CHRISTUS Children's

Specialty Hospital · San Antonio, TX

On the floor

What the day-to-day looks like

Setting: Specialty Hospital
Recognition: Magnet®
Shifts hiring now: Days 4

Benefits

New-grad residency pathway with structured precepting and professional development; $10,000 sign-on listed for the February 2025 cohort; further education described as accessible by a Children's RN. Formal tuition or loan amounts are not detailed in the sources here.

What stands out

New graduates
A year-long nurse residency pairs you with trained preceptors, mentors, and de-briefers, plus monthly development, cohort support, skills labs, and simulations at Children's and other Santa Rosa sites.
As of 2026Source 1: careers.christushealth.org Source 2: careers.christushealth.org Source 3: careers.christushealth.org
New graduates
The February 2025 New Grad RN Residency cohort listed a $10,000 sign-on bonus covering Children's and other San Antonio CHRISTUS locations.
As of 2025Source: careers.christushealth.org
Experienced nurses
You would join a freestanding children's hospital with Magnet designation, Gold Level Beacon awards in both PICU and NICU, and an academic partnership with Baylor College of Medicine.
As of 2018 · 2021Source: christushealth.org
Moving here
San Antonio's cost of living sits about 5% below the national level, with no state income tax and compact-license recognition in Texas.

More about working here

Experienced nurses
Local nurses have pointed to supportive culture and available resources here when comparing options against nearby HCA pay concerns.
As of 2024 · 2023-09-07Source 1: facebook.com Source 2: glassdoor.com
New graduates
An RN at Children's described coworkers, on-hand resources, and further education as easy to reach.
As of 2023-09-07Source: glassdoor.com
Moving here
The hospital is expanding pediatric subspecialty and high-risk maternal capacity in South Texas so more families can stay in San Antonio for care.
Source: chausa.org

Working conditions

Pay and benefits: $10,000 sign-on bonus for February 2025 New Grad RN Residency cohort (CHRISTUS Santa Rosa / Children's Hospital of San Antonio and other SA locations); As of 2025Source: careers.christushealth.org
Pay and benefits: RN at Christus Children's Hospital reported it is hard to get pay raises; As of 2023-09-07Source: glassdoor.com
Pay and benefits: CHRISTUS Health employee reported approximately 2% raise each year (not Children's-specific); As of 2026-06-22Source: glassdoor.com

Starting out and growing here

Nurse residency: CHRISTUS Health / CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Nurse Residency Pathway (includes The Children's Hospital of San Antonio) · Described as nationally recognized, comprehensive, evidence-based · Applications: Cohorts referenced include February 2025 and July 2026; apply via regional residency postings; virtual interviews with unit managers; As of 2026Source 1: careers.christushealth.org Source 2: careers.christushealth.org Source 3: careers.christushealth.org
Preceptors and orientation: Year-long residency pairs residents with trained preceptors; mentors and de-briefers guide and evaluate; monthly professional development; cohort support; skills labs and simulations; As of 2026Source 1: careers.christushealth.org Source 2: careers.christushealth.org Source 3: careers.christushealth.org
Tuition support: Further education described as easily available by RN reviewer at Christus Children's; As of 2023-09-07Source: glassdoor.com

The city

Living in San Antonio, TX

San Antonio blends rich Tex-Mex culture, historic missions, and a laid-back river city feel. The famous River Walk winds through downtown, while the Pearl District offers trendy dining and lofts. With no state income tax, major hospital systems, and warm weather year-round, it's an affordable, welcoming spot for nurses seeking authentic South Texas charm.

Browse roles in San Antonio

Map showing the location of San Antonio, TX — San Antonio, TX on the map · © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap· Open the live map

Metro price level · San Antonio area: 5% below the national average; BEA index 94.7 (100 = national)
Median gross rent: $1,324/mo; rent and tenant-paid utilities
Median household income: $65,056/yr; all local households, not nurse pay

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · 2024 metro Regional Price Parities · Census ACS 2024

Who they are

You would step into San Antonio's first freestanding children's hospital — the downtown CHRISTUS Children's campus built on the old Santa Rosa Infirmary ground — where care units run as private rooms with space for a parent to sleep and a Ronald McDonald House on site.

Specialty Hospital · San Antonio
Magnet® recognized
Hiring days

More about CHRISTUS Children's

The hospital partners with Baylor College of Medicine; the campus has carried hundreds of nurses, advanced practice providers, and pediatric residents under one roof, with specialty clinics spread across the city and an active clinical research center. If you are new to practice, the CHRISTUS nurse residency pathway covers Children's along with other Santa Rosa locations. You spend a full year with trained preceptors, mentors, and de-briefers, plus monthly development time, cohort peers, skills labs, and simulations. Cohorts have included a February 2025 group that listed a $10,000 sign-on and a July 2026 window; you apply through the regional residency postings and meet unit managers in virtual interviews. Nurses on the unit have described solid coworkers, usable resources, and a path to further education. The same Children's voice said raises are hard to land — worth weighing beside the Magnet history, Beacon Gold work in PICU and NICU, and a culture local nurses sometimes prefer when they stack it against nearby systems.

Faith-based nonprofit in the CHRISTUS Health system; mission described as extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.

Working here

Culture and working life

supportivepediatricresidency-guidedfaith-basedacademicresource-backedpreceptor-ledfamily-centered

Themes from public reviews

Summaries of published reviews, with the original sources.

Coworkers and resources: RN at Children's praised coworkers, available resources, and access to further education; rated experience 4.0.; As of 2023-09-07Source: glassdoor.com
Pay progression: Same Children's RN said pay raises are hard to obtain.; As of 2023-09-07Source: glassdoor.com
Supportive culture vs HCA: Nurses in a local group reportedly recommend Christus Children's for supportive culture and resources versus HCA pay concerns.; As of 2024Source: facebook.com

More review themes

Clinical nursing quality: Community comment called the nurses world-class in a birth-care discussion; facility noted as recently renamed Christus Children's.; As of 2024Source: reddit.com
System-wide recommend rate: CHRISTUS Health overall Glassdoor snapshot about 3.5 stars with roughly 65% willing to recommend to a friend.; As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com

What to weigh

An RN at Children's reported that pay raises are hard to get.

As of 2023-09-07Source: glassdoor.com

The reality check

Before you decide

Quick facts

Relationship: Direct employer
Roles last seen active: Sep 10, 2026
Website: christushealth.org ↗

Ask Mira about CHRISTUS Children's

Weighing a first job here?

The license clock and the job hunt run at once, and new-grad windows do the deciding. Residency commitments carry fine print worth reading before you sign.

See your windows →Residency fine print