There’s a very high demand for travel nurses at Texas hospitals as the state faces a severe nursing shortage. Hospitals are trying to fill thousands of open positions statewide. 3,200 new jobs come up in Texas in July just related to COVID demand. In August, 1,800 new jobs have already come up. The highest-paying travel nurse jobs pay around $120 an hour. But some places are still just offering the more average pay of $35 to $40 an hour.