New RN BSN in Rio Gande Valley, Texas

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Can you offer any insights about working at Valley Baptist Medical Center, in either Brownsville or Harlingen, Texas? I know that sign-on bonuses are a red flag, but I'm wondering if one of those hospitals (or another facility in the area) is nonetheless good to work for. I'm a new BSN RN, so I would probably have to take a med-surg, ED, or OB/GYN nurse position.

I've heard the home health agencies are unreliable when it comes to getting the paycheck correct, also that the paperwork can be overwhelming, and you're paid by the job.

I've read that dialysis centers are good in this area.

They say nursing home RN is tough, because you're the only RN & will be supervising a crew of CNAs and techs.

Any tips would be helpful. I'm looking in Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen, Edinburg, and Weslaco (the Rio Grande Valley area).

I have to live/work here because of a family commitment. My Spanish is so-so but I'm working hard on it.

Thanks in advance for any help! smile.gif

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Which are the best employers in McAllen/Edinburg? I've heard that Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (DHR) is good, but I haven't seen any recent posts about it. Has anyone worked there as an RN? What are their nurse/patient ratios? I know they use Cerner EMR, and that's supposed to be pretty good. What about other nursing employers in the area?

As a newbie, my choices are obviously limited, but I don't want to take a nightmare job and then have to change to another place. The Rio Grande Valley, in general, does not have a good reputation for nursing employment, but I must live here for many years to come. Any words from the wise?

Thanks! :cool:

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Hello,

Hope you are enjoying allnurses.com

We moved your thread to the Nursing Job Search Assistance forum to try and elicit the best reply.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

If you have family in the RGV area, your position and perspective will be much different from anyone who moves to that area just to land a job. Just keep that in mind when you read the responses to your post.

RGV is a culturally & geographically distinct part of the US. It's unique even for Texas, let alone other states. Anyone who is uncomfortable with these differences will obviously have a negative impression, so I would encourage you to examine more objective data sources. There are many sources of reliable data for various hospital rankings that you can pull up to help you make up your mind. Leapfrog site has aggregate data which does include things like staffing & use of EHRs.

Best of luck on your job search. Keep us posted on your progress.

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Thanks for your support, HouTx! I looked at LeapFrog, and it was somewhat helpful. However, some of the hospitals reported adequate nursing staff, and I know this is untrue for them; I suppose it's a result of self-reporting. Anyway, every little bit helps!

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