RN NICU

TNAA Healthcare

San Luis Obispo, California

Staffing partner

Eligibility: Acute CareCritical CareInfectious DiseaseICU

Posted Apr 16

Unit and setting: NICU · Hospital
License: RN license
Term: Travel

What it pays

Against similar roles: Below most California travel postingsCalifornia travel postings that state pay run $1,800/week to $3,220/week, the middle half $2,080/week to $2,870/week, across 328 postings.

The workplace

TNAA Healthcare

Staffing partner

Staffing partner: TNAA Healthcare

Organization profile

Worth asking

Can you walk me through base pay range and differentials?
What should I expect for shifts, weekly hours, weekend, holiday, call, and rotation?

Ask Mira

Your fit

[data-job-fit-skeleton]{display:none}Answer one question to see your fit

On your path

NICU / Neonatal Residencies hire in directly, and the unit's level sets the work.

See your route →Check first: New-grad residency fine print

Original listing

Posted on TNAA Healthcare’s careers page.

Read full text

We're looking for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit RNs for an immediate travel nurse opening in San Luis Obispo, CA. The right RN should have 1-2 years' recent acute care experience. Read below for more requirements.

As a NICU RN, you'll provide critical care to sick and premature infants. Alongside the rest of the care team, NICU RNs assist in providing round-the-clock care to these patients and support to the parents. Parental support can range from emotional encouragement to advising parents on the proper care of their infant when they return home.

As a NICU Travel Nurse, you should be prepared to perform the following tasks: Care for infants transitioning to extra uterine life. Monitor vital signs and initiate corrective action when necessary. Provide nutritional assessment and specialized feedings.

Change dressings, insert catheters, start IVs. Provide arterial and intravenous therapy. Monitor and adjust specialized equipment used on patients, such as incubators and ventilators.

NICU Travel Nurses should be able to stand and walk for long periods of time, as well as bend, lean and stoop without difficulty. RNs should be able to easily lift 10-20 pounds of equipment at times. NICU Travel Nurses may face hazards from exposure to chemicals and infectious diseases.

Requirements*: BLS, NRP, PALS, 2 Years

Additional certifications may be required before beginning an assignment.

Pay: $1,935.83

What's around it?

In San Luis Obispo, CA

San Luis Obispo, CAFrom Census ACS 2024.

Living costs about 9% above the US average

Median rent: $1,965/mo
Household income: $73,685/yr, all local households, not nurse pay

Life in San Luis Obispo, CA

NeighborhoodsDowntown San Luis Obispo is the walkable core—restaurants, shops, nightlife, historic homes, and a short hop to Cal Poly—with higher prices, noise, activity, and limited parking. Laguna Lake is a popular suburban residential pocket known for parks, open space, and trail access; it suits people who want nature nearby but accept more driving and weaker walkability to downtown. Bishop Peak and the Foothill area are quieter, view-oriented neighborhoods of established homes with direct hiking access, limited inventory, and mixed home ages and conditions. SLO’s East Side is framed as family-friendly with more entry-level stock for first-time buyers; the Cal Poly/West University area is campus-adjacent; Los Ranchos/Edna Valley leans toward vineyard acreage and luxury estates (airport/air traffic is a factor on that south side). Nearby Pismo Beach and Arroyo Grande are the usual “somewhat more affordable” alternatives, about a 25–30 minute commute into SLO.

Downtown San Luis Obispo is the walkable core—restaurants, shops, nightlife, historic homes, and a short hop to Cal Poly—with higher prices, noise, activity, and limited parking. Laguna Lake is a popular suburban residential pocket known for parks, open space, and trail access; it suits people who want nature nearby but accept more driving and weaker walkability to downtown.

Bishop Peak and the Foothill area are quieter, view-oriented neighborhoods of established homes with direct hiking access, limited inventory, and mixed home ages and conditions. SLO’s East Side is framed as family-friendly with more entry-level stock for first-time buyers; the Cal Poly/West University area is campus-adjacent; Los Ranchos/Edna Valley leans toward vineyard acreage and luxury estates (airport/air traffic is a factor on that south side).

Nearby Pismo Beach and Arroyo Grande are the usual “somewhat more affordable” alternatives, about a 25–30 minute commute into SLO.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: pillarrealestate.com Source 2: youtube.com Source 3: reddit.com Source 4: apartmentguide.com

Getting aroundU.S. News reports an average San Luis Obispo commute of about 13.29 minutes, reflecting a compact city rather than a long suburban grind. Downtown living buys that convenience at the cost of limited parking; Laguna Lake and similar residential areas mean more driving for errands and nightlife. Relocators commonly live in Pismo Beach or Arroyo Grande and budget 25–30 minutes into SLO. Highway 101 is the county spine; San Luis Obispo’s airport and associated air traffic sit toward Edna Valley. Sources do not name hospital campuses, transit lines, or shift-parking rules, so expect a car-first pattern outside the downtown core.

U.S. News reports an average San Luis Obispo commute of about 13.29 minutes, reflecting a compact city rather than a long suburban grind. Downtown living buys that convenience at the cost of limited parking; Laguna Lake and similar residential areas mean more driving for errands and nightlife.

Relocators commonly live in Pismo Beach or Arroyo Grande and budget 25–30 minutes into SLO. Highway 101 is the county spine; San Luis Obispo’s airport and associated air traffic sit toward Edna Valley.

Sources do not name hospital campuses, transit lines, or shift-parking rules, so expect a car-first pattern outside the downtown core.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: realestate.usnews.com Source 2: pillarrealestate.com Source 3: reddit.com Source 4: youtube.com Source 5: youtube.com

OutdoorsOutdoor life is the city’s main amenity: more than 50 parks, volcanic Nine Sisters peaks running toward Morro Bay, and trailheads inside town. Bishop Peak is the signature hike with city views; Laguna Lake offers parks and open space; Montana de Oro State Park and Pismo Preserve are the big coastal hiking days. Avila Beach and Pismo Beach sit a short drive away (a creek runs from SLO toward Avila); the county markets about 80 miles of beaches. Edna Valley vineyards start at the south edge; elephant seals are a San Simeon outing. Hiking and mountain biking are year-round in the mild climate.

Outdoor life is the city’s main amenity: more than 50 parks, volcanic Nine Sisters peaks running toward Morro Bay, and trailheads inside town. Bishop Peak is the signature hike with city views; Laguna Lake offers parks and open space; Montana de Oro State Park and Pismo Preserve are the big coastal hiking days.

Avila Beach and Pismo Beach sit a short drive away (a creek runs from SLO toward Avila); the county markets about 80 miles of beaches. Edna Valley vineyards start at the south edge; elephant seals are a San Simeon outing.

Hiking and mountain biking are year-round in the mild climate.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: slocal.com Source 2: visitcalifornia.com Source 3: sandssuites.com Source 4: youtube.com Source 5: apartmentguide.com Source 6: pillarrealestate.com Source 7: facebook.com

Others hiring in San Luis Obispo, CA

Check licensing in CA

See San Luis Obispo, CA

Moving for this role?

Check the commute at your shift’s start and end, upfront housing costs, and whether moving assistance must be repaid if you leave.

Living in San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo is a compact Central Coast college town between volcanic peaks and wine country, halfway from L.A. to San Francisco on Highway 101. Cal Poly keeps the median age near 30 and downtown—Higuera Street, the 1772 Mission, Bubblegum Alley, Scout Coffee, Firestone Grill—alive, especially at Thursday’s Farmers Market. Bishop Peak, Laguna Lake, Montana de Oro, and the Nine Sisters make after-shift hikes realistic; Avila and Pismo are close, if chilly. Edna Valley vineyards start at the city’s edge. Housing is the shock: median homes near $900,000–$953,000 and one-bedroom rents from the high $1,800s to about $3,000. Downtown is walkable but noisy with tight parking; Laguna Lake and Foothill trade convenience for trails; the East Side plus Arroyo Grande or Pismo (25–30 minutes) stretch a budget further. In-town commutes average about 13 minutes, yet SLO is somewhat isolated, restaurants close early, and locals flag a thinner job market and healthcare challenges. Weather consoles: about 285 sunny days, August highs near 80°F, winter nights around 50°F.

AI area guide

Sources

As of 2026Source 1: visitcalifornia.com Source 2: realestate.usnews.com Source 3: apartmentguide.com Source 4: pillarrealestate.com Source 5: youtube.com Source 6: sandssuites.com Source 7: reddit.com Source 8: slocal.com

Compare living costs Plan your license move Explore this area

Nurses on this role

Help improve this pageShare what it’s like, leave a heads-up, or fix a detail.

What would you like to do?

What was it really like?

Your connectionWould you recommend it?Your role (optional)Unit (optional)

Add ratings or a short headline

Short headline (optional)StaffingManagementSchedulingOrientationCultureTime there (optional)

I understand that, after review, Nursing Mastery may publish this anonymously.

A person reviews every submission before anything changes.

What it pays

The workplace

Worth asking

Ask Mira

Your fit

On your path

Original listing

What's around it?

San Luis Obispo, CAiFrom Census ACS 2024.

Life in San Luis Obispo, CA

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

Nurses on this role

Life in San Luis Obispo, CA

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

San Luis Obispo, CAFrom Census ACS 2024.