Austin, Texas Hospitals

I am wanting to do a contract in Austin.  I do not know much about the city...been there only a few times.   Are there many travel jobs there?  Anyone ever worked there?  I know the big hospital systems there are St. Davids and Seton hospitals.  Any advice oneither of  these? One better than the other for nurses?  I might consider a staff position too...not decided.  Any advice on the town?

Thanks!!!

Austin is a great city!! Very eccentric, fun, and laid back.  The thing about Austin is that EVERYONE wants to live there, so the pay isn't usually the greatest.  Actually, it's one of  the lowest in the state.  Not that pay is the most important, but I found $5 more an hour at a smaller town on the outskirts of Austin.  If you don't mind being NEAR Austin, you might get a better salary.

I haven't heard many bad things about either hospital and they have multiple locations.  I prefer non-profit, but that's just my preference.

I'm originally from around the area, so if you want suggestions on where to go, I can give you a list of ideas

Oh, and you know how hot it gets there right??  100's in August, so you'll need to go to Amy's Ice Cream on a daily basis!!  Ha ha.  They have crazy flavors, including alcohol (Bourbon vanilla, Guinness chocolate, amaretto cream, etc...)  YUM!! The Guinness gallon had an entire 6 pack, so I'd go AFTER work...

Thanks for the info!  Lots to consider...sound like I may need to go just for the  ice cream, though!

Sorry Alison, but if the facility in Temple is Scott and White...RUN AWAY!!  

YIKES! Thanks for the heads up happybutterfli!  What is the deal with Scott and White? I have heard of the name but have never worked with them so don't know what the scoop is on them.

Yes, run far, far away from Scott & White.  Every horror story you've ever heard about how badly a hospital can treat travellers will come true there!!!

You can check out the review here: http://www.healthcaretravelbook.com/reviews/item/2/149#
Basically, they are pretty unethical about their practices and are only about money.  They only care about power, status, and money. 

I can't speak for all hospitals in Austin, but North Austin Medical Center was terrible.  It is part of the St. David's hospital system and owned by HCA.  Very nice looking building but poor patient care and stressed out nurses.  St. Davids and Seton are the two main hospital systems in Austin.  I don't know about Seton but I interviewed at Brackenridge Hospital once and was very impressed.  (It's owned by Seton.) 

But Austin is a great town....might be worth it to travel there even if the job is not stellar. 

Scot and White was one of the worst hospitals I have ever worked in. During the one day orientation, the nurse with me finished giving her 9am meds at 1 that afternoon. She was constantly getting new orders across her screen and was so frustrated trying to concentrate. All meds are scanned while still in the blister pack as well as scanning the Pt's ID band....common in some areas but time consuming. Some of the Doc's had a God complex and expected everything to stop when they approached. Watch the staff too. I would avoid this one.

Wow! I'm shocked by the comments about Scott & White! I'm currently a traveler there. My boyfriend and I travel together, have been here since March and have contracts to end just shy of our one year mark. We LOVE this hospital and everyone we work with is very traveler-friendly! We've become great friends with many of the nurses and doctors. We work in the MICU and it sounds like mari-lyn probably worked med-surg (judging by the comment about getting orders "across her screen"), so maybe that's the difference. It's a huge hospital so the atmosphere from unit to unit might vary greatly. As for the various ICUs I would highly reccommend this hospital! As a matter of fact, we plan on coming back and settling down in the area when we are done traveling so that we can work here fulltime! It's unfortunate that not everyone has had an experience as positive as ours!  

I have just started looking for a travel assignment in Texas. Needed to be close (within 1 hour) of Killeen. Recruiter I spoke with said there was a postion at Scott and White.....and at Breckenridge. Scott and White were paying the most....now I know why. However, I am an ICU nurse so maybe it would be like the good experience that one person described. The hospitals I have worked at for the last 6 years use the scanning of medication process ....some times a pain but not new to me. Doctors with God complexs don't bother me either....lol  I've been a RN for almost 30 years....can/have seen that issue many times...lol  And being a nightshift nurse helps with many of those issues....I do however....not like the systems where I have to look for orders constantly....just had to get use to checking my computer more frequently.

Any one know of any jobs/travel agencies who may have jobs available in Killeen, Copperas Cove or Ft Hood area please let me know.

@arememom:

I'm a travel recruiter with Core Medical Group and I definitely have assignments Texas for ICU nurses right now, within the Kileen area but also a lot of suburbs in and around San Antonio and Dallas. Would love to chat!

Please call me!