbands.
Not into kumbaya? Well, my dear, you are worth the time it takes to find that delicious version of yourself....the one who’s living a nurse life that feels right.
This is where we share the shit that works, the parts that don’t, and how we’re making this career work for us. Nurse to nurse.
So relax back, make a cup of tea or do some affirmations or whatever and read on.
Meet Alex, a seasoned RN who lives out of state but flies into the Bay Area to work per diem at Kaiser Permanente in the East Bay. She’s been there four years and has built a solid system. Let's get into it, shall we?
Q: Let’s start with the big number. What do you make?
Alex: “As a per diem in CA, I make $136.65 per hr."
Q: Is that a lot higher for you back home in Indiana?
Alex: "Yes. I make more than 3x in CA than in home hospital. But cost of living back home is way cheaper."
Q: And it still works after travel costs?
Alex: “Yes. One 12-hour shift covers my travel and hotel. If I’m working 8s, I need two. I usually work six 12s in a row so that I can maximize on one trip. If that makes sense.
Q: Yes, totally. Bigger bang for your buck. So, where do you stay?
Alex: “I book the hotel across the street from the hospital for $79 a night. It has a fridge and microwave, so I get groceries delivered and pack meals. I don’t rent a car or eat out.”
Q: How do you fly in/out?
Alex: “I fly Southwest into Oakland (vs San Francisco) it saves on Ubers. I use points and book sale fares, usually Tuesday or Wednesday. I fly in the morning before my first night shift, and home right after my last.”
Q: How does this fit with your home hospital job?
Alex: “I’m per diem back home too which means just 2 shifts every 6 weeks. I plan my California shifts first, then pick up at home only if needed. That way when I’m home, I’m truly off for family life.”
Q: Why nights?
Alex: “Nights pay almost $15 more an hour in CA. To be fully transparent, my pay is $121.73 an hour with a $14.92 night shift differential. Plus, I’ve always worked nights - it’s my rhythm. ”
Q: How did you develop this idea and plan?
Alex: “I had some guidance from friends, but I figured out the rest on my own like housing, timing, how to stretch my schedule. It was a leap, but it’s working.”
Q: What would be your advice to others?
Alex: Stack your shifts. Be strategic with travel. Keep it lean. If you can make it work logistically, per diem nursing in California can be a game-changer.
———
And there you have it my my badge-wearing beauties.
Flying in, stacking shifts, making it make sense. This path isn’t for everyone, but it might spark something for you.
The flexibility...the pay...more on your terms. Either way, we’re here, figuring it out together. No hustle hype. No guilt. Just options.
With love (and good hourly rates),
—Casey
Meet Maya, an experienced med-surg nurse who stepped away from bedside into her soft nurse era without taking a pay cut.
Q: People keep using the phrase “soft nursing.” Have you heard it?
Maya: “Yes. I think it started with the ‘soft girl era,’ and now I hear it in nursing too.”
Q: What do people usually mean by it?
Maya: “Choosing work that doesn’t require constant self-sacrifice. Systems that don’t drain your nervous system all day.”
Q: Does ‘soft’ mean less clinical or less skilled?
Maya: “Not to me. If anything, it’s more precise. You’re still responsible for real things but you’re just not managing chaos on top of it.”
Q: What does that look like for you?
Maya: “I work in an allergy clinic at Kaiser Permanente in the Bay Area.”
Q: How does the pay compare to hospital roles?
Maya: “It’s the same. I get paid what I did as an inpatient nurse”
Q: Can I ask how much you’re paid?
Maya: “Sure. It’s January, so we just had a pay increase. I’ve been with Kaiser for over ten years, and I make $108 an hour.”
Q: And the schedule?
Maya: “Four ten-hour days. No weekends. No holidays.”
Q: What’s the pace like?
Maya: Compared to inpatient? Calmer. We’re prepared for things like allergic reactions, obviously, but I’m not balancing a hundred priorities or constantly resetting urgency like I was at the bedside.”
Q: Some people hear that and think it sounds like disengagement, or being ‘less’ of a nurse.
Maya: “I might have felt that a few years ago but now I don’t feel less like a nurse. I actually feel more present. The work is just arranged differently, so the energy goes where it’s actually needed. No call bells, no admissions, no bedsores, no food trays. I can focus on each patient’s physiology and clinical picture without splitting my attention in a hundred directions. I love, for example, learning more about the immune system, it’s actually fascinating to work with.”
Q: Would you call this a rebellion against bedside nursing?
Maya: “Haha...rebellion? No. It’s more of an adjustment. I wanted something sustainable.”
Q: Any advice for nurses interested in entering their own soft nurse era?
Maya: "There are hospital roles where the pay is the same, even if the work isn’t bedside. You tend to notice them once you start looking.”
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Food for thought, my nurse babes.
Choosing systems that don’t require constant self-sacrifice.
Schedules that let your nervous system settle.
Knowing you can be deeply competent without being depleted.
No pressure. Just another angle.
With love (and calm nervous systems),
— Casey
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