Questions about Dallas

[cammy429]

Hello All,

I have been working as an RN in the pulmonary stepdown for a year in a NYC hospital and I am thinking of moving to Dallas, Texas. I had a few general questions:

I was wondering if anyone knew of any good RN to BSN programs?

Do the hospitals there tend to offer tuition reimbursement?

Is it recommended that I move Dallas a travel nurse initially?

How is the demand for nurses in the Dallas area?

finally,

Can anyone recommend any good hospitals?

I plan on changing my department to L&D or Peds and get about 6 months to year experience in the area I decide to go to, before I move. I have always wanted to work in those areas but every "experienced" RN that I met along the way, have always told me to get a year of med-surg under my belt first. I really thought it was good advice because I got to sharpen the skills that I learned in nursing school. The floor that I am on now is mixed with stepdown and medsurg patients, so we get a little bit of everything. We get floated to the MICU at times and I even had to cross-train there.

I have a 3 year old daughter and I live at home so I dont have a huge amount of living expenses. My salary here in NY is about 68k a year. I know that by moving to Dallas I will take a pay-cut but I have heard that in Texas you are only responsible for federal taxes, so I may not even miss it in the take home pay. I get about $800-$1000 taken out my check here bi-weekly in taxes because we pay a city and a state tax as well.

Sorry, I feel like I am rambling on but I wanted to give enough information to get the best advice.

Thanks for your help

Camille:flowersfo

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I guess maybe renting is the way to go right now. $4500 is a lot of money in taxes every year. Especially since the pay isn't THAT much. I just hate the idea of putting money in someone else's pocket when I could be putting it toward to my own.

Texas has no state income taxes whatsoever, so it pretty much balances out. You'll net a larger paycheck since there's no state income tax deductions.

And renting is absolutely the best method of throwing money away. It all goes into the pocket of the property owner. Why pay $700 to $1,000 monthly to rent an apartment in the metroplex when you can have a house payment of $700 to $1,000 (property taxes included)?

Just throwing in my $0.02 and adding food for thought.

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

Here are some things to ponder...it's great living in Texas, especially if you like it warm. Living north of the Metroplex in Lewisville I have all the amenities of the big city, while living in a relatively small one.

As you travel north of Dallas, things get more expensive. Frisco, Allen, Plano...they are prime real estate in terms of home pricing. Deals can be had, however.

You might get more for your money if you lived south of the Metroplex...Grand Prarie, Arlington, but look out for the crime rate. There is virtually no crime where I live, but 20 miles down the interstate it's a different story.

Overall, however, this is a great place to live with tons of opportunity for you and your children!!

Have a great day!!!

vamedic4

I would like to thank all of you for all the wonderful advice. I have been looking into surburbs in the dallas area. I have been looking at frisco, allen, grand prairie to name a few. It's hard because I have only visited the area once and I dont remember if I mentioned this or not in my previous post but I am a single mom and I have to make sure that I find a good school district.

Maybe renting for a while doesn't sound like a bad idea until I get to know which area is better for us. I have realized that the housing tax is a bit ridiculous and I am leaving behind a job when we are getting a raise to 75k a year . But you do have to sacrifice things for the love of your children. I want my daughter to have a backyard and to be able to go outside and play and it's just too expensive in NYC for me to stay here.

Thanks again for all the replies.

[pannie]

Don't forget areas east of Dallas, either. Rockwall, Royce City, Heath, Fate are easy driving to Baylor, Medical City, Presbyterian. There's a more rural feel to this area.

[cammy429]

How is the traffic from these areas? I visited Dallas a week ago and the traffic seemed to be a concern for a lot of the residents I spoke to. They said that it's gotten horrendous.

Don't forget areas east of Dallas, either. Rockwall, Royce City, Heath, Fate are easy driving to Baylor, Medical City, Presbyterian. There's a more rural feel to this area.

[pannie]

It takes me 22 minutes from Rockwall (east side of Lake Ray Hubbard) to BUMC at 6:10 AM, a bit longer in the evening. You're not actually going INTO downtown when coming in from the east.

[sunnyjohn]

Traffic? Well its bad, but 635, I-35 and the Dallas Tollway are NOTHING like rush hour on the Dan Ryan or the NJ turnpike! Construction :angryfire is the nemesis in DFW traffic!

Having been out of DFW for a bit now, I'd give my right fender for a "traffic jam" coming out of Parkland and Children's or down from Methodist!

I had it soooo good and did not know it...

[pannie]

Maybe familiar traffic is better? I dunno, it just doesn't bother me. I avoid driving in NYC/NJ. Don't particularly like LA or Austin, Tx. but do it. Most other places don't bother me.