Moving to Texas

You can expect to earn between $19 to $25 hourly at LTC facilities, and $14 to $18 base rate at local hospitals. Hospitals in the DFW area that still hire LVNs include Kindred, Healthsouth, Lifecare, Parkland, John Peter Smith, Plaza Medical Center, and Medical Center at Arlington.

The housing market is slumping in the area in which you plan to live. The suburbs south of Dallas (Desoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Duncanville) have the highest foreclosure rate in the entire Dallas area due to the high concentration of new houses purchased with adjustable rate mortgages over the past 5 years. There's a positive side to this because you can really find a nice house at a cheap price (under $100k in many unfortunate instances).

I will be a RN when I move. So what is base pay for them and do they give you any years for your LPN experience?

New grad RNs at hospitals can earn from $21 to $25 hourly. Baylor starts at $21.50, the vast majority of hospitals start in the $23 range, Parkland starts at $24, and Cooks Children's Hospital starts at $25. A couple of places will give you 1 year of RN experience for every 3 years of LVN experience, but the vast majority of hospitals will regard you as a new RN and pay you accordingly.

Most LTC facilities in DFW will start a new grad RN in the $25 to $27 range per hour. Some pay more, and others offer less.