How We Will Earn $274K as Nurses Working Under 35 Hours

Nine months into 2025, Monica and I had made $200,567 gross as nurses. Together, we worked less than 35 hours a week. If this pace holds, we will earn $274,461 this year. I’m not sharing these numbers to brag. They show how your schedule, shift pay and knowing how hospitals work can change your money as a nurse.

These rates are from September 2025, when this was first written. Pay changes every year, so check current rates in Map My Pay.

Our numbers after nine months

The combined hourly rate is gross pay divided by hours.

Hours, pace and what it adds up to

• We each averaged under 20 hours a week. I worked 16.5, and Monica worked 18.3.
• Our combined pace is only about 34.8 hours a week.
• Our combined gross so far is already over $200K, and our combined net is about $138.6K.

This is the edge California pay gives you when you pick your hospital and shifts with a plan.

What drove our paychecks

My pay

• Evening differentials: $7,356
• Overtime and premiums: $1,300+
• PTO payouts: $9,844
• Holidays: $2,772
• Training: $4,065
• Education: $1,178
• Referral bonus: $4,500

Monica’s pay

• Night differentials: $10,400
• Overtime and premiums: $8,528
• Holiday and premium: $4,435
• Sick leave (PSL): $5,102
• Training: $2,915

Why Monica worked fewer shifts

Monica averaged 18.28 hours a week this year. That’s under 20, and it was not by choice. Here is what we think is going on, after watching the scheduling patterns:

1. Per diem nurses must work a set number of hours each year to keep their seniority, which is their place in line. The number depends on the contract.
2. Hospitals can quietly cut per diem shifts.
3. With fewer hours, they drop in line.
4. A lower spot means fewer last-minute shift offers when staffing sends out a blast.
5. This repeats until many per diem nurses give up. They switch to staff jobs with benefits to get steady shifts.

We think some union hospitals do this on purpose to move per diem nurses into staff jobs. It’s not about how well they work. It’s about control over staffing. Your contract may be different, but the pattern is often the same. If you are thinking about going per diem, read how per diem nurses can still get benefits.

What we are doing, and what you can do

Play offense with your hours and your spot in line

• Track your per diem minimum and your hours so far every month. Treat it like keeping your license active.
• Ask for shifts early, not just on blast days. Ask staffing to note the units and days you can cover.
• Save emails and texts for any shift offers that get turned down or canceled. Write down when you are free to work.

Widen where you can pick up hours

• Get trained or cleared for nearby units that use per diem nurses. The more units you can work, the more blasts you will see.
• If your hospital uses an app or portal for shifts, watch for postings at odd times, like nights, weekends and holidays. That is where premiums stack.

Protect your cash flow

• Budget with your net pay for the year so far, not your best month. That number already includes slow weeks and big weeks.
• Build a 2-3 month expense buffer. That way a slow month doesn’t push you into bad shifts or a bad job.

Where we will end the year at this pace

That is less than 36 combined hours a week.

Here is the main lesson from these numbers. The hospitals still have the power. They decide who gets the shifts and how per diem hours are handed out. If you don’t pay close attention, you might think per diem means freedom. It can also mean hours that come and go.

That’s why I always tell nurses to look past the hourly rate. Look at the system you are walking into. Your pay does not matter if you can’t get steady hours.

The lesson

• California wages let us work part-time hours and still earn more than full-time pay.
• Per diem hours are not a sure thing. Hours can be cut, and your spot in line can slip.
• Track your hours, protect your spot in line and learn how staffing works.

We share this because most nurses never see the full picture. If you’re smart, you can use the system to your advantage. If not, the system will use you. To see how we used overtime earlier in our careers, read why overtime keeps nurses broke.

Written by Jason, RN. I went from $37 an hour in New York to $143 an hour in California and paid off $128K of debt in under a year. I share our numbers in the Nurses to Riches newsletter and on YouTube.