Become A Nurse In Houston
As the fourth largest city in the U.S. and the largest metro in Texas, Houston, the home of the University of St. Thomas ABSN program site, is 655 square miles. It’s also dynamic: Its 2.3 million residents speak more than 145 different languages, bringing with them a Texas-sized mix of culture, entertainment and industry.
Houston is home to the second largest concentration of Fortune 1000 companies in the country. The city is also poised to become the second fastest-growing metro area by 2028, according to a 2024 census study.
Put all these factors together and it means big prospects for those looking to start careers in the city’s growing healthcare sector, especially those who hold a BSN.
Program Location
At each of our three locations across Houston (the Woodlands, Sugar Land, and Downtown), you will complete your nursing skills and simulation labs with instruction from our well-qualified faculty.
University of St. Thomas clinical rotations begin in the first semester of your ABSN. During that time, you will have the opportunity to work with some of the best healthcare providers in the region. You will rotate through multiple healthcare locations, where you will build upon your skills, have plenty of time to make connections, and set up your career early.
Healthcare In Houston
Like everything else it does, Houston takes a “bigger is better” approach when it comes to healthcare. As of 2021, the Greater Houston Partnership estimated that over 376,000 people worked in the city’s healthcare sector.
Nowhere is that fact more evident than at the sprawling Texas Medical Center (TMC), located in the heart of the city not far from the University of St. Thomas Houston. The 1,345-acre campus is home to the world’s largest concentration of expertise in medical treatment and care, research and technology. It’s so big, in fact, that it even has its own ZIP code!
Outside of and including TMC, healthcare in Houston is quickly catching up with the city’s largest employment sector—energy—through expansions of three major and renowned health systems: Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann and Texas Children’s Hospital. M.D. Anderson and UTMB Health have also announced significant suburban growth recently, meaning there’s no shortage of top healthcare jobs for qualified candidates.
Area Attractions
If enrolling in the ABSN program at UST requires you to relocate here, don’t worry—given the city’s sheer size, odds are you won’t run out of things to do. Dubbed Space City for its connection to NASA, Houston offers a plethora of out-of-this-world entertainment options. While our nursing program will keep you busy studying, attending labs and taking part in clinical rotations, in the wider Houston area you’ll find attractions geared toward every kind of leisure-seeker, including:
- Space Center Houston (home to NASA’s Mission Control)
- Johnson Space Center
- Houston Museum District
- Houston Zoo
- Kemah Boardwalk
- Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park
- NRG Stadium, home of the Texans NFL football team
- Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros MLB baseball team
- Toyota Center, home of the Rockets NBA basketball team
