New Grad moving from MI. to DFW area; any opinions..Plz small kids in tow!

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Jun 30, 2010

I am sorry you are having such a hard time getting started on your nursing career. However, I want to strongly caution you against moving without lining up a job first. The DFW area - like a lot of Tx metro areas - has experienced a huge influx of out-of-state nurses since the economy went sour. Jobs for new grads are not easy to find anymore. Are you choosing DFW because of better job prospects for your hubby also?

Best of luck to you and your family.

momof2*s · Jun 30, 2010

Partly for the hubby; It started when a visitor to one of my pt's gave me his card and told me about Midlothian, (my hubby works with concrete) I was told of the quickcrete headquarters in that area and so on. I definetly wont move unless I have a job, and we plan to rent before buying.

I have been doing some research but I feel first hand is so much more important and reliable! Once I take (and PASS) NCLEX I plan to get ahold of my new aquantance and see if he will be of any assistance as well.

:yeah:Thanks again!

LPN_2005/RN_10 · Jun 30, 2010

I tried relocating to DFW, but no hospitals, psych facilties, or even facilties such as Select Specialty will hire me without having any RN experience. One of the facilities wanted at least 6 months RN experience, the others wanted at least 1 year experience. Your best bet is to apply as soon as possible for any and all internship positions.

BTW, it doesn't matter how many years experience as a CNA, LPN, or MA you have. Most of these facilties will only take into account how much RN experience you have.

Good luck!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2010

Nursing jobs in the DFW metro area are becoming increasingly harder for new grads to find because of several factors.

First of all, many nurses are moving to the DFW area from out of state, which is saturating the local job market with too many nurses when there's no demand. Secondly, there are many nursing schools in and around the DFW area that churn new graduate nurses into the local job market every few months, further saturating the job market around here. Third, hospital census is down because less people are choosing to have elective procedures performed, more people are unemployed and uninsured due to the economy, and people are shying away from healthcare facilities unless it is an emergency. Finally, there are many experienced nurses in the area who can hit the ground running without orientation or expensive training, and an increasing number of hospitals consider new grads as too expensive to train.

I am a new grad RN with four years of LVN experience. The only jobs that I can easily find are in nursing homes. I have applied on multiple occasions to many different hospitals and have only received two callbacks. A major teaching hospital in Dallas interviewed me for a med/surg internship last month, but the recruiter sent me an email one week later notifying me that I was not selected. I recently interviewed at a small rehab hospital and received an offer for PRN employment. That's about it for me.

Waco is a city located 80 miles south of the DFW area. Both of the local hospitals (Hillcrest Medical Center and Providence Hospital) are offering new grad internships. I think that the chances of finding employment for you and your husband would be better in Waco since people aren't flocking in droves to live there. On the other hand, the DFW job market is saturated with newcomers who have relocated here from out of the state, as well as locals.