| Weekly pay | Up to $3,350 on a 12x4 schedule of 48 hours per week, with built-in overtime hours |
|---|---|
| Shifts | Day, Evening, and Night shifts available |
| Schedule | Four 12-hour shifts per week (12x4) |
| License | California RN license required since CA is not a compact state. A temporary license is available, and our team assists. |
| Extras | Weekly pay and a dedicated recruiter. Stipend and benefit details vary by contract, and your recruiter breaks down every package. Call (866) 680-2920. |
| Pay updated | June 2026 |
As a travel RN with We Care Staffing, you'll deliver direct, hands-on patient care at the bedside. That means assessing patients, developing and carrying out care plans, administering medications and treatments, documenting in the facility's EMR, and educating patients and families along the way. You'll step into an established care team as a fully contributing member from week one, collaborating with physicians, therapists, and fellow nurses while bringing the adaptability that makes experienced travelers so valuable to busy units.
We fill California RN contracts across the specialties facilities need most. That includes critical care (ICU), emergency, medical-surgical, and telemetry or step-down units, along with specialty roles in labor and delivery (L&D), NICU, the operating room (OR), PACU, oncology, and behavioral health. Whatever your unit, your recruiter matches you to assignments that fit your experience rather than simply whatever happens to be open.
Weekly pay with transparent breakdowns of taxable wages and tax-free stipends
A dedicated recruiter plus clinical support throughout your assignment
Referral benefits when you refer fellow healthcare professionals to We Care Staffing
Speak to our recruiter now.
California is the highest-paying state in the country for registered nurses. The average RN wage here is roughly $66 per hour, or about $137,000 per year, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, well above the national average of around $45. Travel contracts pay above even that benchmark. We Care Staffing's current California RN assignments offer weekly pay up to $3,350 on a 12x4 schedule, which means four 12-hour shifts and 48 paid hours every week.
Two things drive these rates. First, California was the first state to write nurse-to-patient ratios into law, and its ratios remain the most comprehensive in the country: 1 nurse to 5 patients on med-surg units, 1:2 in the ICU, and 1:4 in the ER. This keeps demand for RNs permanently high, and it means a more manageable patient load once you're on the floor. Second, because California requires its own state license, the supply of available travelers is smaller than in compact states, so facilities pay a premium for nurses who are licensed and ready.
$66/hr
CA Average RN Wage
$3,350
Max Weekly Pay
48 hrs
Weekly w/ OT Built In
Your weekly package on a California travel contract typically combines a taxable hourly base rate with tax-free housing and meal stipends, which are available to travelers who maintain a qualifying tax home and duplicate living expenses. Stipend amounts follow federal GSA rates and vary by city, and Bay Area and Los Angeles assignments carry some of the highest housing allowances in the country.
Yes, California has high state income tax. The key detail is that only your taxable base wage is subject to it, not your stipends. After tax, a $3,350 per week California contract still nets ahead of most assignments elsewhere, and the 48-hour week means you're earning overtime-loaded pay every single week, not just when extra shifts appear.
Taxable Base Rate
Competitive hourly wage
Housing Stipend
Tax-free, GSA-based rates
Meal Stipend
Tax-free daily allowance
Built-in Overtime
48-hour weeks = OT every week
California is not a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate license alone doesn't let you practice here. You'll apply for licensure by endorsement through the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) via the BreEZe portal. Budget roughly $400 to $500 in total fees and 8 to 14 weeks of processing time in 2026, and start the application before you start your contract search.
The good news is that California issues a 6-month temporary license to endorsement applicants, typically about 2 to 3 weeks after your fingerprint background check clears, so you can start working while the permanent license processes. The application runs through the BreEZe application, Live Scan fingerprinting, Nursys verification, and transcript requirements. Those are the three things that most often delay applications, and handling them correctly the first time saves you weeks.
$400–$500
Total Licensing Fees
2–3 Weeks
Temp License Speed
6 Months
Temp License Duration
Speak to our recruiter now.
We Care Staffing places registered nurses at facilities across California's major health systems. Demand is strong in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento, and California employs more RNs than any other state at over 330,000, so assignments open year-round in every specialty from med-surg and telemetry to ICU, ER, and L&D.
"We-Care found me the perfect ER nurse assignment quickly. Their communication was fantastic throughout the entire process. I couldn't be happier!"
Jessica Miller
Travel Nurse
Beyond the pay, California offers what few assignments can: legally protected patient ratios, strong nursing unions, and a location that is a bucket list in itself, from the coastline to the national parks to three of America's most exciting food cities. Many travelers take one California contract for the experience and end up extending. With a 13-week assignment, you have time to actually live here, not just work here.
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