Howdy Texas!

Thinking about my next assignment I knew I wanted to go somewhere new. However, it was still winter so my options were naturally limited. I decided that the most important factor in choosing my next assignment would be that it would have to be in Texas. I already had a license there that I never used.

I have always been interested in working as a locums nurse practitioner in Texas. I was curious to see why many young professionals opted to move there. Were the abundance of jobs and affordable houses worth it?

I wasn’t in a rush to start working, thus I had enough flexibility to be patient until a job in Texas opened up. It seems that finding a locums position in Texas isn’t that simple. Like Florida, Texas is one of those states that is saturated with nurse practitioners. This means they don’t have has many locum needs, and if they do, they prefer local candidates.

Fortunately, it only took about one week for something to come up. My main goal was to get to Texas. I was willing to sacrifice pay and job type, just to end up there. So, I ended up settling for a home assessment gig (more on that in my next post).

Has Texas lived up to the hype? As a matter of fact, yes! Despite their reputation, Texans are sincerely the nicest people I have ever met. They greet you everywhere you go and everyone has a smile on their face. They are so friendly that they even go out of their way to make conversation with homeless people, instead of pretending they don’t see them like most Americans. Texans are also patriotic and are so proud to be both American and Texan.

Texas has multiple major cities, each with its own flavor. There is an abundance of young professionals, so it’s great being able to make friends on my level. Of course, the houses are beautiful AND cheap (coming from Miami). The traffic isn’t major (outside of Houston and Dallas), and people know how to drive (compared to Miami). Gas is cheap (duh). Food is delicious.

A few drawbacks: everyone has a truck here – except me. My convertible doesn’t fit in but seems to get a lot of compliments (since everyone is so nice remember?). It can be scary sometimes being in a small sports car in between nothing but trucks. Texas is a bit dusty/dirty. There is more dirt than grass, which leads to outdoor items (mainly car) staying dirty all of the time. There is no Publix supermarket (if you aren’t from the south east, you won’t understand what you are missing out on). Florida beaches > Texas beaches.

Fortunately, I won’t be here during the summer. The weather has been cool, and I get to avoid the scorching heat.

When the day comes that I settle down, I wouldn’t mind living in Texas. It’s only a 2.5 hour flight to Miami and the people have undeniably won me over!