Moving to East Texas from Northern Nevada

RN1989 · May 31, 2008

Mother Francis and ETMC pretty much dominate the arena there. They also have satellite hospitals and clinics in some of the smaller, rural hospitals in the surrounding area.

For the East TX area, those two hospitals are better as far as pt care goes. Know of one person that works for Mother Francis and overall was ok with it after changing positions and getting out of the ER environment which apparently was a viper pit. I have taken some ACLS courses at Mother Francis - they seem to have a great education budget to work with. I don't work for them and drove 80 miles to take their course and they let me - when lots of other places refuse to allow anyone but employees to take their classes.

I'm sure you will find the salaries much lower than you are accustomed to. The cost of living in that area is lower than it is in the Dallas/Austin/Houston/San Antonio areas.

There is politics everywhere in E. TX and the good ole boys rule the roost there.

Not sure what else you really are looking for. Ask questions if you think of them. If you're looking for reassurance on making the right career choice.....I wouldn't be a nurse if I had to do it all over again so I'm probably not the best one to tell you that you will love it.

RN_Pursuit2b · May 31, 2008

Great info, RN1989; thank you so much. Eeek. We may need to consider another area within driving distance to our family there; any suggestions on that? Where would you go as a newbie from the West? I'm more concerned about getting through school at my age than the career. I'm sad for you that you're unhappy after all that work; I hope another door opens for you somewhere where you can be happy. :icon_hug:

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · May 31, 2008

dont know anything about tyler just wanted to say....welcome to texas!!!

RN1989 · May 31, 2008

Depends on where your family is living. If you want to PM me with any details and more questions, feel free.

Don't worry about me. For a while I loved nursing. But over the years things have gotten so bad and there have been so few positive changes that I am just tired of having to fight for what is right ALL of the time. You will eventually find out for yourself that it is tiresome that money is the only motivating factor in healthcare and the people who hold the power are willing to sacrifice the lives of your patients, and sometimes you, to be able to turn a hefty profit. You'd be surprised at how devious even the non-profits really are. I do still get up and get involved in a righteous fight once in a while, but I don't have the energy to do it on a daily basis like I used to.

carachel2 · May 31, 2008

I grew up near Tyler. The previous poster is correct, Mother Frances and ETMC are the two big cahunas. I've never understood why they compete so much against each other because it deprives the community of what could be outstanding healthcare if they would just partner up.

But anyway. A family member has worked at "The Muthah" (the fond nickname given by fellow employees) for upwards of 40 years. I think you'll find it like any other hospital....good in some aspects, a pain in others but overall tolerable. ETMC is pretty much the same way.

Tyler is a beautiful city thick with new $$ and people nosing around in others business. For the life of me, I can't figure out what the millionaires who live there actually DO for a living but whatever. I grew up there, but don't know if I could ever move back. People get dressed up to go to Brookshires (local grocery store) and they have a festival every fall (The Rose Festival) where girls in 200K dresses bought by their daddies wave on floats as they go through the most poverty stricken area of Tyler. Like "Hello little kiddie on food stamps.....my dress could feed your family for years. Sorry about that!" Racism still runs rampant in the form of class discrimination and you can't get a margarita at a local Tex Mex restaurant without buying a "membership" because the Southern Baptist good old boy attitude still runs thick and controls a LOT of what goes on there. Don't get me wrong, people make a "line run" (i.e. drive to the county line for liquor) weekly, but on the *surface* it appears as a squeaky clean town with no liquor sales. (insert eyerolls here.)

I think your kids and you will be better off if you avoid Tyler central and go for an outlying area. The schools in Whitehouse are excellent and your drive would only be about 10-12 miles to the hospital(s). The attitdue there is generally more laid back and down home, people aren't clawing all over each other trying to show how much $$ they have and there is more of a down home feel. There are some beautiful areas close to Lake Tyler that are affordable and more out in the country.

I'm just curious....why did you pick Tyler?

As for the previous posters thoughts about nursing in general, YES, a lot of it is disheartening. But don't forget, in nursing you have the power to change the wind at your sails and find a new direction.

RN_Pursuit2b · May 31, 2008

Thank you Carachel, wow; right down to the nitty gritty, the kind of pitfalls I was looking for. I was hoping there was something redeeming about it, but I had some gut feelings like this. My stepdaughter and grandkids live there. She and my husband are both photographers and want to work together. Maybe we can talk her into a different area!

At my age I want to get started because it's where I should have spent my career so far. Instead I went silently insane at a desk for 20 years. I would like to get an LVN and do the RN online with hopefully tuition reimbursement; I have to take my time with math and science. I'm good at online, I just got a B+ in Psych with major events in my life at the same time.

Sometimes I watch other nurses and think; "that's an aspect I'm not looking forward to..." However, I know I'll find my niche in nursing because it's become a vast and varied field. For example, I like dark, quiet halls and feel even more compassion for people when they're sleeping and totally vulnerable, so I bet I'm a candidate for the night shift. I already know I like medium-sized to small hospitals, preferably faith-based and non-profit. I volunteered in an ER and loved it, but it wasn't trauma, and that's good with me for now. I'm not as comfortable with total one-on-ones with people, so I'm not a candidate for home care so far, etc. I hear there are nurses who never even see a patient.

Thank you all for welcoming and for such great info!!

RN_Pursuit2b · May 31, 2008

RN1989, just a suggestion; with your awareness and passion for what's right, what about moving into a field having to do with ethics? I bet you'd be a good lobbyist on behalf of patients!

carachel2 · May 31, 2008

I was hoping there was something redeeming about it, but I had some gut feelings like this. My stepdaughter and grandkids live there. She and my husband are both photographers and want to work together. Maybe we can talk her into a different area!

I wanted to paint a picture from someone who grew up there. There *are* some redeeming qualities to the town...a big one for you is the fact that your grandkids live there! I truly think you will find a better fit in one of the smaller towns on the outskirts of Tyler. Whitehouse, Lindale, Lake Tyler, etc. You an enjoy the small town feel without getting caught up in the Tyler social scene. It is a beautiful town.

RN_Pursuit2b · May 31, 2008

Good idea. If it works out with our daughter, I have always liked San Antonio also, and I think my husband would too; I was thinking maybe living in a small town outside of it. Is it a good place to live around there?

RN1989 · May 31, 2008

I would choose to live in the San Antonio area before I moved to the Tyler area. I was trying not to sound super pessimistic but carachal2 was able to put my thoughts in print nicely.

I left the area but most of my family still lives there. I avoid that part of TX like the plague. Literally, the hospitals in the smaller towns are only places you go if you are expecting to die. People who can afford the drive to Tyler go to their hospitals to avoid being killed. Literally. So far this year alone I have had to intervene on 3 cases for my family involving medical care given in the area hospitals outside of Tyler.

Corruption is rampant in business, politics, and law enforcement there. There are separate rules for the good ole boys and their debutantes compared to the rest of the world. The TX Rangers stay busy investigating E.TX cops for illegal shootings and discrimination.

Tyler is prettier than San Antonio if you are a tree and grass lover. But for overall happiness, I'd choose San Antonio. Actually, I prefer the Austin area and surrounding countryside for living in TX. It is centrally located so for photographers, the opportunities abound to see trees in one direction, desert in another direction, small mountains in yet another direction - all in a fairly easy drive. Austin has culture if you like that kind of thing. There are many more environmentally friendly minded people there. I also prefer the hospital employers in that area. Austin has a little bit more of a homey feeling than San Antonio does, but I don't know why. We lived halfway between San Antonio and Austin so I had lots of choices of which direction to drive to work.

RN_Pursuit2b · Jun 1, 2008

Oh wow, RN1989, such great information from someone who knows it well; thank you! Those are the areas that seem to catch my attention also. Texans are so helpful. I'm looking forward to friendly people; everyone is too busy for friends and sometimes even family, and keeps so much to themselves over here. Over here, living near the beach is very desirable. Is it the same way there?