Austin Area CNA's: Need Current Salary Information

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Aug 16, 2013

Sorry, I don't have any specific information on CNA salaries in the Austin area, but I just had to comment . . .

Honestly, if you expect the fact that you're a "guy from New York with NYC experience doing CNA work" will give you an advantage - you're way off base. I would tone down the Yankee braggadocio if you want to acculturate successfully - LOL. Even though Austin is currently overrun by Hipsters, they are more likely to be irritated than impressed. Just focus on obtaining some solid experience and great job references. This may also help Texasisms: A Glossary of Texan

BTW, NYC salaries have to be higher due to the stratospheric cost of living. I think you will find that, despite lower wages, your actual net spending power will be much greater in Texas - even in Austin, which has a higher cost of living than the rest of the state... and waaaay too many politicians cluttering up the landscape.

I am assuming that you intend to attend a nursing school in the Austin area? If so, you probably need to do a very thorough investigation. Admission to a traditional (reasonably priced) program will be super-competitive & you will have to live in TX for at least 12 months to establish residency in order to be eligible for in-state tuition. If you are determined to move to Texas, you may have much better luck with nursing schools in other areas.

txredheadnurse, BSN, RN · Aug 16, 2013

Native Austinite here. Although I am a LVN my work takes me to LTC facilities constantly. The average pay rate for CNAs is $8-10/hour in LTC and only a bit higher in the hospitals. IF you take the additional training to become a certified medication aide the pay range is $9.50-12. Yes the cost of living here is cheaper than NYC but it is not cheap either. It is difficult to pay for rent, food, transportation etc. on those wages unless you have room mates. HouTx already told you about the residency requirements for tuition and she was not overstating the competitive nature of admission to even the community college for the ADN much less the BSN programs.

Now to be totally honest Austin is not the sparkling mecca of free flowing booze and live music that the media portrays. It is a laid back, for Texas very liberal, music and weirdness in general kind of town but it is the center of the state government, lots of tech firms (with their west coast immigrants lol) so property values have soared, rents and prices for properties have soared, driving around town during normal business hours or even the early AM hours can be torture, public transportation is nothing like it is NYC, the heat even for us natives is oppressive at times and it goes on for months on end. We are in a severe water rationing situation currently due to extremely high temperatures and low amounts of rain. It takes a certain type of personality to make the acculturation to Texas a success.

APatrickDietz · Aug 16, 2013

Txred and HouTx: thank you for the replies.

I am no hipster in anyway, just a guy needing to make a change and I hear Austin is MY kind of place for that.

No Yankee bravado here, I just know that, in certain places, knowing how to deal with the "New Yorker" mentality can help an employer gauge a candidate's ability to handle tough situations. Thank you HouTx for the link. I will read it and soak it in as well to better handle myself when i get out there.

I fully understand the idea of Nursing admissions. I work at a college now, where the nursing program is so tough, the professors or instructors themselves have admitted they would not get in if they were new students to the field. I am prepared for the competition. In fact, I look forward to whatever challenge lies ahead. Again, I am needing a change of venue for my life. I have friends in Austin and will rely on them to help me get acclimated.

Thank you again for info and advice. Please keep it comng.

nickasarbata · Sep 14, 2013

Thought I'd chime in since I'm also a guy who moved to Austin from NYC. I did my CNA certification there and then immediately moved to Austin and jumped into nursing prerequisites. Pretty much what everyone else said is true. It's a great city if you can handle the insane heat, the ridiculous traffic, and say goodbye to at least 50% of your salary just by moving here -- if not more. For me, it's absolutely worth it, and I really love love Austin.

Pay for CNAs is crap here. I work at a hospital and my base salary is $11.50/hour. They pay a dollar more on weekends, about 85 cents more for evenings, and something like a dollar more for night shift. So if you play your cards right, you might make $14/hr if you work weekend nights -- that's about as much as you can hope to make.

We also have no unions here, so be prepared for dangerous patient loads! I work on a med/surg / IMC unit, and the CNAs are "supposed" to have 12 patients, but we always have more - I usually have 16-18, and I've had as many as 23. It is dangerous, not to mention impossible to manage. We're not a peaceful nursing home, we have very ill patients, and it's just too many (our nurses have six patients when everywhere else they'd only have 4-5 with this level of acuity).

I'm two semesters away from graduating from nursing school. I blasted through all my prerequisites in two semesters, but most people need three. I had a 4.0 GPA and still had to wait THREE semesters before being accepted, because basically everyone has a 4.0. I didn't waste time though. I did all of my BSN prerequisites while I waited. I'm finally in and the program itself is fantastic. I'm at ACC, and you'll hear all the time how hospitals love hiring ACC grads over UT grads -- but that's an argument for another forum! Also, what was said about in-state tuition is absolutely true. I paid out of state tuition my first three semesters here, and ended up paying about $14,000 for one academic year at a COMMUNITY college. I didn't want to wait since I knew how long I'd have to wait AFTER being allowed to apply to the nursing program. But yes, it can add up! I will say that now that I pay in-state tuition, ACC's program is only about $900/semester. Very manageable.

Finally I will say I tend to agree about the New Yorker thing -- it doesn't impress people around here. NYC work experience is really only something that employers in NYC require and/or are impressed by. I got my very first ever CNA job with no experience in a hospital not because I did my CNA course in NYC but because I spoke Spanish and had experience working in luxury hotels and they wanted staff that was customer-service focused. So go figure! (If you do happen to speak Spanish, let them know! It's immensely valuable around here!)

Good luck! I think you'll like Austin, despite the warnings! Just be ready for the heat!!

APatrickDietz · Sep 25, 2013

Nick,

Thank you for the awesome post/reply.

I will take it all into account. ALL OF IT.