I'll be moving to Rice, Tx in 6-12 months. I'm a little uneasy about working in Tx from reading some of the threads. I'll be living near Corsicana, Waxahachie, and Ennis..any good places for an RN to work? How about Baylor in Dallas? Agencies? Travel Companies?
Any advice is appreciated.
FYI..I have several years ICU experience, a few years PACU and Float, 3 years case management experience, a little HH and Wound care and 5 years clinical instructor experience.
Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.
i don't think there is any comparison between the two cities....modesto is much much more expensive than larado...
what is "cost of living"? the cost of food and gas is about 10 to 20 percent higher cali then in texas. if you compare housing cost in modesto, ca and laredo, tx there is no dramatic difference either. but if you look at the difference in the pay rate and workload it is very significant. the pay rate is twice less in tx the in cali, with the 6-7 patients per nurse in tx, which equals to 16% to 32% workload increase without any extra pay (compare to 5 patients per nurse in cali).
I went to a cost of living calculator website. I put in a salary of $50,000. a year for Laredo. I then compared it to Modesto. It would require a salary in Modesto of $77,727. a year to have the same cost of living standard. That is 45% difference. That is quite a bit of difference. Shows you that the cost of living is not just 10-20% different.
I don't know how your calculator calculates. I live near Modesto, CA and I visited Laredo, TX last year too. Like I said, food and gas is about 10 to 20 percent more expensive in Modesto. I'm pretty sure that cost of electronics, cloth, etc. is very close too. I was looking for a decent one bedroom for rent in Laredo, the rent is about $500/month in Northern part of the town. I rent my one bedroom near Modesto for $650/month. That's just $150 difference.
Now, working in Laredo for $17.50/hour for 40 hr/week x 4.5 weeks = $3150/month. In Modesto $34/hour for 40 hrs/week x 4.5 weeks = $6120/month.
Now, compare 7-8 patients per nurse in Laredo vs. 5 patients per nurse in Modesto. That's 40 to 80 percent higher workload per nurse in Texas for twice less money!
I sam not trying to bash Cali as I love the SF area and have worked there extensively and have plenty of family living in Southren Cali, but lets get real here. Your figures of 17.50 /hr for a nurses wage is actually on the low side. The median wage per salary.com is 24.50 an hour a far cry from 17.50. The median wage in Modesto is only 32.30. close to 34.50 but not quite.the salary difference is 25%es and all the average biweekly take home in Modesto to 1600 in Laredo it is 1300 a diference of only 19% in take home wages. Now take into account the cost of living and you did ask what is the cost of living. It is the cost of food, housing, transportation, utilities, healthcare and even the tickets at your local movie theater. 45% higher in Modesto with our wages only 25% lower you still have a net spending value of 20% better in Texas. Now to mee that is quite a bit. that is like having and extra 10,000 dollars every year to save or spend based on a 50,000 a year salary. Simple mathmatics show Texas is a great state to work in. as for working conditions...I have worked in hell holes in both states and I have lived and worked in Laredo so I do know what the staffing is like there and to be honest I worked harder in Cali than I did here.
New nurses in Modesto make $34/hr. Nurses with experience make more. In fact, major hospitals in Modesto area give another pay increase for 4-5 dollars/hr this year. As far as I know new nurses in Laredo make $17.50/hr.
I paid nothing for my health insurance premium last year. And it will be only $20/month in 2008. I don't know where you take these figures that cost of living in Modesto is 45 percent higher then in Laredo, let's take actual amount of spendings and you will see that the difference is not as dramatic as the difference in earnings. By making $6,000/month and spend $3,000 in Cali I have more money in my pocket, then making $3,000/month and spending $1,500/month in TX.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I find it curious that a small handful of people from other states feel compelled enough to visit our state forum for the purpose of making mostly negative posts.
What do you call a good pay rate? How much? What is a nurse to patient ratio at the hospital where your husband works?
I would consider anything around $25 or over a good pay rate for a new grad. working in a major hospital in the Houston medical center. This is not including night and/or weekend differentials. The patient ratio is about 2-3 patients per nurse where he works (ICU). I have no idea about patient ratios for the other specialties at his hospital.
You have to consider a lot more than the cost of living index when deciding where you want to live. There is also a lot more to consider than wages. Besides, comparing Laredo to Modesto?? Come on, where's the comparison? Both towns end in "O"??
I don't care if nurses made $50.00/hr and the N:P ratio was 2:1 in Cali, I wouldn't move back if you paid me. Not to LA, SF, Pollock Pines or podunk Modesto.
Here are just a few reasons I love my little spot in Texas:
I don't like having every aspect of my life regulated, mandated or legislated.
I don't like having an ultra liberal government telling me I'm too stupid to think for myself.
I like living in a small town that is close enough to the big D that I can go there for dinner or what not, but it hasn't been overrun by commuters trying to escape the hell hole they helped to create, leaving their problem children to fend for themselves from 4 am - 7 pm.
I like the fact that our "gang" problem is a joke in the scheme of gang problems, there are very few (and I mean VERY few) car-jackings, home invasions, etc. and drive bys are very few and far between.
I like it when people say please and thank you and they teach their kids to say it.
I like it when I say excuse me and the person gets out of my way and let me pass instead of looking at me like I'm speaking Chinese and not budging an inch.
I like it when I see a kid doing something they really shouldn't and I tell them they should stop and the kid usually stops instead of saying "F you, and shooting me the bird".
I like driving down the road and having people wave for no reason.
I like going to the tag agency and standing in line for 10 minutes to register my car.
The list goes on and on and on...
I'm glad people in California like living there, but don't try to convince me that just because they have a legislated nurse to patient ratio it's heaven on earth because I'm not buying it. I lived there too long and I go back to visit way too often. I'll stay right here in Texas thank you very much!
txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN
4,373 Posts
i don't think there is any comparison between the two cities....modesto is much much more expensive than larado...