Nursing in Texas (Dallas, San Antonio, Plano: to rent, health insurance, headhunters)

[socketz]

But man is it cold in CT.

CA to CT would be an climatology culture shock.

[debct]

It does get hot in the summer though. It does stay over 90 alot and it is not unheard of to reach 100. The winter is cold, but it does not last long. This winter has been odd though, last week it was over 60 .

[NeedtoLeaveOrangeCounty]

Thanks,

I wouldnt ever live in the North East.....I was a flight attendant for a while before I went to Nursing school and I was domiciled at Newark......I had my fill of that! Never want to deal with that again....dont like the atmosphere there, and plus, I am a Republican, I dont think I would be very welcome. Looking for somewhere cheap and warm and friendly, not expensive, cold and snobby, which is what I found when doing those Newark/ La Guardia to West Palm flights...ugh!!!

Thanks for the info about Nursing. I may just be a "traveling nurse" in the local area and buy a home there, they pay double what staff nurses make, and no intra office politics. Just do my job and leave. Which is what most jobs should be.

Thanks for the information.

[debct]

Belive it or not we do have alot of conservatives here. It depends on the area. In ct we do have a rep. govoner. We did lose some rep. house seats last elcetion thouhg. Still Ct is not as liberal as some areas. Mass is much more liberal.

[debct]

I forgot to mention beofre. Ct is very diverse. FOr example, you will find any kind of church you may attend. ANother thing you see is alot of ethnic diversity, you will find little italain communites or little polish communties, or spanish communities. alot of people we are first or second generation amercians for all over the world. It is more of acceptamce than being liberal. sorry you had that bad experince. Mos tof us are friendly weloming people.

[Texas Hopeful]

I'm hoping to move to the Dallas metroplex area from California sometime in the future and have been a nurse for over 30 years(less than five years in CA). Can anyone tell me ballpark on nursing wages for more experienced nurses in Texas? I know it will be an adjustment and a cut in pay, but hopefully not too traumatic? I'm open to suggestions.

[NOTAM]

what is this bs about RN's getting paid 20-25 an hour? i havent made that little in the last 10 years or more!! i am 42 years old, have been an RN for 16 years, multiple specialties, last 5 years in ER and PACU and have not made under $30/hour in years! i bring home anywhere between 67K-88K a year depending on how much i feel like working! on some shifts with overtime and differentials etc, i am sometimes making over $55/hour!
p.s. i work in South Texas where they are so desperate for RN's it's pathetic. a hospital in the Rio Grande Valley is paying $52/hour BASE rate for travel nurses, PLUS free housing etc...but who wants to live down here. not me, cant wait to get back to the REAL Texas. i have worked in DFW metroplex and it is a nurse's paradise! now West Texas/Panhandle, that is the lowest paying for RN's. i HAVE heard some RN's getting only 25/hour, but the cost of living is LOW LOW LOW there. Hill Country is the best bet-salaries comparable to those of DFW metroplex but lots more small town living...........but close enough to drive to Ft Worth or Austin or Abilene etc.

[mckinneydeb]

BelleStar, I'm afraid it's no BS. I have been a BSN RN for 27 yrs, 24 of them here in TX. I have worked in ER, PACU, Neuro Rehab, Skilled Care (hospital based), been director of nursing for a small specialty hospital and spent almost 7 years in managed care. I consider my self "semi-retired" (at age 48) having left the field altogether about 2 years ago. I will officially change my license from active to inactive next year. I don't think salaries have changed that much in 2 years, so I figure I can offer an opinion here.

I worked in hospitals in Plano and Dallas. It's not that I didn't want to work in my hometown of McKinney, but the pay was so much lower here I just always kept looking in Dallas. I was offered a nurse manager position here for roughly $25/hr. I was offered a staff PACU position in Greenville and had to clarify with the person offering me the job that the quoted pay was for an RN, not LVN because it was HALF of what I was currently making at the hospital in Dallas. The last job I was offered was at a free standing surgery center (2 years ago)part time in their PACU for $25/hr. A friend who already worked there told me it was a generous offer. I doubt that the place offers much more than that even now. My managed care salary was just under $23/hr and I thought it was bar far the best paying job I had ever had because there were no alarms sounding, no screaming docs and no holiday or call time required.

I have a friend who moved to East Texas and is making just $28/hr for PACU via agency staffing which used to be the ONE place you could count on for higher pay.

Sure, there are going to be places that will pay you over $40/hr here if you factor in diffirentials for shifts, holidays and the critical need for filling that position. I used to check the different ads in the area and I remember South Texas was offering significantly higher salaries than in the local DFW area. There was once an ad that offered $10K sign on bonus plus they'd pay for your place to live! I asked my husband if we could live a part for a year so I could take advantage of the bonus and high pay.

If you want a particular salary range, my guess is you can probably get what you want if not at least close to it. But you may have to give up your shift preference, more than a few weekends and holidays and in some cases take call. I still think the agencies pay much better than established facilities but I am a creature of habit and the thought of being in a different unit 5 days a week wasn't appealing to me regardless of the pay. I loved bedside nursing but I also didn't want to be 50 years old still pounding the concrete hallways. I chose to give up some of the salary for having more time with my family.

[Lisa Jane]

I am a nurse in Central California making almost $40 an hour,but housing costs are incredible in Monterey County.are there any positions for nurses with Master's Degree in Psychiatric nursing that pay well? Thanks,looking toward some nice suburb of Dallas,housing costs for new homes?Please let me know.jlj13@sbcglobal.net

[NOTAM]

i dont get it. i only have my associates degree, not a BSN, and like i said, i havent worked for under 25/hour in over 10 years. even at a prison i made more than that in North Texas, and that is easy work.
yes sign on bonuses are huge down in South Texas-i got suckered in. matter of fact, one offered me 25K sign on bonus for a 2 year contract, i didnt take it because that was WAAAAAAAAAAY too good to be true. i mean, it was true, but it was a border town! no way am i living on the border.
my next job will be in the Hill Country and is over $30/hour,base, not including shift diffs, etc....

Originally Posted by mckinneydeb

BelleStar, I'm afraid it's no BS. I have been a BSN RN for 27 yrs, 24 of them here in TX. I have worked in ER, PACU, Neuro Rehab, Skilled Care (hospital based), been director of nursing for a small specialty hospital and spent almost 7 years in managed care. I consider my self "semi-retired" (at age 48) having left the field altogether about 2 years ago. I will officially change my license from active to inactive next year. I don't think salaries have changed that much in 2 years, so I figure I can offer an opinion here.

I worked in hospitals in Plano and Dallas. It's not that I didn't want to work in my hometown of McKinney, but the pay was so much lower here I just always kept looking in Dallas. I was offered a nurse manager position here for roughly $25/hr. I was offered a staff PACU position in Greenville and had to clarify with the person offering me the job that the quoted pay was for an RN, not LVN because it was HALF of what I was currently making at the hospital in Dallas. The last job I was offered was at a free standing surgery center (2 years ago)part time in their PACU for $25/hr. A friend who already worked there told me it was a generous offer. I doubt that the place offers much more than that even now. My managed care salary was just under $23/hr and I thought it was bar far the best paying job I had ever had because there were no alarms sounding, no screaming docs and no holiday or call time required.

I have a friend who moved to East Texas and is making just $28/hr for PACU via agency staffing which used to be the ONE place you could count on for higher pay.

Sure, there are going to be places that will pay you over $40/hr here if you factor in diffirentials for shifts, holidays and the critical need for filling that position. I used to check the different ads in the area and I remember South Texas was offering significantly higher salaries than in the local DFW area. There was once an ad that offered $10K sign on bonus plus they'd pay for your place to live! I asked my husband if we could live a part for a year so I could take advantage of the bonus and high pay.

If you want a particular salary range, my guess is you can probably get what you want if not at least close to it. But you may have to give up your shift preference, more than a few weekends and holidays and in some cases take call. I still think the agencies pay much better than established facilities but I am a creature of habit and the thought of being in a different unit 5 days a week wasn't appealing to me regardless of the pay. I loved bedside nursing but I also didn't want to be 50 years old still pounding the concrete hallways. I chose to give up some of the salary for having more time with my family.