Inland Empire

The Inland Empire is perhaps the only place in the United States where you are 45 minutes from ski slopes and 45 minutes from the beach.

Apply Today
See All jobs

Inland Empire

Living and working in southern California comes with a lot of benefits and interesting places to explore. You’ve got the desert, the valley, and the seaside as potential locations to choose from all in the same state! Aside from the most popular cities of San Diego and Los Angeles, there are other cities in SoCal that garner your attention. The Inland Empire is one such area that is a ripe spot for both travel and per diem nurses and allied health professionals. The term “Inland Empire” itself refers to the cities within western Riverside County and southwestern San Bernardino, but some cast a wider net to include everywhere from Pomona Valley and Palm Springs to Coachella Valley and a little beyond. In short, this means you have tons of cities and towns to choose from when looking for travel nursing jobs in the Inland Empire.

See Jobs

Slopes or Biking

Healthcare Jobs in SoCal

Get paid more

In California, travel nursing jobs can be found between northern and southern California. You may be wondering what the difference is, but both regions come with their own sets of advantages and disadvantages that travel nurses should take into consideration. The most important difference, though, amongst health professionals is the difference in pay rates between northern and southern California. Northern California travel nursing jobs usually have higher pay rates. This is because the regions you have to choose from (San Francisco, Oakland, the wider Bay Area) are close to Silicon Valley and the tech industry, have a much higher cost of living and are home to some of the most prestigious hospitals and medical centers in the nation. This doesn’t mean that northern California is the ideal place to work, however.

S. California Perks

Southern California comes with its fair share of perks as well. While it is true that the pay rates are a little lower in Southern California for travel nurses, the region makes up for it in culture, adventure, fun, and excellent medical facilities and hospitals. In fact, San Diego is the most in-demand city for travel nursing in California, and Los Angeles is a close second. When it comes to the Inland Empire, then, you really get the best of both worlds. You’re in close proximity to both LA and SD, meaning access to their hospitals and industry resources, as well as privy to the resources to be found in the Inland Empire itself. Bottom line, you have a lot of opportunities here for growth in your field as well as new experiences in your life and on the job. With this in mind, if you’ve been angling for a travel nurse job in NorCal and are just having a hard time landing the position you want, don’t be afraid to consider SoCal and the Inland Empire.

Prominent Medical Centers in the Inland Empire

As the Inland Empire covers such a large part of southern California, you can be sure that some pretty amazing hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities can be found in this area. Travel nurses considering work here should look into the following hospitals for positions:

  • Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center: This medical center is one of the number one hospitals in Riverside and is rated high performing in heart failure research and treatment. A general and surgical hospital, this facility is known for its excellent customer care. They offer electric mobility carts for patients having trouble getting around the center and have a wide window for family visitation. This large center is a great place to help many patients while also gaining valuable experience for your career. Learn more here.
  • Loma Linda University Medical Center: Loma Linda University Medical Center is another facility that offers comprehensive care for all sorts of patients. Its Surgical Hospital was ranked as the top workplace in 2018 by Modern Healthcare and it is one of the best learning and training hospitals for nurses of all experience levels. What’s more, Loma Linda has a faith-based mission for their medical care, offering another dimension to their comprehensive care approach. Whether or not travel and per diem nurses share this faith mission, they are exposed to a new way of practicing medicine and patient interaction and care, offering them an experience they can learn from, grow from, and take with them when they move on. Learn more about this healthcare facility here.

  • Of course, there are many more healthcare facilities to choose from in the Inland Empire besides these three, but you can’t go wrong shooting for the top as you explore the work opportunities in this area. You can find the other hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities located in and around the Inland Empire here.

  • Eisenhower Medical Center: The top hospital in Riverside and Coachella Valley’s only non-profit, Eisenhower Medical Center offers excellent nurse staffing, which means there is plenty of opportunities to be found here. This award-winning hospital is regionally ranked as the 16th best hospital in all of California and the #1 hospital the Riverside Metro Area. Known for its unmatched diagnostic, treatment, and emergency care and top staff, Eisenhower is a highly coveted spot. This center is also rated high performing in one adult specialty: geriatrics. It is also rated high performing nine adult procedures and conditions which include heart failure, hip replacement, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, and many more. In short, this is an excellent hospital for learning and growing no matter how much time you spend here, making it a prime spot for travel nurses. Learn more about this facility here and here.

Coachella Music Festival

Why You Should Consider Living and Working in the Inland Empire

As already mentioned, the Inland Empire is truly a sprawling region that includes tons of cities and towns. This means that you have a lot of new homes to work with and choose from when planning to work in this area. Aside from the ample housing and city options, there are also tons of fun things to do as a temporary resident of the Inland Empire. If you’re seriously considering choosing the Inland Empire as your next assignment area, you’ll need some reasons why working and living here can be the best:

  • Coachella Is In Your Backyard: You may have heard of a little music festival that comes to California each spring called Coachella. If you don’t live very Inland, Coachella Valley can seem like a far-off place in the desert, but it’s actually right in the backyard of Inland Empire dwellers. If you choose to live and work in the Inland Empire for at least a year, you are perfectly poised to attend one (or both?!) Coachella Weekends and have the experience of a lifetime. What’s more, the cost of living in the IE is much lower than other parts of SoCal, meaning you’ll have some funds available for your ticket!
  • Excellent Dining: The Inland Empire is known for having excellent dining experiences, primarily with Mexican food. Most natives swear that the only better Mexican food is the authentic dishes in Mexico itself.
  • Lower Cost of Living: As mentioned, the Inland Empire has a much lower cost of living than the rest of SoCal and the state at large. If you have a contract that states your housing is paid for through your agency during a travel nursing job, this means you will have some extra funds to enjoy all the Empire has to offer (like that Coachella ticket!).
  • It’s Lakes Make Up for Its Lack of Beaches: One downside of the IE is that a drive to the beach can feel a little far, but this doesn’t mean you won’t get to play in the water or snag a tan on the sand. There are plenty of great lakes in the Inland Empire that are almost as fun as the beach, if not more so!
  • Great Weather: Like most of California, the Inland Empire has some great weather year round. It can get a little hot here and there, but most of the time you’ll be enjoying blue skies, sunshine, and a breeze.