GN Internship/ Residency Programs in Tx Medical Center

hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2008

I am currently in search of my first job and am trying to find a hospital that has a good training program to get me off to a good start.
I am currently considering Memorial Hermann, Methodist, Ben Taub, and St Lukes as my top choices. Im hoping to get a job in either ICU, telemetry, or transplant.
Does anybody have any experience with any of these GN Internship programs here in Houston? Anybody complete or currently enrolled in any of the programs? I really want to choose a good program that will get me off on the right foot and prepare me for the real world.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

I have friends that had a great time and learned a bunch in an ICU internship at Methodist. You also can't go wrong with Memorial Hermann- especially if you're wanting to do more shock/trauma/burn type stuff. I don't know much about St. Lukes' internships, but I'd imagine they and Methodist would be the top choices for CV if that's the direction you want to go.

labcat01, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2008

I am currently considering Memorial Hermann, Methodist, Ben Taub, and St Lukes as my top choices. Im hoping to get a job in either ICU, telemetry, or transplant.

I can tell you that I have a friend at Hermann that was a GN and she loves it. She says their ICU internships are based on the AACN ECCO modules which you can learn more about here- http://www.aacn.org/AACN/conteduc.nsf/vwdoc/eccohome

Good luck!!

nursen75 · Apr 15, 2008

Hey there

I was in your situation a few months ago trying to get a job in the med center as a GN. I interviewed with several hospitals and some of them told me I was ineligble for hire because I didn't have a BSN, that was surprising to hear, I figured being a GN all the hospitals would want to hire me-WRONG:no: I am currently in the GN internship over at Ben Taub. They give you 12 wks for all areas, except L&D, where you get 16 wks. I like working for Ben Taub because there is so much to learn, it's just so fast paced, kinda too fast paced for me:chuckle If you want to learn the ER or ICU, you can't go wrong at our hospital. You will see it all. They are supposed to start calling the next bunch of interns at the end of this month. Starting pay over at our hospital is $26.65 plus shift diff. So keep in contact with HR to let them know your interested and I wish you the best. Good luck!

Nurse McDreamy · Apr 15, 2008

Hey there
I was in your situation a few months ago trying to get a job in the med center as a GN. I interviewed with several hospitals and some of them told me I was ineligble for hire because I didn't have a BSN, that was surprising to hear, I figured being a GN all the hospitals would want to hire me-WRONG:no:

There are some things that I wish I knew before I started nursing school, the ADN vs. BSN is one of them.

I was under the impression that it didnt matter which one you had because both made you an RN. Apparently for some hospitals is does matter. I know the people at Methodist told me that they ONLY hire BSN's for their GN positions. So if you have an ADN you're out of luck getting a job there fresh out of school. Luckily for me I'll be getting a BSN but I feel bad for my friends that will have an ADN because their options will be a little more limited.

The other thing I didnt know was that your GPA does matter.

I originally thought that once you pass your boards and become an RN you can work anywhere. Now I know that a lot of the GN internships look at your GPA to decide whether or not they want to offer a position to you. Methodist will not hire you if you have less than a 3.2 Memorial Hermann and St. Luke's require a 3.0 to be considered.

Hope that info helps some of you out.

hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2008

There are some things that I wish I knew before I started nursing school, the ADN vs. BSN is one of them.
I was under the impression that it didnt matter which one you had because both made you an RN. Apparently for some hospitals is does matter. I know the people at Methodist told me that they ONLY hire BSN's for their GN positions. So if you have an ADN you're out of luck getting a job there fresh out of school. Luckily for me I'll be getting a BSN but I feel bad for my friends that will have an ADN because their options will be a little more limited.
The other thing I didnt know was that your GPA does matter.
I originally thought that once you pass your boards and become an RN you can work anywhere. Now I know that a lot of the GN internships look at your GPA to decide whether or not they want to offer a position to you. Methodist will not hire you if you have less than a 3.2 Memorial Hermann and St. Luke's require a 3.0 to be considered.
Hope that info helps some of you out.

Methodist says they only hire BSNs but this isn't exactly true. I'd try to get hired before graduation as a nurse tech and then they don't really care about your degree. An ADN grad that worked at Methodist Willowbrook with me did the new grad ICU program downtown just this last year, and I plan to do the same when I graduate next year.

RnBound0510 · Apr 16, 2008

So basically... if I graduate with an ADN, it will be harder for me to get a job???

BrittRN2b · Apr 16, 2008

So basically... if I graduate with an ADN, it will be harder for me to get a job???

I'm not an RN yet so don't know from experience, but if my suspicion is right I doubt you will have a problem finding a job. Many hospitals advertise that they want to hire BSNs, however most are in such dire need for nurses with the shortage that they will hire any RNs. I suppose it also depends on where you live and what hospital it is, but I expect that with the shortage of nurses most hospitals do not have the luxury to turn away RNs and just accept BSNs. Now if there is tough competition for some internships you might have a tougher time getting the spot if there are BSNs applying for the same thing, but overall you should expect to have many job opportunities available. Good luck!

RnBound0510 · Apr 16, 2008

I hope not! :)

BrittRN2b · Apr 16, 2008

I hope not! :)

I should add that the reason I think hospitals want to hire BSNs is for their magnet status or nurse friendly designation. Some of those labels and rankings factor in the percentage of nurses who have a BSN. Thats how it is where I work now. They want to hire BSNs to boost their chances of earning magnet status. The good thing is that many times employers will help pay for you to get a BSN because they want BSN nurses on staff.

RnBound0510 · Apr 16, 2008

I should add that the reason I think hospitals want to hire BSNs is for their magnet status or nurse friendly designation. Some of those labels and rankings factor in the percentage of nurses who have a BSN. Thats how it is where I work now. They want to hire BSNs to boost their chances of earning magnet status. The good thing is that many times employers will help pay for you to get a BSN because they want BSN nurses on staff.

That is my plan; get a hospital to pay for BSN! :)

labcat01, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2008

My advice to you guys is to apply EARLY whether you have a BSN or not. There may be a nursing shortage in America but there is NOT a nursing shortage in the Medical Center. I didn't know we were moving to Houston until March and then I applied everywhere only to be told that most of their spots are already filled.

Just something to keep in mind for all you future GNs!