Time to move to Houston....nervous and worried

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Hello,

Okay we have decided that we want to move to Houston, sick of the midwest cold winters and am ready for a change of location. I am an RN with about 1.5 years of experience, my first half is in med-surg and now doing Burn ICU which is also step down for trauma pts. I plan on staying here for the next six months to get to the 1 year mark. I would like to get a job in the same specialty and so I was looking at TMC -Memorial Herman but I am also willing to work in any other ICU's if not possible.

What is it like working for Memorial Herman? how is the pay, benefits and parking?. Is it a good place to work? Do they offer relocation assistance? and what areas do you recommend for living I plan on renting an apartment for a while, how's rent for 2 BR apartment?

I will appreciate any feedback. Thank you for taking you time to read this.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Howdy!

Although H-town is currently a very welcoming market for experienced nurses, I strongly encourage you to obtain your CCRN or other clinical specialty certification as soon as possible, particularly if you're looking to work in a particular ICU. This will really give you a leg-up on the competition. Hiring bonuses & relo assistance is not uncommon, so don't hesitate to negotiate if you need to. If you wait another 6 months, you'll be relocating smack-dab in the middle of the hottest part of the year... be prepared. Dealing with triple digits & humidity > 80% can be daunting until you become acclimated.

Memorial-Hermann TMC (AKA "Hermann" to the natives) was one of the original Magnet hospitals. It has a well-deserved reputation for excellence. TMC hospitals are all world-class, but it is a logistical hassle to work there. Staff parking is in outlying areas, and the shuttle bus trip from parking to your hospital can add quite a bit to your commute time. There is a light rail option, but it serves a very limited area at this point. TMC supports a lot of different transportation options, including well-organized van pools that may be an option for you. The Woodlands (north of Houston) has it's own bus line that services TMC.

All of the big TMC hospitals are actually hubs for larger hospital systems. Their outlying hospitals offer the same benefit packages although TMC facilities are more likely to offer a "geographic" differential because they don't offer free on-site parking. So, no matter what area you're interested in, you're likely to find some nice employment options.

Apartment rents in the Houston metro area have skyrocketed in the last couple of years - especially in the more fashionable (high-demand) areas, but there are still a lot of bargains out there. I would suggest that you get a job first, THEN look for an apartment - so you can have a better plan to avoid a horrendous commute. If you do end up working in TMC, I suggest you take a look at the 288 corridor. It is pretty close and there is a wide range of housing options.

Best of luck on your relocation & job hunt.

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Thanks for you reply, I will have my BSN by then for sure. Good to know about getting certification, I will start looking into that. Thank you so much for your feedback.

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I was able to visit houston for 3 days but I wish I had one week or so because 3 days felt like nothing , I have applied to memorial Herman but I haven't heard from them yet ,how long does it usually take for them to respond ? I just obtained my BSN [emoji3], however Houston Methodist called and schedule an interview with me and so am excited and anxious at the same time , from my research it looks like a good hospital to work for . Does anyone have any insights about this hospital ? What's the pay for RN BSN with 2 years of experience ? What's the benefits like ? Does their insurance start on day 1 ?.

We looked for apartments but found one that's is potential, not my top choice but for now that is where am at , it is in Meyerland , any recommendations on apartments close to the med center without a very long commute ? I really don't want to drive more than 30 minutes , what other places should I look into for apartments ? My price range is not more than 900 for a two bedroom. Thanks for looking !

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