Houston Hopeful Seeking Advice from Those in the Area

Xsited2baNurse · Jul 21, 2013

:whistling:

Anybody?

mdsnurse12 · Jul 21, 2013

Texas is in a funny spot with the whole educational tier right now. I live in rural central Texas, so I pretty much have to drive to Austin, Temple or College Station for any well-paying work. Houston seems to be hiring Associate-prepared RNs in the hospitals still, but prefer BSN. Austin hospitals are only hiring ADNs with the stipulation of acquiring their BSN within a year or two of hiring, or, as with St. David's, completing their in-house educational programs. They won't touch LVNs with a 10-foot pole unless you want to work as a glorified, under-paid secretary in one of their M-F family clinics. Temple is interesting, I know a few LVNs that work L&D at Scott and White, very ADN friendly, but encourage further education towards BSN. College Station St. Joes, Scott & White and The Med are all ADN friendly. I hope this helps. Are moving to be close to the CRNA programs here in Texas? I don't know much about the Dallas/Fort Worth area and their hiring patterns.

Xsited2baNurse · Jul 22, 2013

Thanks for the reply! The info was really helpful :)

Actually I'd be moving there for, one, just to get out of Indiana. I've been here too long and need a nice, warm change of scenery within an hour or so of a coastline. And, two, by the quotes that my sister was giving me for how much her RN friends who had decided to move to Houston were making per hr, I'd rather be there. I was also considering Chicago, but it's really expensive up there. So, Texas just seems like the all-around best choice. The plethora of Master's programs that are down there are just an added bonus. :yes:

boricualuna · Jul 22, 2013

Since you asked about ICU I wanted to let you know that St. Joseph did not have an ICU internship for GNs like they've had in the pass. Instead they started a new internship program where you are trained as a Tele Nurse for the first six months then transition to ICU. From information that I have gotten St. Joes is pretty competitive with major cities ie: Houston, San Antonio, Austin when it comes to pay. I've even know nurses that move from college station to a large city and take pay cuts.

Belle2013 · Jul 22, 2013

BSNs are definitely preferred. Most of the larger hospitals are only hiring BSNs. I think Hermann, UTMB, etc are some of the only ones that hire ADNs and want you to get your BSN after hiring you. Starting pay from Houston to Galveston varies from $24.00 to $29 per hour depending on the hospital. Most are in the $27-29 range for day shift.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Jul 22, 2013

All hospitals in the Texas Medical Center (Houston) are currently limiting new grad hires to BSN only. This is also followed at their satellite facilities throughout the Houston area. Also, in TMC hospitals, the ONLY way in for a new grad is via a formal residency program so overall demand for new grads is very limited. It's even bleaker for 'transplants' because those TMC residency slots are claimed by BSN students who are doing clinical rotations in the host facility. Honestly, there is a huge surplus of new grads in the Houston area, including several BSN programs, so I don't see this situation changing any time soon. There may be some exurban (beyond suburbs) facilities that are hiring new grad ADNs.

This phenomena (BSN-only in acute care) is being driven by research, including the IOM who initially established the 80% BSN benchmark as a result of a series of landmark patient outcome studies. Industry changes are inevitable as quality & patient safety become the most influential forces in the US. It seems that many people continue to make educational choices without a clear understanding of these factors and are terribly disappointed when they discover that they are not eligible for hospital jobs. IMO, those schools have a lot to answer for.

If you are determined to move to Texas, I urge you to avoid the major metro areas and focus instead on smaller cities. Take a look at Corpus Christi - the CHRISTUS Spohn system is very new grad friendly. Corpus is on the Gulf Coast, so if you like the beach it may suit you just fine.

Xsited2baNurse · Jul 22, 2013

Well, thank you for your input. I appreciate the honesty. And in all truthfulness, I was aware of the preference for BSNs over ASNs before I started my program. I wish that I could have gone that route, but unfortunately, I just quite literally did not have the finances to be able to do it (it's hard coming up with an extra twenty to thirty thousand dollars when you've already spent x amount of thousands of dollars on college before you decided on nursing). Hopefully, I'll still be able to find something down there. If not, I could always just work up here for a bit, complete my ASN-to-BSN program, and then move down there. We'll just have to see, I suppose.

Belle2013 · Jul 27, 2013

Good luck!

drmonstereater · Sep 10, 2013

Sorry to press for more info, but I saw your awesome knowledge of the Texas medical care system and had to ask: do you know any other new grad friendly places. Particularly, where ASN's are concerned?

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Sep 10, 2013

To the latest poster, Texas Health Resources system in the DFW area will still hire new grad ADNs though they do prefer BSNs and will also stipulate you must complete BSN within a few years of hiring. It is competitive and we do get dozens of applicants from around the country just so you know the score going in.

Best of luck to all y'all out there!

drmonstereater · Sep 11, 2013

Do you know anything about rural Texas? I heard hospitals in rural areas tend to accept more ASNs. Is there ground for that claim? Also, if someone did a ASN then subsequently a RN to BSN program how would they be viewed in the employment process? And thank you for the info!!!