SassKatt

You would be traveling with outbound rush hour traffic. Not a pretty sight going down 59 that time of day. Would rather have a root canal. For the best idea of traffic on the specific route you would be driving, drive it a few times on different days of the week to get a feel for what you would be up against.

Contact the state board of nursing to find out what their exact requirements are. I know that I was able to take the exam in Missouri years ago after completing specific courses, such as Med/Surg and Peds. I am sure each state is different and that was years ago.

It's gonna be tough finding positions in the Med Center, lots of hospitals have official or unofficial hiring freezes on right now but suggest you look into maybe Memorial Hermann on Fannin or Texas Children's Hospital. Good Luck

Tulip, I work for a Medicaid HMO in Houston, when looking for a position, look for any advertised as Case Manager, Utilization Review or Concurrent Review. Be sure that it is not a job in a hospital, as that is totally different than working for an insurance carrier. I have worked in Managed Care for 20 years now, and do not miss the stress and insanity of working in a hospital. Don't get me wrong, there are stressors here and deadllines, as well as being short staffed, but a life does not depend on me not getting to someone. SassKatt

There are a lot of non-clinical jobs out there. I have been doing Maternal/Child Case Management for almost 20 years now and love it. Look for job titles such as case management, utilization review, concurrent review. There are also clinic jobs available at some of the city/county hospitals that do not entail bedside nursing. Best of luck in your search,

I'm sorry, but children 12 & 16 are too young to be left at home by themselves with a bad storm coming in. There is the very real possibility that you would not be able to return home after your shift due to the weather. I more than once was forced to remain at work over a period of 2 days due to ice and closed roads. If your employer does not understand that the safety of children should be your first concern in that instance, then they are not an employer that I would remain with. Who is going to make the decisions if the power goes out for an extended period of time as often happens. Phone lines generally go down also leaving you no way to communicate with your family. I emphaticly state you should closely monitor the weather and call prior to the designated call in time and inform them of your inability to come in based on the above reasons. There will be people that do not have to get home that can cover. We worked 4 hours on and 4 off for 2 days and survived and the kids in the ICU got great care.