Houston-Area Satellite/Suburban Hospitals/Recruiting

[RachieH]

Lots of questions that I hope some of you can answer for me.

I will be graduating from an accelerated BSN program in August. I was born and raised in Houston and lived there until I was 23. I am now 37 with a young son and want to move back. I have a fairly major problem (major to me, at least) in that I accepted loans from a local hospital here in El Paso (I literally had no choice; needed the money) in exchange for two years' worth of work. I have been told repeatedly that having another hospital buy me out of my commitment is not a big deal and that it is done all the time (basically, whatever sign-on bonus I got could be used to buy my way out of the other commitment). I have some minor issues with the integrity involved in this but basically, I want to get out of here and get back to Houston and I don't want to wait two years to do it. Any thoughts?

Secondly, do the satellite/suburban hospitals in Houston hire new grads? I know the Med Center is the place to be for all the rock star nurses () but I really would be content to say, live in Katy and work at one of the new hospitals going up out there. Are there any nurse recruiters in Houston who would be willing to help me and walk me through this or do I have to do the whole dance with HR myself?

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

[Mody]

Yes, the hospitals in the outlying areas do hire new grads, however I have not heard of sign on bonuses for new grads. Typically the bonuses are for nurses with several years of experience. I hope you find the exception though!

[earthcrosser]

Too many nursing schools in Houston to warrant sign on bonuses or extras for new grad nurses/those with little experience.

In Katy, Memorial Hermann has a new hospital in that area. There's also one in Memorial City, which is getting expanded, so there's like insanity level construction. Base is $23 for a new graduate. It's certainly not the highest base out there, but it's a nice company to work for.

[RachieH]

Thank you both for the information. How about the sign-on bonus for two years' NICU or ICU experience? Any ideas?

Theoretically, the smartest thing to do would be to serve out my commitment, get the experience, save up some money and then move to Houston. So I'd like to know what I can expect once I start this process in two years.