soon-to-be LPN moving to Houston TX

magnolia nurse · Nov 29, 2008

I am currently attending an LPN program in Cleveland Ohio, and will hopefully grauduate this April. My boyfriend and I are looking to move to Houston before the next winter hits. My questions are; do hospitals in Houston hire LPN's, and are there any LPN-RN bridge programs there? I tried to Google this, but it wasn't giving me the info I was looking for. Thank you!! :-)

lots of work in Houston, you'll enjoy the city, I just left 7 months, hoping to get back..there are adleast 4 nursing schools there and University Texas has a bridge program..agency work is also available, but some of my friends have said the nurses from Galveston have come after the hurricane and its not as plentiful as before but you can still find something...

kat7ap · Nov 30, 2008

Welcome! In Texas we are called LVNs. I don't live in the Houston area but I know that they do hire LVNs in hospitals. Try checking Houston hospital employment websites. Texas LVNs have a very wide scope of practice as compared to much of the country. There are also many nursing schools to choose from. Google "Texas BNE" and on the website under education there is a list of approved nursing programs which will even tell you which ones have bridge programs. Texas is also Excelsior friendly if you choose to go the distance learning route.

Mayhaw1 · Dec 1, 2008

Hello Ohio, Welcome to Texas. There are a lot of jobs in the Houston area, you can work Med/Surge, Tele, Ortho and the floors. There are quite a lot of programs to help you bridge. One that I have checked into and recommend is San Jacinto South. They offer a program that will allow you to continue to work while obtaining your RN. A big bonus! Houston Community College has been recommended to me as well. Start checking into the hosptials in the area of Houston you are planning on moving into. I am not sure of the area your from in Ohio, but Houston IS big. There is plenty of opportunity in this area. Good Luck and Happy hunting.

ad_lpn09, LPN · Dec 1, 2008

Thank you SO very much for your responses! The thought of moving to such a big city is a little scary, but I just can't take another winter here. haha We have about 3 weeks left before Christmas vacation, so I'll start looking into your suggestions then.

TX RN · Dec 2, 2008

Check out Alvin Community College. I know it's not in Houston but once you're down here you will realize that the Houston area covers a Gig-Normous area. From Angleton to Conroe, from Katy to Channel View. Check that out on google map, you'll be impressed.

Also check out:

Kingwood college

north harris county community college

san jacinto cc (as mentioned above)

Houston CC

Wharton CC

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Dec 2, 2008

ad_09,

I agree with the previous posters.. there's plenty of room in Houston for another good nurse!

Some helpful advice from a native Houstonian...

Be sure that you consider your commute before deciding on a place to live/work. DO NOT decide on them independently - you absolutely do not want to be caught up in one of our legendary soul-crushing commutes on a daily basis. H-town is very big & there are great affordable places to live in just about all areas.

DO consider hurricane evauation zones before you decide on a place to live. This usually comes as a surprise to people from your area, who are so enthralled with the idea of living close to the beach. Just remember that the opportunity to see your house go 150 mph is not exactly thrilling... and living in a mandatory evacuation zone can be a hassle, particularly if you have to go to work & have to find alternative accomodations during the 'blow'.

Be ready for diversity with a capital 'D'. I think this is just about one of the best features of my city - but again, it can be off-putting and uncomfortable for those who are not used to seeing street signs in Korean.

Make sure your car has a grrreat airconditioner that doesn't overheat your car. I really had no idea that cars without AC were still sold - who knew? This is a basic survival need - getting stuck on a freeway in 100+ degree heat (with matching humidity) is no picnic. Likewise, donn't even look at a house without central air... our electricity rates are among the highest in the nation (thank you George Bush for your brilliant idea to deregulate utilities) so you need to be pro-active.

Invest in a GPS device.... of course, I think our streets are just fine, but they tend to change names unexpectedly because Houston 'absorbed' many towns as it grew, and the street may have had a different name in each of them.

Feel free to PM me if you need more specific info

Welcome to Houston!

ad_lpn09, LPN · Dec 3, 2008

WHOA.......yes, I think I will PM you, my head is spinning after reading that! haha This is best website EVER! You guys have been so very helpful.