The sprawling Texas Medical Center is home to five Magnet hospitals and more than 11,000 nurses. Photo courtesy of the Greater Houston
Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Houston claims the prize as the largest city in Texas. Laredo, on the other hand, is the state’s fastest-growing city. And, according to the local chamber of commerce, it is the second-fastest growing city in the United States and host of the largest celebration of George Washington’s birthday in the nation.

The folks in McAllen want you to know that the Rio Grande Valley is nothing less than a birdwatcher’s paradise. Corpus Christi proudly proclaims it is the second-most popular vacation destination in Texas. Brownsville stakes its claim to fame as the state’s southernmost city, while cities all along Texas’ 624-mile coastline boast of beaches and waterfront views overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

“We do have a tendency to brag,” admits Cindy Blewett, owner of Truly Texan www.trulytexan.com, a website designed to promote Texas artists and entrepreneurs. “How can we not? We come from the biggest state [in terms of habitable land area], we used to be our own country, and we’re about the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.”

On duty

“There’s no such thing as a stranger in a line,” Blewett says. “At the grocery store, waiting to vote, at the bank...it’s perfectly natural to strike up a conversation with the person in front of you or behind you — or both!”

Nurses can expect to be greeted especially warmly. According to the Texas Nurses Association (TNA), nursing vacancies in larger Texas cities range from 5% to 7%, with specialty positions in higher demand. Federal projections indicate that RN employment opportunities are expected to grow faster through 2008 than the average for all other occupations in the country. The TNA reports that in Texas, the demand for nurses may outstrip the supply into 2010 or later.
The kind of growth that cities such as Laredo are so proud of adds to the staffing challenge s in South Texas. A groundbreaking ceremony for Laredo Specialty Hospital was held in May. In 2002, residents of Harlingen celebrated the opening of the town’s second hospital, Harlingen Medical Center, as well as a new medical school campus, the Regional Academic Health Center of the University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio. In Corpus Christi, what began as a 26-bed facility in the 1960s has grown into a four-campus, 583-bed system. Corpus Christi Medical Center now includes Doctors Regional, Bay Area, The Heart Hospital, and a 24/7 emergency care center that offers laboratory and radiology services.

The John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science at the Texas Medical Center is a great place for kids of all ages to learn about the human body. Photo courtesy of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In 2001, the Texas legislature passed the Nursing Shortage Reduction Act. The focus was on producing a qualified, homegrown workforce rather than relying on recruitment. Nearly $26 million was earmarked to increase enrollment in RN programs throughout the state, but long before those funds could be distributed, steps were being taken to ease the situation in South Texas.

The Texas Senate established the Coastal Bend Health Education Center (CBHEC) in 1999. The CBHEC, which is part of the Texas A&M University System-Health Science Center with offices located in Corpus Christi and Kingsville, provides health educational programs to 19 counties in the Greater Coastal Bend area of Texas with special emphasis on the medically underserved and rural communities.

The CBHEC’s Nursing and Allied Health Program works in partnership with the Coastal Bend Nursing Consortium, which represents a variety of academic institutions, health care providers, and community organizations. Together, they have established a series of Future Nurse Clubs that provide guest speakers, field trips to health care settings, community health projects, and volunteer opportunities in local hospitals. Eleven such clubs now operate in eight school districts across four counties. The partnership has also produced five conferences on nurse retention issues and published The Stepping Stones to Your Professional Career in Nursing in Coastal Bend, a booklet with information about nursing careers and the various degree programs available through three area schools.

If you’re interested in making a move to South Texas, you may also want to put Opportunities in Nursing in the Texas Medical Center on your reading list. Houston’s Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world. It is home to 42 nonprofit institutions, including 13 hospitals; two specialty institutions; two medical schools and four nursing schools; and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy, and virtually all health-related careers.

Lovers of the fine arts will find Houston more than accommodating. Photo courtesy of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The impressiveness of the sheer number of institutions is eclipsed only by their quality. The American Nurses Credentialing Center has honored five of the Texas Medical Center’s hospitals, The Methodist Hospital, the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, with the coveted Magnet designation. In addition, U.S. News & World Report has ranked seven of them as part of its America’s Best Hospitals list.

For the third consecutive year, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center ranked as the nation’s top cancer hospital in the magazine’s annual survey. The facility also scored top 10 rankings in gynecology (fifth); ear, nose, and throat (10th); and urology (10th). Texas Children’s Hospital, the largest pediatric hospital in the United States, ranked among the top four children’s hospitals, according to both Child magazine and U.S. News & World Report.

The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) ranked in the top three rehabilitation hospitals in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. The TIRR Spinal Cord Injury Program has been a model system with funding by the U.S. Department of Education for more than 30 years. The Brain Injury Research Center of TIRR is currently funded by three grants from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Because South Texas sits in the middle of the migratory pattern of many birds, you never know what you’ll see flying above. Photo by Clark Klinkenberg, courtesy of Texas Tourism.

St. Luke’s gets high marks all across the board. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital was the first Magnet hospital in Texas. The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital has been named a top 10 cardiovascular center for 14 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. Good Housekeeping has also designated The Texas Heart Institute a Top Cardiac Center for Women.

The Methodist Hospital ranked in nine categories in the U.S. News & World Report survey, including a top 10 ranking in neurology and neurosurgery. Memorial Hermann Hospital made the survey in two categories, hormonal disorders (39th) and kidney disease (48th); the Menninger Clinic ranked sixth in psychiatry.

More than 11,000 RNs are employed at the various institutions that make up the Texas Medical Center, but there is always room for more, according to Mary Schiflett, vice president for public affairs. The unique combination of educational and employment opportunities provide an undeniable attraction.

“There’s an advantage in the critical mass,” Schiflett says. Nurses and other health care professionals can change jobs, pursue advanced degrees and climb far up the career ladder without having to relocate. In addition to the obvious career choices, the center provides ample opportunities for nurses interested in making the move to research or administration. CEOs and COOs with a nursing background are not unheard of at the Texas Medical Center. “Even the ME’s office hires nurses,” Schiflett adds.

Off duty

The Texas Medical Center will celebrate its 60th birthday in November, and a really big cake would be in order. After all, big is popular in South Texas. “It was a dark day when Alaska joined the union and Texas was no longer the biggest state,” Blewett recalls. “The most common phrase heard in those days was, ‘Wait ’til the ice melts.’ We’re still waiting,” she says.

The Houston Zoo showcases animals from all over the world. Photo courtesy of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In South Texas, there is plenty to do while you’re whiling away the time. Theme parks and balmy beaches are just the beginning. The region’s coastal breezes, well-maintained golf courses, and multicultural flavor are popular with vacationers and seasonal visitors, as well as permanent residents. During the winter months, retirees from the Midwest and Canada flock to cities such as Brownsville, Harlingen, and McAllen. With an average annual temperature of 71 F and access to the Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi is popular all year round.

Of course, Houston stands out in arenas other than health care. According to the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, Houston is one of only five cities in the country with resident companies in the four disciplines of the performing arts: theater, ballet, symphony, and opera. The city’s museum district is home to 16 institutions, including the Houston Zoo; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the sixth-largest museum in the country; and Houston Museum of Natural Science, the fourth-most visited museum in the U.S.

Padre Island is a popular vacation destination for locals and out-of-towners. Photo courtesy of the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Houston, which sits along the highway that links the state’s heartland to its coastal ports, has become an industrial and financial hub, not only for the region but also for much of the state. However, the state’s borders can’t confine the city’s vision and bravado. With more than 5,000 energy-related businesses, Houston moves front and center on the national stage with its claim to be the country’s energy headquarters. But even that is not enough for folks who are always aiming to be the biggest and the best. Houston, after all, is known as SpaceCity USA.

South Texas has it all for nurses ready to make a move. From beaches and attractions to top-notch nursing opportunities, the area is the place to be.