Info about Harlingen, Mcallen and Brownsville, nurse worried to work there. (Corpus Christi: low income, fit in)

[itchy_nose]

Hello, I'm a nurse from and right now I am being recruited to a hospital in Texas. The hospital's name is VALLEY BAPTIST MEDICAL HOSPITAL. According to the agency, it is located in MCALLEN TEXAS, but everytime I google it, the hospital is located either in HARLINGEN OR BROWNSVILLE . I check the hospital's website and I think there are 2 VALLEY HOSPITALS, one in HARLINGEN and one in BROWNSVILLE.

I think the 3 cities are called the RIO GRANDE VALLEY. I just want to know any information about the 3 cities because I'll be alone there and I'm a little scared to live in a city I do not know anything about I was lucky enough to see this forum and hope you guys can help me. Please tell me about the the weather, crime rate, entertainment, cost of living, people there, housing and more.

[NOTAM]

oh sheesh.....I am an Emergency Room RN. just moved back in October to Texas (South Texas)..am a North Texas/West Texas girl originally. BOY DO I REGRET IT. they offer big signon bonuses down here-THERE IS A REASON! one hospital in the valley offered me 25,000 bonus for 2 year commitment.
it is so bad here that i wont even finish my contract..i will PAY them back, i dont care.
Where are you moving from? Are you caucasian (or ANGLO as they call me down here) or hispanic or what? are you female?
if you are a single caucasian female-OH HAYULL NO, DONT GO.
feel free to PM or email me.
p.s. if you do go, get ready to get hit by uninsured no drivers license drivers, so make sure you have REAL good insurance with a low deductible, cuz you will be paying out of pocket.
INDIGENT POPULATION BIG HERE. SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT BIG. ABUSE OF ER'S HORRENDOUS. RUDE PEOPLE. (and trust me, i am embarrassed to admit this because Texas is MY state which i am fiercely proud of and have always bragged we are the friendliest)...........i wont even have friends visit me here-i dont want them to get the wrong idea about Texas..but this aint even Texas. it's Ole Mexico. HATE IT

[valleyoftexas]

Hello,

I'm from the Rio Grande Valley (McAllen area). The Valley has a lot to offer, we are the FASTEST growing metro area in the United States. The weather is nice except for the summers which can be very HOT usually upper 90s and 100s but the spring, fall, and winter can be VERY nice with temperatures in the 70s and 80s. The Valley is a safe place to live, I've lived 27 years of my life here and i haven't had any problems with crime. The people in the Valley are very friendly and the cost of living is cheap. For entertaiment, we have Dodge Arena, you can see concerts, hockey (killerbees), arena football af2 (Dorados), and now D-NBA team coming to the Valley. Also the new Mcallen convention center is going to offer a lot of big names for concerts. Valley Baptist is located in Harlingen which is 20 minutes from Mcallen and Brownsville.

Bellestaroftexas...i've been reading all the negative stuff you been putting about South Texas. You're not even in the RIO GRANDE VALLEY, you're in Kingsville near Corpus Christi, by the way we have anglos in the Valley and they LOVE IT here. Probably Kingsville has an indigent population but McAllen Metro and the Valley have a lot of people who are educated. You don't even live in the VALLEY!!!

[itchy_nose]

bellestaroftexas:
Wow, strong opinions hehe. I can feel the hate here. You must really think its bad there eh. I am female, single and asian. I have hispanic blood but just a tad actually but I cannot speak spanish. I feel sad that you are in a situation like that, I do hope you get to finish your contract soon so you can work in another hospital. I will check the contract too for the details because I also don't wanna end up in a place where I can't really work well. Hopefully the staff in that hospital is friendly enough.

Valleyoftexas:
Finally someone from rio grande. Yes I heard that the valley is becoming the fastest growing metro in USA. I hope the crime rate is just exaggerated over there because our country's crime rate is also over the top. The weather is not a problem because I'm used to hot and humid. Our country, which is in SOUTHEAST ASIA, has a tropical climate. About the entertainment, I'm actually just hoping for a big MALL WITH AIRCONditioning system if its that hot there hehe. Bookstore, movie theater, some restaurants will do. A club will be a bonus since I am only 25 I still want to party sometimes.

Thanks for replying guys, your opinions are noted. Hope the others can join and help too. Thank you again.

[Spree]

Valley Baptist Medical Center is in Harlingen, but I just looked online and saw there's also one in Brownsville. I grew up in Harlingen - went to school there from 7th thru 12th grade. I prefer Harlingen over Brownsville. I believe the Valley Baptist in Harlingen has a good reputation and also has a cardiac center. My father has been in and out of the hospital, he received good care. They also seemed up to date w/technology, computer charting etc.

Living in the valley, can be kind of refreshing depending on how you look at it. It's a much slower way of living and housing is affordable. There is a mall in Harlingen, it's nothing spectacular tho. For shopping, you would probably want to drive to McAllen, about 30 minutes from Harlingen. I hear there is a lot of new shopping in Brownsville as well. Nightlife: I'm not sure about that. There wasn't much when I was there, not sure that has changed much. South Padre Island, the beach, is about 30 mins from Harlingen, that's a lot of fun and there's night life over there. Mexico is close as well.

The valley has a large population of low income families. Also, there's is an influx of "winter texans" - retirees from the north that come down during the winter months. This is a very active group of people despite their age, but it will keep the ER's busy when they are here because of the health issues they might have.

I have family still in San Benito and Harlingen. I try to get back about 3 or 4 times a year. You don't have children, so you don't have to worry about schools. I would look at this assignment as an adventure. It's not THAT bad. People in the valley are friendly and laid back. I'm guessing you are getting a nice bonus and pay to come down to work. It would be a good place to save up some money while being able to live affordably. If it's not your cup of tea, at least you know you don't have to stay.

Best of luck to you!

[Spree]

To get an idea of living in Harlingen, go to www.valleystar.com. That's the local newspaper.

In regards to BelleStar's comments, the only thing I have to agree on is the uninsured drivers. Do make sure yours will cover you. I'm in FL and the uninsured drivers is an issue here too, it's not an isolated problem.

[NOTAM]

didnt claim to be from RGV........
by the way, there is a whole lot of litigation down here........i had NEVER met RN's who had been sued or been to court in my 15 years as an RN......here, almost EVERY single one has been!
the ER docs tell me that malpractice insurance for them triples anywhere south of Nueces County (where Corpus is)
just beware. these indigents are wanting to find any reason to sue you to make money.

[itchy_nose]

Gulf5driver:
Thanks for the information, I really like the newspaper website. Actually, I am not expecting Harlingen or RIO VALLEY to be like NEW YORK city. I am from Manila and I haven't been to any state in USA, I have been to CANADA though, particularly Mississauga and Toronto. Based from the inputs here, I can tell its really laidback, weather is hot and humid, and some things to do for entertainment. But I can live with that I guess, just worried about the crime rate because my safety would be my priority. I heard so many stories about the border like drug trafficking, theft and stuff like that but then, every city has that. Regarding the insurance, I have to get a car first for that haha.

Bellestaoftexas:
You are scaring me now, really litigation? I just passed my NCLEX last February and I do not have a working experience yet, the hospital promises to train us, but for how long I do not know yet. The agency haven't showed us the contract so I have time to do a research about the place so I can decide whats best for me.

[NOTAM]

yes litigation....and like i said, 15 years of practice, and i am trauma certified ER nurse etc........i am NOT going to risk my license because of law-suit happy people...and my fellow coworkers (nurses AND docs) tell me that it happens often...
if you are from the Phillipines, then you will fit in just fine-most of the hospitals here are staffed with Filipinos. they all stick together and have their mini-community

[conanS]

I am in the RGV. If there is a way for the people here to get FREE money, they will do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my wife is from this area and her parents are no different than the masses here. that is the key to the Valley, there are some good people here, but they are the minority!!!