Any Austin Texas nurses here?

[dreatx]

I was just curious as to what new grads start out at in this town.

i have looked at the salary sites but those numbers seem awful high.

the reason i want to know is because i am coming from a network operations background and make decent (not great) cash. i am working on cutting the hell out of my expenses now but i just want an idea of where i need to set my new life budget. at least in the beginning. and i plan to continue forward no matter what the figure may be. i just want an idea of what to expect.

if it matters, i currently make about 56k a year.

[austin heart, BSN, RN]

Survive? Yes. Maybe not in the style to which you would like to become accustomed, however.

Don't forget that Texas is an "Employment at Will" state and is very weak in the union field. This means that you can be discharged for almost any reason, and you have no union to back you up. How do you feel about the mandatory 12-hour shifts frequently required in Austin?

Also, do some research into "Group One" in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area before you choose that locale.

We are an "Employ at will" state but we do not have ANY nursing unions in Austin (or in TX that I know of). I only know of 1 hospital in Austin that requires you to work 12 hour shifts and that is mine, Heart Hospital. At all the others you have the choice of working several combos: (2) 8s and (2) 12s a week, (3) 12's a week, (5) 8s a week. It all depends on what unit you are wanting to work in. I worked ICU at SAMC for awhile and did the (2) 8s, (2) 12s for awhile and then changed to the (3) 12s a week schedule that was better for me. There is no Group One in Austin, as far as I know it is pretty much limited to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The $21/hr that Jessica (above poster) says that she makes is good money for a new grad here and Seton is a nice hospital to work for or so I have heard from several of my co-workers who do prn work there. As far as housing, that $100-130 thousand she is talking about is not ganna get you much house, even in the burbs. You are talking around 1000 square feet for that money with a respectable builder. You are looking at around $160 thousand + for a 2000 square foot spec home. But that is still a good price for Austin and it's surrounding burbs (Round Rock, Pflugerville, Buda, Kyle)

[zenman]

Try this out:

http://swz.salary.com/CostOfLivingWizard/layoutscripts/coll_start.asp

[Aliakey]

I used to live in Davis, California (neighbors to 'ya in Sacramento) and lived in California for most of my life before moving to Texas a few years ago.

You'll find housing to be less expensive and the people friendlier overall in Texas compared to Sac (no flaming the messenger here please, lol!). Fuel will cost a bit less (don't have all of the fuel additives that California does for SMOG regs) and other utilities are generally less expensive. However, the weather is not as consistant so you will be using heat/AC a little more. But, be thankful that you're not living more north where I am. We often say, "if you don't like the weather, just wait an hour and it'll change for ya'!"

Food will cost less overall, but lettuce and other "delicate crops" are more wilted since they are usually shipped from your California farms to Texas. You have to try the sweet onions and melons here though! Air is much cleaner compared to Sac's brown fog. Schools are generally better, but the property taxes will also be higher to support better schools. Remember, there's no state income tax in Texas --- big difference there! You'll love that come April ;-) . Sales tax is a bit higher than California last I remember.

I do love it here, but will admit to missing the coastal Redwoods, Sierra Mountains, and beautiful surf that you can get to within a reasonable "road trip" amount of time. Austin is a progressive city; if you like city-living, you'll probably like it there quite a bit. Head to east Texas for lots of trees and a coastline (don't laugh at the waves though, hehe!).

Remember that "y'all" is an official Texas word, mesquite is the official state weed but is great for barbeque, and speaking of barbeque... don't expect to find smoked tri-tip, but brisket is a nice replacement. You'll find more patients with a greater number of tattoos compared to teeth, but don't let most appearances frighten you. Have a lot of good people in Texas.

Hope it helps!

[longhornluvr]

Hiya,

I work here in Austin, have since I graduated in 2000. I started out making 15.78 per hour and now I am making 26.00 per hour. There are great opportunities here, so don't freak out about the pay...you can make it!!!! Besides. Austin rocks!!!!!