Relocating to Houston TX

U.S.A. Texas

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Hello all!

I am relocating to Houston TX, but not until 2014 once my child graduates high school. However, I am getting things in order NOW to try to make this the least stressful transition I can.

I am a RN, working in a Level I Trauma teaching hospital. I would want to continue to work in a similiar hospital.

I am a homeowner, but keeping my house in my current state, but interested in buying another one in Houston.

I need to know what areas should I look in? What hospitals are teaching hospitals? I am in MO and I understand TX is a compact state. I am assuming because of the Compact status, I do not need a TX endorsement.

Can anybody help?????

Thanks a bunch!

Specializes in NICU Level III.

There are two level I trauma centers in Houston, both in the medical center - Memorial Hermann and Ben Taub. Most, if not all, of the hospitals in the med center are teaching hospitals.

Thank you so much! I will look into the Medical Center, as I have heard about it.

Is the Medical Center located downtown? If so, how far is that from Kingswood? I am looking to buy my next house in that area.

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Oh Hon - Kingwood is a pretty big commute from the Med Center. There are a lot of nice facilities that are further north of Houston & you may want to consider those if you are dead set on living in Kingwood.

If you want to work in the Med Center, you will have a serious commute from any suburban area. The closest affordable/nice housing area is the Highway 288 corridor - about 10 minutes away. A lot of Med Center folks live in that area.

FYI, the Med Center is not downtown. It is a 'downtown' all on its own. You might be interested to know that the vast majority of employees of those hospitals have to park in remote lots & ride shuttle buses to their facility. That adds another 3-0 -45 minutes a day to your commute time. So, bottom line - if you're working 12 hour shifts, you better be able to get by on 6 hours of sleep - LOL.

Prior to moving here, I would advise you to make a few trips to get to know Houston. We are undoubtedly very different from where you're living now. I love it & wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but it certainly is not everyone's cup of tea.

Oh Hon - Kingwood is a pretty big commute from the Med Center. There are a lot of nice facilities that are further north of Houston & you may want to consider those if you are dead set on living in Kingwood.

If you want to work in the Med Center, you will have a serious commute from any suburban area. The closest affordable/nice housing area is the Highway 288 corridor - about 10 minutes away. A lot of Med Center folks live in that area.

FYI, the Med Center is not downtown. It is a 'downtown' all on its own. You might be interested to know that the vast majority of employees of those hospitals have to park in remote lots & ride shuttle buses to their facility. That adds another 3-0 -45 minutes a day to your commute time. So, bottom line - if you're working 12 hour shifts, you better be able to get by on 6 hours of sleep - LOL.

Prior to moving here, I would advise you to make a few trips to get to know Houston. We are undoubtedly very different from where you're living now. I love it & wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but it certainly is not everyone's cup of tea.

Thank you so much for this info! It is very helpful! I just came back from Houston last week and I'm addicted! I will be visiting again in September and will be making plans to make atleast 3 trips a year until it's time for me to move there.

I am interested in working nights. I am guessing I will still have to park and ride for the night shift. Right now, I get about 6-7 hours a sleep a day (thanks to Benadryl LOL) and I'm fine for work.

My girlfriend (who has only been a nurse 2 years) moved there and purchased a beautiful new home in Kingswood. I am SHOCKED at how low the cost of living is there, and how much she paid for her home and the amount of space she gets. True, there is no basement, but I will give up my basement to have her home. While I was there, I was looking at new constructions in Kingswood and took some real estate information home with me.

Are most of the facilities in Kingswood community hospitals? Is there new construction homes close to the Medical Center?

My goal is to eventually take a travel assignment there in a couple of years to really get the feel of the city. And then transition from there. Have to wait until the kid graduates which can't come fast enough! :lol2:

Specializes in NICU Level III.

I work night and park at my hospital's parking garage free of charge. I think most of the hospitals do this for night shifters but not for days.

There are new homes near the med center but they are SUPER high. Older homes are, too. Pretty much anything inside of the 610 loop is overpriced.

All these replies are right on the money. If you work nights you will have no problem with traffic and parking. You reverse commute and park in TMC garages if you work for Texas Children's, Methodist, St Luke's, Memorial Hermann, and Ben Taub. Not so sure about Ben Taub.

Memoral Hermann and Ben Taub are the Level I trauma centers. Another one is 50 miles away in Galveston by the ocean but it'd been devastated by a hurricane 20 months ago. I don't know the status now. It's UTMB Galveston.

Specializes in med-surg.

memorial hermann and ben taub are both level 1 trauma centers and you'll see all kinds of stuff there. memorial hermann is private though and ben taub is public so the uninsured go to ben taub.

yes the cost of living is crazy cheap in texas. you can get a really nice home for dirt cheap compared to the rest of the States.

the homes closest to the med center though (where bentaub and MH are) are crazy expensive. they are either apartments or condos / high rises that have expensive rent, OR there are really rich expensive homes in the Rice Village area (expensssiivvvee). i don't even eat out in that area because its that expensive. i ain't baller enough!

the good thing is that even with all the suburbs around houston , including kingwood, there are tons of community hospitals popping up like daisies. they pop up just as fast as the cookie cutter manufactured homes. you may be able to find a job at one of the community hospitals in the kingwood or surrounding area so you don't have to commute as far, although what you'll see in those ERs may not be as interesting or critical (or traumatic).

i do warn you though that if you decide to buy a home in kingwood and commute to the med center, you'll have quite a drive... i used to work nights in houston and commute about 30-45 minutes (45minutes with traffic). i'd always fall asleep going home in the mornings on my drive home (dangerous). so i had to sleep in my car in the parking garage in the morning (sad but true).

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

The properties in Texas are very affordable, but the property taxes tend to be outrageous in some areas. Therefore, I suggest that you research the property tax rate of the town or suburb in which you plan to relocate. In addition, you must take meticulous care of the house's foundation to avoid cracks and costly repairs. 25 percent of all house foundation problems occur in Texas due to the expansive soils in this state.

If you plan to make Texas your new home state in 2014, you will definitely need to endorse your Missouri licensure into Texas at the time that you relocate. Even though both states are members of the Compact, your license must be based out of your current home state.

Thanks everyone!

I have decided to make Kingwood my home, as I looked at some property online in the corridor around the Medical Center and it is way expensive! However, I already work in a Level I Trauma Center (ER) that is county ran and is non for profit. The pts we serve are the uninsured, the underinsured, the homeless, etc. I am used to this patient population, so I will be considering Ben Taub. I know it may be a long commute, but I'm willing to drive the 45 minutes. I will also continue to work nights.

By the time I decide to move, I'll have 5 years experience as a RN, mostly ER. However, I am leaning towards SANE and Forensic Nursing as well.

Good thing I dont have to consider school districts as my child will be on his way to college when this move is going to be finalized. However, I will attempt to take on a Travel assignment six months prior to the move to really get the feel of the city. I am already scheduled to visit Houston again in September of this year.

Any more suggestions, please keep them coming!

Specializes in Tele, Cardiac Post Op, ER.

Hi!

Some of my former co-workers at med center used to drive from Kingwood, depending on what time you drive in, it can be as little as 20-30 minutes. I'm not kidding! It might be worth it to commute or to use a Park and Ride system, but it didn't seem like they didnt had to travel far to get down to the med center and they love it there. You just have to figure out what peak traffic times in Houston are and just go around that. In Houston rush hour usually runs from 6am -10 am and 3pm - 6:30pm which is great because all the hospitals in the med center are 12 hour shifts. :) Good luck with your decisions!

If your goal is to take a travel assignment, the Medical Center hospitals generally don't use travelers. I did some travel in Houston, and found that the suburban hospitals used travelers. Memorial Hermann has their own internal agency- Premier Staffing.

Even though MO and TX are compact states, you will still need to hold your license in the state you reside. You have 30 days after you move to get your license switched over. Usually doesn't take that long.

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