If you are considering a career as a registered nurse and you live in the state of Texas then you are in luck as the projected demand for RNs in that state are going to increase for the next few years. In fact, in 2001, Texas implemented the Nursing Shortage Reduction Act which meant that over $26 million was put towards increasing the number of trained nurses available to work in that state.
Texas is one of the largest states in the USA and is has a strong demand of health care resources in order to successful operate the over 366 hospitals that service of 55,600 patients beds. Overall, the shortage of nurses is growing all over the USA and Texas is no exception. So at this time of financial uncertainty, you can bet that pursuing a career in the medical industry is a good step toward obtaining a career for the long haul that will provide some financial stability.
There are many programs available through the nursing schools in Texas. If you are looking at taking a degree program the following are options that you can consider:
- Adult Care,
- Anatomy,
- Community Health,
- Family Care,
- Neonatal,
- Nutrition,
- Pathology,
- Perinatal,
- Pharmacology,
- Physiology,
- Postpartum,
- Psychiatric/Mental Health,
- Radiology,
- Respiratory Medicine,
- Surgical, among others.
There are numerous technical and vocational nursing schools in Texas, and there you can take nursing programs at different levels that can even allow you to obtain your LPN license in a few months to get you started in this kind of exciting career.
Other community colleges offer a 2 year Associates Degree that can allow you to start the first step into becoming a fully certified registered nurse down the road.
There are also longer term 4 year courses offered through colleges and universities that will allow you to obtain your BSN, MSN, and nursing PHD degrees. There are also other courses offered including nursing anesthesia, nurse practitioner and nurse midwifery.
Nurses that graduate from a nursing school in Texas and who gain employment in that state can expect to make on average between $55,700 and $67,000 a year. If you would like to increase that annual amount even more there are other opportunities to do so including:
- Take a travel nursing assignment in Texas even if you are not a resident. You can obtain employment with an agency who places nurses in the areas that are more in demand
- Look for a position with a hospital that offers a sign-on bonus or other types of performance-based bonuses.
- Be prepared to work the extra shifts, holidays, overtime and short notice shifts or work as a per diem RN.
Some of the best-known nursing schools in Texas are Texas Woman’s University, the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, the University of Texas in Austin and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Featured scholarships include the Texas Professional Nursing Scholarships, the Texas Vocational Nursing Scholarships and the Early High School Graduation Scholarship.
In order to become a registered nurse in Texas, you must first pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and as in most places, the demand exceeds the amount of qualified nurses, so jobs are available here. So why not check out nursing schools in Texas and get starting on a new and exciting career.