New grad relocating to Houston this Fall

[harriett14]

Hi all! I am hoping you can provide me with some answers for my questions. :)

I will be graduating from an accelerated MSN program in Chicago this August. It is a generalist program, meaning it is BSN coursework plus extra graduate-level classes to qualify the degree as a Masters. I already have a Bachelor's in Biology and wanted to set myself up for future graduate work.

I am planning on taking my boards here in IL and transferring to TX due to my husband's job. Can anyone provide me with information on new grad hiring for Houston? I've done my research and it seems most (if not all) hospitals in the TMC have residency programs, but I was hoping to get some first-hand information from those who have experienced the hiring process in Houston. Is Houston saturated with new grad nurses? How quickly do new grads tend to get hired? What are the best places to look at to live for young couples? What does the starting hourly rate tend to run? Any other random advice you can throw at me?

I currently work at the top children's hospital in Chicago as a nursing assistant in the PICU and I am hoping to stay in pediatric critical care. I also have experience working in hem/onc clinical research before starting my nursing program.

We are planning to visit and scope out some areas soon to get a feel for the different areas. We have both been a few times before and have family in Katy, but we know living there is much different than visiting.

Honestly, any advice you could provide would be so appreciated. Thank you for reading my novel!

[hishandmaiden]

In my experience as a local new grad, the market is very saturated. I graduated in December and I'm still job hunting. Those with BSN degrees appear to be having better luck; I'm an ADN. I know that Memorial Hermann starts at $27.50 and I believe most other hospitals are in that general pay range.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Your MSN is likely to do more harm than good if you have never worked as an RN before. Generally MSN level positions are away from the bedside and overqualify you for bedside positions.

Houston is very saturated with new grad nurses and it is a very competitive market for new grad positions. Most of the hospitals will not hire new grad RNs outside of a residency or internship, which happen a couple of times a year only. PICU is a very popular specialty and has higher than average number of applicants. Your CNA experience doesn't count as RN experience but may get you a second glance, but that MSN on there is going to be a little hard to explain. It will look as if you simply want a year or two of experience so you can quickly move on. That won't do you any favors for getting hired, since training a new grad nurse is very time consuming and expensive for the hospital. You may wish to delay getting an MSN until you have some experience under your belt.

Best of luck!

[harriett14]

Hi! I should clarify - i'm 2 quarters away from

graduating with this degree so I cannot delay it. :) It is an entry-level degree, same as a BSN, just with more graduate-level coursework. Accelerated MSN programs are relatively new but they are along the same thread as ABSN programs- designed for students who already have a Bachelors in another field. I actually have no desire to use my degree for management purposes; I hope to put it towards a CNS and/or PhD program in the future.

[mrb3815]

I grew up in northwest Houston in the Katy/Cypress area are you really can't go wrong living anywhere near there. Cy-fair and Katy are both good school districts for raising kids. I just got offered a position in the residency program at Memorial Hermann greater heights and will be starting in July. My starting pay without differentials is $28.25, and theres a $4 night differential. My friend who works in Harris Health at LBJ started at $27.50. I haven't heard of any new grads making less than that. I applied to the program in mid-February, had my interview in mid-March, then got offered the position a day later. So I would say it's a fairly quick process, but now theres a lot of waiting till I start. With 90% of the grad programs there will be a 2 year contract so keep that in mind. The con I would say is that getting hired for pediatrics will be hard. A lot of people want to work in peds and there are very few grad positions available in the few children's hospitals.

[newgradn]

Hi Harriet, I'm graduating from a similar program as you. Did you get any offers from Houston? I'm moving there!

[Eka11191]

On 3/27/2018 at 11:37 PM, mrb3815 said:

I grew up in northwest Houston in the Katy/Cypress area are you really can't go wrong living anywhere near there. Cy-fair and Katy are both good school districts for raising kids. I just got offered a position in the residency program at Memorial Hermann greater heights and will be starting in July. My starting pay without differentials is $28.25, and theres a $4 night differential. My friend who works in Harris Health at LBJ started at $27.50. I haven't heard of any new grads making less than that. I applied to the program in mid-February, had my interview in mid-March, then got offered the position a day later. So I would say it's a fairly quick process, but now theres a lot of waiting till I start. With 90% of the grad programs there will be a 2 year contract so keep that in mind. The con I would say is that getting hired for pediatrics will be hard. A lot of people want to work in peds and there are very few grad positions available in the few children's hospitals.

Hi there! I was researching MHGH because I am applying there this season as a new grad. I just wanted to hear your experience there and going through the program? feel free to email me at [email protected] if you wish to remain private!