Moving to Houston Texas - RN

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Hello every. one, this is my first post ever here. In fact I'm posting this for my wife. We are planning or thinking about moving to Houston Texas. My wife wants to go to University of Texas - Houston for her DNP. We will be moving from Michigan and can't wait. I just need a couple advice tips and any help in making our move easier. My wife is a new nurse she just graduated recently May 2014 I believe. She has been working since then as an RN. She is a RN- BSN.

We are planning to move after she has one year experience as an RN because she has to work in an ICU unit before she can start school. So I just have a few questions..

I know Houston traffic sucks... and I have some areas I want to look at like sugarland, katy, Cypress etc. The only issues is my wife Hates driving, she will also get freaked out with all that traffic. At the same time she wants to work in a big hospital so she can get a lot of experience in the ICU unit. In fact I think she already has 2 places she would like to work. I think one is st. Lukes and the other is the methodist.

I just have the following questions.

Will it be hard for her get any icu positions especially at those hospitals. What are the best hospitals to work with and close to university of Texas- Houston- because she will eventually be attending there and we don't want to keep moving so the less traffic to both school and work will be awesome. So how far are the good neighborhoods from this hospitals and how much does housing cost? Preferably 2BR 2Bath.

I have other questions but I hope a few people reply to this first. Thank you so much everyone for your time and help.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Welcome to allnurses!

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Both the school and those hospitals are down town. I prefer living in south Houston rather than living north of Houston and it would take me about 40 mins (traffic included) to get there. I live in clear lake right now but we're moving again to a city closer to the beltway. I hope this helps somewhat.

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Thank you so much PreNurse. Where is the beltway? How close is that to downtown Houston and how is the traffic there? What about housing(Rent).. Thank you so much

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Howdy!

There are a lot of "big" hospitals in the Houston area. The ones you have mentioned are actually in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) - not 'downtown'.... that's a whole other place. It's an understandable error - there are actually quite a few different population centers that have so much office space, tall buildings, etc. that they look like they should be a downtown of some sort. TMC is huge - here's their website with all types of information. I got my MSN (critical care / edu) at UTHSC-Houston... great school. Keep in mind that you'll have to live in Houston for at least a year before she is eligible for in-state tuition.

TMC hospitals are always hiring qualified candidates. So if your hun is a BSN with relevant experience, she certainly has a shot. If she really hates driving, you should investigate something along the rail line that goes into TMC. Another 'easier' commute is along the 288 corridor. It's closer than many other areas and has a variety of housing options, particularly toward the Pearland area. If you want something really close, there are a ton of large apartment complexes that are popular with TMC students & employees. The biggest issue is parking. With rare exceptions, all employees have to pay for the privilege of parking in remote lots & take shuttle buses to work. This can add 30 minutes to commute time - very inconvenient.

Unfortunately, we've experienced an unprecendented surge in housing prices recently and this has affected apartment rates also. You're going to paying a lot more than you expect - probably close to $2k for a 2/2 within decent commuting distance. There are actually 3.5 'beltways' in Houston... the inner one is Loop 610, then you have Beltway 8 (AKA Sam Houston Tollway), a bit outside that is Highway 6/1604 (actually more of a surface street in places, so it's only half a beltway) and the outer loop is called either 99 or Grand Parkway, depending on where you are. When people use the expression "inner loop" (very high dollar housing), they mean 610.

Best of luck to you and your hun. She'll get used to the traffic - everyone does. It's a lot less scary if you're familiar with all the routes. I live inside Beltway 8 - but can easily use surface streets if there is heavy traffic on the freeways.

Are you planning on working in Houston also? What type of work do you do?

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Come on HouTx, where is your recommendation for a Realtor. :)

A Realtor is a good person to contact to get information on where to live and actual costs.

But yes, good advice, except for the part of getting used to the traffic. I have been driving in Houston since I started driving in 1985 and still am not used to it (it just keeps getting worse). I guess I am used to it in I don't have issues driving in it, just having to deal with it. I would not ever consider working in the Medical Center because of it (and the parking situation). I live 3 miles from my work and love it, even if it does pay less than some other facilities.

As said, Pearland/288 corridor is a popular area for many that work in the TMC, and I know several carpools are available depending on where you work and what shift.

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So my wife got a job at the tmc ( memorial hermann) my wife doesn't like to drive and she'll freak out if she has to drive on any of those freeways/highways in houston. We can't seem to find decent apartment with a decent price in the TMC. We looked at alot of apartments in the Galeria area and close to the tmc but we don't like the reviews on them about roachs, robberies, etc. I heard pearland might be a good choice if you are taking the metro rail, but what neighborhoods in pearland? We are looking for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment/ condo/ townhouse, etc. Can anyone direct me to any nice neighborhood for a place that is about $1400. Thank you

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Pearland is a significant drive to TMC, even worse in the mornings with traffic. I would look in Midtown or West University. Note, there isn't any area in Houston where there isn't crime so keep that in mind. Obviously there are areas where there are less, but just because an area you look at has some crime, it is normal inside the loop.

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Specializes in L&D.

She could also avoid heavy traffic by picking up the night shift..

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She is working a night shift but she is trying to avoid as much commute as possible. We are looking at a few possible apartments but I think we might settle on brompton court it's 10 minutes away from the TMC and they also have a shuttle as well to the tmc, anyone familiar with that area? Is it good area? Safe neighborhood etc? We might be in Houston next week and look at a few other possible apartments. I don't remember the names but we'll see. Thank you guys any more tips and advice please just let me know.

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I've lived in Houston all my life, currently live in Atascocita, which is a suburb. I worked in West University, Bellaire, Galleria area for 5 years (not as a nurse, but a nanny) and housing in those areas has always been high for not very much living space, and also homes, condos, etc are hard to come by since no one wants to commute. In reality, EVERYONE commutes. It's the nature of the beast when it comes to working and living in a huge city like Houston. The job opportunities are plentiful (depending on your field) but there is always a commute, and always traffic.

A very warm welcome to Texas though!

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I will be moving to Houston, TX in the summer. I was wondering if anyone could give any insight on the downtown/midtown Houston hospitals. Their pay scale, amount of weekend shifts required, if there are techs, nurse/pt ratio.

Thanks!

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