Those who relocated to Texas for job

[Lovelymo79]

How were you recruited? Did you attend a recruitment session in your home state? Or did you just apply to different hospitals online? Did you move to Texas first and then applied...or did you get the job and then move? Did you send a general resume/cover letter to a recruiter or did you post your resume on to the hospital's or another general website?

I graduate in less than 7 months and I am VERY interested in moving to Texas. I have some friends in different areas there (San Antonio and Houston) and I plan on making a trip down during spring break in March. I'm going to apply to ALL of the internships I can find but I wanted to know some other ways to get that ever elusive job.

Thanks!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I wouldn't move to Texas unless you've got a job lined up already. The employment market for nurses has seriously tightened up due to all of the unemployed nurses who have been relocating to Texas from out of state over the past couple of years. The problem is even more pronounced in the major cities (Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, etc.). If you move here without a job, expect to be unemployed for a while.

I moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area from California in late 2005, during better economic times, and without a job. I had just completed an LVN/LPN program in California one month previously, took NCLEX in December 2005, and received my passing result in January 2006. I landed my first job in February 2006, approximately one day after receiving my temporary Texas license in the mail. Employment was easier to find back then.

I received my RN license in May of this year and have not been able to land a full-time acute care hospital position, even with my four years of LVN experience. I have been working part time weekend 12-hour shifts at a local nursing home while filling PRN shifts at a small rehab hospital during the week. Although I have been earning good income between the two jobs, I do not yet have the security of a full-time position with benefits.

The areas that you have mentioned, Houston and San Antonio, have lots of nursing schools in and around the city limits. This translates into flocks of unemployed new RNs that will be competing with you for new grad internships at hospitals and other types of nursing employment.

[Lovelymo79]

I definitely wouldn't move anywhere without ANY job lined up. Which is why I'm putting out feelers 7 months in advance. I know 3 people from my school that were actually recruited to Texas to hospitals this year and last year. So, I know its not impossible. I've also been reading posts about new grads who landed internships and just graduated. I plan on visiting the hospitals my friends work at in March, hopefully setting up some meetings with the managers there. I am also gathering my materials and updating my resume. I was just wondering how others were able to land jobs. I work as a tech in the ER as well as substitute teach. I still plan on moving to Texas next fall, even if I don't have a nursing job. I will get. A substitute teaching position there in the meanwhile until I do.

I have read a lot of your posts and I wish you luck in finding a fulltime job!

[bhanson]

My hospital (in one of those major TX cities) has hired over 100 RNs in the past year, many of them new grads. For a while we had huge vacancies on every unit and there were plentiful available positions even for a new nurse.

After this surge in employment all units are nearly fully staffed, with maybe an exception on telemetry. My unit IIRC has exactly 1 RN FTE open, but I'm pretty sure it's being saved for an experienced nurse because we've hired at least 10 GNs in the past year.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I have read a lot of your posts and I wish you luck in finding a fulltime job!

Thanks.

I rejected a full-time job offer at a regional hospital yesterday due to the lack of orientation (only one week was being offered), the low pay, and the fact that they were desperate to train me for a charge nurse position even though I have never worked in an acute care hospital.

[Lovelymo79]

I remember reading about that job offer. I'm glad u rejected it. It would have put ur license..and ur insanity at risk. I will pray you get the job your heart desires.

[crr277]

I applied to a rural Tx hospital online because I was working as a tech with an RN license in NC. No full-time positions in NC, unfortunately. The hospital called me and offered to fly me out for an interview and put me up in a hotel room. Don't forget to look at hospitals about an hour away from the big cities, they tend to have more vacancies and more willing to hire new grads. I didn't get any responses from hospitals in large cities, but I received prompt repsonses from rural hospitals.

[Lovelymo79]

Thanks, crr277! I definitely will be applying to hospitals outside of the major cities. Where are you located now? Do you like the hospital?