Midland, TX--please tell all :)

CCHP-RN · Jun 29, 2005

Erin,

Midland is a nice area. I couldn't tell you what the nursing wages are since I haven't lived there in 20+ years, but depending on your experience, and what kind of job you are looking for, you might get up to $25/hr. I know you can make that (or more) with nursing agencies. Midland is a fairly large town, so I know they have to have home health, hospice, etc. Also if you are interested in trying prison nursing, and willing to travel, there are several within an hour radius of Midland. Private prisons usually pay better than TDCJ, however TDCJ has better benefits. If you want more info r/t prison nursing, let me know, I have been doing it for 8 years now & LOVE IT. Sure beats the hospital by leaps and bounds!

austin heart, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2005

I grew up in Midland/Odessa. I left Midland 5 years ago due to low wages. There are only 2 hospitals and one is strictly L&D. The main hospital, Midland Memorial offered me $12.79 full time with benies. Well I told them to keep there low full time pay and went PRN with $25.00 (still low, for a PRN rate) and paid for my bennies out of my pocket. Even so I came out with more money than my full time co-workers and I got to set my own schedule. Good luck getting a day position, there where none to be had, someone would have to die to make one available. All units except ICU/CCU work 8hr shifts, the units are 12hs. I worked Medical, float pool and ICU/CCU. The ICU is ancient. Unless they have re-modeled there are only 12 rooms and they are set up old school. with all rooms down one hall. The only way they can be seen from the nurses station are from cameras in the rooms that are shown on black and white monitors at the station. I left the ICU/CCU because they got a new Pilipino manager (not that I have any thing against them, my current manager is Pilipino and I LOVE her!) and it was made quite clear that if you where NOT Asian you where NOT welcome. So I ended up back on the Medical unit-nursing home style! They were also phasing out agency nurses when I left. They would rather us work short staffed than use agency.

The area is VERY HOT (up to 115+ degrees in the summer), VERY DRY and VERY BROWN! No water around what so ever. A Mesquite is a big tree, LOL.

The cost of living is low. I lived in the nicest condo complex in town and my rent was only $425 a month for 900 sq feet. And I guess it is a nice place to raise a family. But there is really not much to do.

My parents still live there and I go back as little as possable. It is just nicer to have them come here.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.