is it easy getting a new RN position near Frisco, Texas?

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Hi,

I graduated with a BSN May 2008, live in the NJ, and haven't found a job:sniff:. It seems there is a shortage of new grad positions (for hospitals) here in the east coast. Wondering how is the job market in TX? Here, pay is anywhere from 26-31 usd per hr, if you can get in. There are a lot of positions for experienced nurses though, and my cousin who is a sr nurse clinician earns $120k++ in NY:eek:, another who is a new nurse anesthetist earns $160K++:bow:. So we have a lot of experience nurses relocating here for the pay as well, but new grads are in a quandary. One NY hospital won't even look at your resume if the GPA is below 3.5. Another mandates a 3.0 GPA with clinical experience outside of student rotations (e.g. a summer externship which I never had since I had kids on summer break I had to take care of).

Most of my friends from my previous career (information technology) have relocated to TX, specifically Frisco area to escape the high cost of living and insane property taxes in NJ and have been encouraging me to relocate as well. I have been looking at house prices on realtor.com, and they are a real bargain compared to here. I was wondering if there was room for a new grad like me in Texas. The lower cost of real estate more than makes up for any pay cut I may anticipate to get in TX. How much is the going rate near the Frisco area? Does the area get flooding, hail storms or tornados?

Thanks for any feedback.

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Education.

i can't quote new grad rates for you but can give you other information about the area.

you will see thunderstorms with possibly hail/tornados in the north texas region. i've grown up around this weather, so it's not an issue for me. news stations often go overboard (in my opinion) with their continuous coverage, but they are pretty good about predicting storm paths and developments.

when you look for jobs here, you need to ask about internships. different hospitals have internships for new graduates at different times of the year (usually to coincide with nursing school graduations).

frisco, prosper, celina, mckinney...many of the 'burbs on the ne side of dfw are nice. but there are nice 'burbs to be found almost anywhere.

here are some hospital systems in the area:

http://www.hcanorthtexas.com/

http://www.bhcs.com/

www.tenethealth.com

www.texashealth.org

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There are lots of hospitals in the areas outside Dallas offering internships in January for the new grads. Lots of ER, med surg, ICU internships. Cost of living in Texas is amazing compared to just about anywhere else, however traffic is bad, and the summers are unbearable in my opinion (born and raised Texan, but I hate the heat and humidity!) But you can get a REALLY nice house for 200K and a nice, smaller home for even less than that. Summer only lasts for several months, then it's gone. But Texans get cheated on a real autumn which makes me sad. :(The tornados seem to stay farther north, up around Oklahoma, but that's always a little unpredictable. My house has never flooded, but I see occasional side streets that are closed and flooded when it rains bad, which isn't really that often. It snows once a year usually in Feb. which melts the next day, and sjt9721 was totally right...the news stations will only talk about snow and bad road conditions the whole newscast. I don't know new grad rates, but they increase every year. The pay rates might be slightly lower than in the northeast, but cost of living is so much lower. That's too bad there aren't many new grad positions up there when all we hear about is the nursing shortage.

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Thank you guys for the info. I am not afraid of heat and humidity, since I grew up in southeast Asia where heat and humidity are much worse. If I can get an updated 4BR 2.5 bath with 2 car garage home on at least a quarter acre of land in TX for less than $300K, I will be extremely pleased even with the lower pay. Right now we are paying 8,000 USD a yr in property taxes on a $400K house that is 50 yrs old without updates, 3 br 2.25 bath 1 car garage with a 25 yr old pool I can only use 2 months of the year but have to keep clean for 4. Is it true that there are no houses in TX with basements? What do you do for storage?

I appreciate all the hospital links, and I will seriously consider moving if I don't hear anything here in the East coast by end of October. If I want a 2 br apt here it is going to be at least 1,200 a month. I hope the rental rates there are as reasonable as the house prices...

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Education.
Thank you guys for the info. I am not afraid of heat and humidity, since I grew up in southeast Asia where heat and humidity are much worse. If I can get an updated 4BR 2.5 bath with 2 car garage home on at least a quarter acre of land in TX for less than $300K, I will be extremely pleased even with the lower pay. Right now we are paying 8,000 USD a yr in property taxes on a $400K house that is 50 yrs old without updates, 3 br 2.25 bath 1 car garage with a 25 yr old pool I can only use 2 months of the year but have to keep clean for 4. Is it true that there are no houses in TX with basements? What do you do for storage?

I appreciate all the hospital links, and I will seriously consider moving if I don't hear anything here in the East coast by end of October. If I want a 2 br apt here it is going to be at least 1,200 a month. I hope the rental rates there are as reasonable as the house prices...

I plugged in "Frisco; $300,000; 4BR, 2.5BA" into Yahoo Real Estate and got 300 homes for sale. http://realestate.yahoo.com/Texas/Frisco/Homes_for_sale/result.html;_ylt=ArjKfE_J12NZfsBK2DJeKyukF7kF?typeBak=realestate&p=frisco%2C+TX&type=classified&priceLow=150000&priceHigh=300000&bedroomLow=4&bathroomLow=2.5&search=Search&vm=r&redir=1

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WOW!!! The houses are so big (and look so new too):p! Never lived in one more than 2200 sq ft. Thanks you guys. BUt seriously, I think I really need to rent first before buying. Any ideas on rent for 2 br apt?

My friends are sooo right, that if I visit Frisco and the other burbs, I'd be tempted to buy (assuming I'd be able to sell here and get employment there). Any ideas on property taxes on these beauties?

I think I am going to pack my bags now.....heh...heh... Hopefully there's plenty of new grad openings. Heard that medical centers are buing built left and right over there. In my neck of the woods, there may be plenty of hospitals, but THERE IS A NEW NURSE GLUT BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE NURSING SCHOOLS than positions. I think the shortage is still real, it is just geographic and skills based. But they did not tell us that in nursing school....oh well.

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I don't think the nursing shortage is real at all (been a nurse for 17 yrs). But, those gorgeous houses in Frisco sure look real.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

New grad RN pay rates in the DFW area average around $23 per hour.

Although the houses here are very pretty, they are not built to the same standards as the ones in the Northeast. Since the vast majority of house foundation failure occurs in Texas due to the expansive clay soils here, you must meticulously water your home's foundation, especially during the summer months. A cracked foundation can cost over $10,000 in repairs from power lifting and insertion of piers, and no insurance company in the nation is crazy enough to pay.

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Education.

2007 Tax Rate:

FRISCO CITY = 0.450000000

COLLIN COUNTY = 0.245000000

COLLIN CO COM COLLEGE = 0.086984000

FRISCO ISD = 1.350000000

Above are the tax rates for http://realestate.yahoo.com/Texas/Frisco/Homes_for_sale/e06b10e9fa224833f99bd9e1962064;_ylt=AqfR00WFwoPcRjQ0HVb2JR3nMrQs?typeBak=realestate&p=frisco%2C+TX&type=classified&priceLow=150000&priceHigh=300000&bedroomLow=4&bathroomLow=2.5&search=Search&vm=r&redir=1&vm=r&ltype=0

Most larger counties have their Property Tax records online now. Just type in the owner name or address and you can see what the rates are. For Frisco, it's www.collincad.org

Commuter is correct about the foundation. That's why many of us have soaker hoses around the perimeter of our houses. As far as basements for storage...we use attics and closets!

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

I cannot adequately express the comedy that arises from the sentence, on that site, that states: "dramatic entry is highlighted by a tourret".

Just what everyone wants: A dramatic, cussing entryway.

:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle

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I live int the desert area of west Texas. MIdland-Odessa. I can't understand any new grad having trouble finding a job. My hospital hire 17 at the end of last semester and oustaffing office had a hughe party! And we are STILL very short handed. During the winter months things are very busy (I work in Pedi) and I can work as much as I want-generally more than I want.

I have cross-trained to 3 other units that I like. I wanted to have a little variety. Now I get called on about 1/2 of my days off and Iam asked if I want the over time. If it is a last miute thing they will pay a bonus of $10.00 an hour in addition to OT, base, and shiff diff.

I love my job, I work as much as I want and I have no trouble getting any time off if I need it. Plus I hear that my hospial has some of the best benefits around. It is also a growing and thriving business.

So why are we having so much trouble getting nurses?

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