Thinking of nursing school in Dallas

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Good afternoon all,

I am thinking about a career change in the future, and I was hoping to hear from any nurses in the Dallas area. I know there are a lot of job postings, but what is the market really like? Are there more nurses than jobs available? Which schools do you suggest for the ADN program? What about LVN at El Centro? Any information you can offer will be greatly appreciated!

Have a great day!

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

The market in Dallas is dismal for new grads, averaging 300-400 applicants per new graduate position. There are jobs available for experienced nurses but the demand for new grads and for two year RNs has dried up.

The ability to get into nursing school in the Dallas area is very competitive. There are many different programs in the area and you will want to research the admission requirements and methods of determining who gets accepted. Most of the local community college districts have ADN programs (Dallas, Collin, Grayson) and many of the local universities have BSN programs. I don't know anything about LPN programs, but someone here may be able to answer your questions on that. I do know the demand for LPNs in Dallas is shrinking and most hospitals no longer hire them. Many of them work in schools, SNFs and other places though.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Correction - in Texas and California, we have LVNs, not LPNs.

PP is correct, the DFW area currently has very few jobs for new grads and most organizations prefer BSNs.

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I think it really depends on how you network I could be wrong and if so correct me. The success stories seem to be those who volunteered or worked while attending school as pcts , nursing assistants etc affording them better connections. Also I was told jobs are available you just may not get the type of unit you want. Some people end up commuting up to an hour and some change. Some end up doing private duty etc until they get the experience . I plan to commute if need be three days a week as far as Terrell or Waco if need be.

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If you want to get into a nursing program in Dallas, it will take at least a year. The ADN programs like Brookhaven, Mountain View, and El Centro require the prerequisites and most of the support classes (like pharmacology and pathophysiology) before you can apply. That will take at least two semesters and then the time waiting to get accepted is about one semester. Once in the program it can take 16 months to 2 years depending on the program you choose. I write all this because if you really want to do the nursing program you need to understand it is a long process.

I love Brookhaven though, and the wait was worth it. It is expensive even though it is a community college, and the scheduling can be chaotic at times.

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