RN hourly rate

mleej · Apr 28, 2010

Hi jayj,

I did research online and I know a collegue who went to EP and lasted only 6 months there until she broke her contract and left. anyhow, my friend said that its pretty safe...but since its a boarder town (in btw mexico and tx) there some illegal drug dealers passing thru EP to get to the bigger states....but with any big or small city there is going to be some crime...but apparently its relatively safe. As for shopping goes, u can forget that! All they have is a walmart supercenter..oh and a Khols...in terms of fun there is one movie theatre and thats all u have....oh and eating out is your neighbourhood mcdonalds...its a very very small town...and its like 2.5hrs away from the next major city (san antonio)....my collegue are similar in that we are out-doorsy and like our major department stores, and populated cities, with a downtown, coffee shops..etc...so i know i wont last there...however, if your not into that stuff and are a "stay-in" kinda person then perhaps EP wont be as bad, i think its all about adaptability and what you are willing to sacrafice.

good luck!

dilo_alister · May 4, 2010

Replying to rayj

"What kind of research did you do on eagle pass, tx. Is it a bad place? How r the people? Etc? Plese let me know. I was offered an interview on site at the hospital facility and now im starting to second guess because alot of ppl were saying its such a shady place? "

I'm a new grad RN..residing in california..right now its kinda on a hiring freeze for new grads especially without experience.I checked out eagle pass,tx at Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center. My main goal is to look for a hospital that would grant me the experience i need then go back to california. I toured eagle pass,tx for 3 days.A long drive from San Antonio,tx. Very country style on the road..ranch upon ranch until i reached eagle pass..its a small town.not much to gimik but the hospital was great on the outside and inside.very clean.i spoke with some of the nurses there.and they said its good for the experience for new grads starting their profession.the bonus is good but dont expect much with the salary der gonna give you.for me its a decent pay but like i sed its for the experience.plus im not city person thats loves to gimik.im more of a home guy,goes to church,has fellowship with other christians,work and occasional goes out.im more of being contented to what is available..so yah eagle pass,tx for me is decent,looks safe and people friendly..

mhmc_2009 · Jun 7, 2010

i just passed my nclex and will be working soon as an RN in one of the hospitals here in houston. i dont have any experience and i graduated like year 2006. they gave me an offer of 23 per hour plus 3.50 shift differential. hope this helps....but how much is the starting pay should be in the houston area? just curious!!! :nurse:

MedChica · Jun 7, 2010

I don't know about Uvalde. I thought the border towns paid really well? Heard this from a girl in my (armyguard) unit. She does border patrol and works down there p/t.

Anyway, St Luke's hiring from what I saw. Just put them from what I can see:

I saw L&D and OR positions among others.

Minimum --> 0 years

Preferred --> 2 years.

Houston Nurse Jobs

New grads may have to sell their booties off.

As far as Texas wages, Texas is an affordable place to live. Compared to other places, like Florida, the wages actually match with the cost of living

Ca...? Similar to much of NY, the cost of living is ridiculous. $900/mth for a hovel. Employers over there have to offer a bucketload of money. It's the only way anyone can live there...

francesca22 · Jun 7, 2010

Don't give up on California too quickly. TX is the pits, salary-wise, as are many of the Southern states. The border towns may pay more, but they are dangerous, as noted in a previous post.

I live in Northern California, the S.F. Bay Area. The pay here is really high, especially if you are willing to train for work in difficult areas, i.e., S.F. County/General Hospital AIDS dementia unit or critical care. Just don't attempt to rent/buy housing in the expensive city. Better to find housing in one of the 'burbs and use rapid transit.

My RN daughter, who lives close by, is following my career trajectory, working as a County Hospital Psych. crisis unit manager and teaching. She makes $75/hr., but truth to tell, it's a stressful position. She is exhausted all the time, but that is the sacrifice we sometimes must make, it seems.

island40 · Jun 8, 2010

I'm looking forward to the move this fall! As an RN with and MSN and 16 years experience I get paid a whopping $44K annually - that's full time people! here in Iowa. And NO STATE TAX to boot!!! show me the money!!

allnurses Guide · Jun 9, 2010

Ahh, but be prepared for our sales tax, which is huge compared to most other states. 8.25%. Makes up for the lack of state income tax. Property taxes are also massive here comparatively speaking.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 16, 2010

Don't give up on California too quickly.

A staggering percentage of new grad RNs in California cannot find employment. It is easy to tell people to not give up on California too quickly, but these unemployed RNs must come up with a feasible plan-B when they have been without work for more than one year, the bills are piling up high, student loans are due for payment, and no one is responding to the hundreds of resumes and applications that they are sending.

It is seriously easier in the job market for someone with years of nursing experience. If you are a new grad in California, especially the SF Bay area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, or San Diego, expect to compete with the thousands of other new RNs that get dumped into the local employment market every few months. These areas are totally saturated with too many new grads, more than the local job markets can absorb.

francesca22 · Jun 19, 2010

[if you are a new grad in California, especially the SF Bay area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, or San Diego, expect to compete with the thousands of other new RNs that get dumped into the local employment market every few months. These areas are totally saturated with too many new grads, more than the local job markets can absorb.]

Yes, I'm aware of that. The S.F. Bay Area is imploded with newly graduated nurses scrambling for jobs.

It was so when I entered training and graduated as well. For every available slot, there were 20+ applicants both in the training programs and later, in the job market.

Then and now, Calif. new grads must resort to extraordinary measures to make themselves desirable candidates for hiring, i.e., undertake post grad advanced specialty training, be willing to work where no one else wants to work, accept difficult schedules, cover weekends, or move to the lower paying boondocks. An option one of my classmates chose was Indian reservation nursing to pay off her student loan.

Post graduation, I led a dog's life, working a surgery unit nights, and by day, attending a rigorous ICU/CCU training course that involved both hands-on clinical and didactic study. Upon course completion and certification, I was promptly hired to work ICU/CCU and ER. My roommate worked nights and undertook post-grad. neonatal ICU training. She also was hired as a result.

One wonders why anyone would enter our profession, considering the current job market.

BTRN · Jun 23, 2010

I know some of some places in DFW paying around 23 and change for new grads. CNA experience counts at some places and LVN experience as well. This can mean new grads can start significantly higher (in some cases $10 - 17 more per hour higher) than their non-LVN counterparts as NEW grads.

Hope that helps.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jun 27, 2010

Southern border of Texas (McAllen, etc) starts new grads at about $21-$22 an hour, with around $3/hr for night shift. It's always been promoted as the place to go to find lots of jobs, but lately a large percentage of the recent grads from UTPA and STC nursing programs cannot find jobs in the hospitals here. I personally know people who graduated in May, Oct, and Dec 2009 that still do not have jobs in the Rio Grande Valley.

I was very pleased to have been offered my position in the NICU right out of school.

BTRN · Jun 27, 2010

HCA North Texas hires new grads all the time.