Relocating to San Antonio from far, far away

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2007

i cant give you advise on the specifics of san anton but wanted to wish you a great move and tell you welcome to texas...i have been there and it is a beautiful area.

hi everyone!
i'm from pa, and moved to milwaukee for a year. just moved to chicago one month ago, and found out we are headed to san antonio very soon.
we have done alot of moving and i just want to be settled. luckily, dh will be signing at least a 2 year commitment, so we will stay.
i have one year of med/surg and one year of cardiac telemetry experience. i have my adn.
what can anyone tell me about pay rates, hospitals, area, schools, good areas, ones to avoid,, etc. i have never been to texas and i am nervous about starting over, all over again. seems from different websites, we can get beautiful homes for what we pay for a small ranch 2-3 br here. is that too good to be true?
any and all info will be very much appreciated. tia!!

labcat01, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2007

I grew up in San Antonio. We lived on the North/Northwest side of town which is very nice and expanding like crazy! I don't think you can go wrong living there. Good luck! It is a terrible place to live with allergies but I still love it.

Linda

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2007

The pay rates in San Antonio tend to be low when compared to the other major metro areas in Texas (Dallas and Houston). San Antonio has an abundance of schools that churn out new nurses every few months, so the oversupply of nurses will severely depress the wages.

akai6 · Apr 1, 2007

Are you familiar with dialysis?? willing to try? I know the company I work for may be looking for some, not exactly sure though. I guess it wouldn't hurt though huh?

johnwaynehair, BSN, RN · May 8, 2007

I work for Christus Santa Rosa Medical Center, and we need experienced cardiac tele nurses; go to heavenlycareers.com for more info...can't tell you what they'll pay; as far as housing, costs are starting to climb, and property taxes are high, but there are no state/local income taxes (only sales).The Northside of town (including NE and NW) tend to be a little safer than the East, West, and South sides. There are also several "bedroom communities" around if you don't mind the drive (public transit SUX compared to Chicago). Lots to see and do, winters are mild, summers can be brutal. Hope this helps, and welcome to SA.

westexasnurse · May 8, 2007

Hey bbuff

Im also moving to San Antonio this August starting to do some leg work getting the lowdown on houses to rent and Hopitals to work, lets keep in touch, trade info, im coming from Lubbock SICU, Ill check out the posting or you can email me @ [email protected]

blackIrish · Jul 21, 2007

Thanks everyone for the replies!!!:loveya:

Okay, we are here. It is absolutely beautiful and I'm so glad we are here. We live in the Stone Oak area. We've been here for over 3 months and I am just NOW beginning my job search. I will be transferring my license tomorrow. (Had a little delay because I couldn't find my SS card, needed that for the drivers license, which I need for the endorsement) :uhoh3:

SO.

North Central Baptist would be about a 2 minute drive for me. I am a nightshift nurse. I really miss work and the nights. Have been out of work for close to 6 months now. (between moves and settling in) I need to get back.

So, I'll be checking North Central Baptist, and what else?

I made $36/hour doing the weekend program in Milwaukee. But it was the WORST floor and enviroment ever. So, I would rather be happy, make less, and not feel I am risking my license every time I clock in for work.

Any more ideas? I will be looking into everything you guys talked about so far.

westexasnurse, you can email me. addy in my profile.

iHeartNICU · Jul 21, 2007

Hey there bbuff. I'm glad you're settling in and enjoying it so far. The stone oak area is very nice....lots of traffic on 1604....but still nice. Good luck on the job search! I am an extern at the Main Methodist and I really like it. That would be a longer drive than to North Central Baptist for you though. So many hospitals to choose from around here. Again best of luck and any questions feel free to ask.

medchick · Jul 21, 2007

You don't need a Tx drivers license for endorsement ( I had a Louisiana DL and had no problem). I currently work at University Hospital and love it. They are working on obtaining Magnet status. Also Christus Santa Rosa seems really nice. The pay is lower than in other areas of the country but we have a lower cost of living here. Hope you are doing well with your move. Any questions I might be able to help with, please feel free to PM me.

blackIrish · Jul 21, 2007

I have heard alot of good things about working for University. I am really going to look into them. I wouldn't necessarily mind the drive if I love the floor. The traffic probably would be fine on nightshift. Well, I guess if I did 11-7 and not 7p-7a.

Yes, 1604 and 281 are absolute nightmares. :uhoh3:

And medchick, I just found that out. I could have started this process months ago.

Thanks everyone!

cjane · Jul 23, 2007

:welcome:

The best advice I can give you is stay away from the east and west sides of town. You might want to look at the city website and maybe you can get some info there. If there is a reference to the medical center area, that is where the majority of the hosptials are located.