consideration relocation to houston

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im a nursing student in the raleigh-durham area and am really not excited about staying in the area despite the promising outlook. i've been looking at houston, tx or at least tx. i know responses would be based on individual experiences, but do we have any rn's from tx? what would u say are the pros and cons of workin in your general area? also, why do you love or hate texas? school districts? housing costs? thanks guys

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Well I am just a nursing student, but the cost of living is fairly cheap in the Houston area compared to a lot of other places. Also there is no state income tax in Texas.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

we have lots of good golf in Texas

Strong support for the AANR

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Specializes in ICU.

Very true Tom! They have opened 2 driving ranges within 1 mile of my house here in Round Rock that I have yet to be able to try out.

To OP here are 2 threads that I have posted to in the last couple of weeks. One regarding reloacating to Texas and the other about relocating to Austin in specific. Of course, I am partial to Austin myself :)!

Good luck!

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99490

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99332

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I am an RN currently working Infusion Therapy and PICU in Houston.

I actually live in Katy (b/c of schools) and drive to the medical center for work. We moved here from Maryland in 1998 and don't plan to take off anytime soon.

Pros:

-LOTS of great stuff to do!

-One of the largest med ctrs in the world! (Get a job doing just about any type of nsg)

-Great schools in most outlying areas (or private if you wish to stay in the city)

-Warm weather most of the year (BIG PLUS!)

Cons:

-You have to drive 30 mins to get anywhere

-Traffic

-Traffic

-oh yeah... traffic

Good luck to you!

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Specializes in OR.

Wow, great information! I am moving to Mckinney around Sept this year. I just can't wait to enjoy my 3,200 sq feet brand new house!

I have only been to Texas 4 times in my life and I think I am already falling in love with it.

My only worry about moving is if I can find a job right away. I am wondering how big of a change will a hospital hire a new grad like me around October? I know all hospitals have their internships in Jan and Jun only. That will mean I am going to miss the Jun one and probably have to wait till Jan next year???

Do you know if they will hire new grads without going through their internships? Maybe they will let me shadow a nurse instead of going through a real internship with classes?

By the way, do you know which hospitals in Texas are hiring? I don't mind driving 30mins or more since I used to live in Los Angeles. Thanks!

:)

I am an RN currently working Infusion Therapy and PICU in Houston.

I actually live in Katy (b/c of schools) and drive to the medical center for work. We moved here from Maryland in 1998 and don't plan to take off anytime soon.

Pros:

-LOTS of great stuff to do!

-One of the largest med ctrs in the world! (Get a job doing just about any type of nsg)

-Great schools in most outlying areas (or private if you wish to stay in the city)

-Warm weather most of the year (BIG PLUS!)

Cons:

-You have to drive 30 mins to get anywhere

-Traffic

-Traffic

-oh yeah... traffic

Good luck to you!

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I want to knowwhat the benefits are like in houston

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Some very nice golf courses

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It varies pretty widely depending upon where you work. Most of the employers for whom I have worked have ranged from 250 - 300 per pay period (2x/month) for family benefits coverage (includes dental, health and vision). All employers for whom I have worked so far have offered the option of a PPO or HMO plans.

I am not sure if this is what you were looking for...

Let me know if you need additional or different information. I am happy to help!

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Specializes in Adult ER.
It varies pretty widely depending upon where you work. Most of the employers for whom I have worked have ranged from 250 - 300 per pay period (2x/month) for family benefits coverage (includes dental, health and vision). All employers for whom I have worked so far have offered the option of a PPO or HMO plans.

I am not sure if this is what you were looking for...

Let me know if you need additional or different information. I am happy to help!

I'm sorry but what is the difference between an HMO and a PPO ...... I will be moving to tx soon and a lot of this confuses me

Thanks

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An HMO is a "health maintenance organization" where you would choose a primary care physician to coordinate your care. A PPO is a "preferred provider organization". You still have a primary care, but there are some differences.

Mainly,

With an HMO, you must have a referral from your primary care to see a specialist. Sometimes, it can be a pain to wait for a referral. Copays are usually lower with HMOs.

PPOs generally allow you to see any doctor in their network without referral. You can see any doctor you want, but if they are not "in network," your out of pocket costs are much higher. (This is true for HMO or PPO).

HMOs also generally have a 30-day notification requirement to change your primary care physician.

Aetna seems to be fairly common around here, and they have both HMO and PPO coverage. It may be of benefit to you to check out http://www.aetna.com for differences in coverage. You will not get details, as they change depending on size of company and other variables, but it may clear some things up for you.

Good luck in your move! We have been here for 8 years and love it!

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