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Wow. This thread, though MUCH appreciated, is very disheartening: My husband and I are both nurses, and of course, we were hoping to get away from the hustle and hassle of the Myrtle Beach area in SC and relocate to the Big Island in about a year (when our daughter finishes her undergrad program and moves away to begin med school). Though the last update regarding the job situation for nurses was posted over 18 months ago, I suppose I may assume that, at best, things are no better? Sorry, I had to ask.
Thank you all for the information that you've provided... and for your patience as well.
Though the last update regarding the job situation for nurses was posted over 18 months ago, I suppose I may assume that, at best, things are no better? Sorry, I had to ask.
Sorry, nothing has changed. The job situation in for nurses in Hawaii continues to be pretty bad.
By "job situation" are you speaking in reference to "hiring" being pretty bad, or "keeping your position" being pretty bad? Does it seem to be better/worse one on island more than another?
Well, I was initially referring to hiring, but yes, it would be at least equally important to keep one's position. My husband and I, both nurses, had hoped to relocate to the BI.
Well, I was initially referring to hiring, but yes, it would be at least equally important to keep one's position. My husband and I, both nurses, had hoped to relocate to the BI.
If you have good solid recent experience the odds are better than if you are a new grad, and new grad odds are horrible, but slightly better (but not by much) if you are a local new grad.
There were two Oahu hospitals that closed a few years ago. One is being re-opened by Queens, the other is still closed. Island nursing programs are churning out hundreds of new grads each year.
Specialty areas have the most openings---ICU, ER, OR, L&D. The competition is fierce, even for those positions. But look closely---many of these openings are per diem or part-time, and that income won't sustain you here unless you have some hefty backup funds.
If you have good solid recent experience the odds are better than if you are a new grad, and new grad odds are horrible, but slightly better (but not by much) if you are a local new grad.
There were two Oahu hospitals that closed a few years ago. One is being re-opened by Queens, the other is still closed. Island nursing programs are churning out hundreds of new grads each year.
Specialty areas have the most openings---ICU, ER, OR, L&D. The competition is fierce, even for those positions. But look closely---many of these openings are per diem or part-time, and that income won't sustain you here unless you have some hefty backup funds.
Thank you so much, PaliPatty; I appreciate your candid and kind reply. My husband has 30 years of ER experience; that's the only dept he's worked since licensure. I, on the other hand, have mostly worked the med/surg floor with some experience in the stroke and renal units (but not in dialysis). We would truly be afraid to sell our home and move almost halfway around the world with the prospects of reliable employment being a very remote "maybe." As much as we want it, I guess that now just isn't the time. It really is a shame for so many new grads to be turned out every year with such poor chances of finding work for which they've so diligently trained for so many years! We were beginning to run into that problem in this area as well. The nursing programs compensated by making it much more difficult to get accepted into nursing school, as well as much more difficult to stay in the program, so as not to flood the area with unemployed nurses. Thank you, again. Maybe the economy will take a turn for the better, before too much longer. One can hope.
Maybe the economy will take a turn for the better, before too much longer. One can hope.
The economy in Hawaii is very strong right now - record tourism + low unemployment = strong economy.
Regardless of field - just packing up without jobs wouldn't be a good idea.
A way to mitigate what could possible be a painful and costly move is for one person to rent a vacation rental for a month or two - try to secure employment, if that happens - move, if it don't pan out, all you lost was some vacation rental money and expenses but it is recoverable.
I live on Kauai and am a RN. Moved here without any clinical experience and was able to land a couple home health jobs and a case manager position pretty quickly. My friends that work at the main hospital Wilcox say they prefer to hire nurses from the mainland because they tend to have more experience. Maybe try contacting hospitals or home health agencies if you are open to that initially. It's definitely not impossible to get a job. I started calling places about 6 months before moving to network and it did pay off. Not sure about BI but there are jobs on Kauai. You may not get the ideal job initially but if you are open to taking anything then you should be okay.
The economy in Hawaii is very strong right now - record tourism + low unemployment = strong economy.
Regardless of field - just packing up without jobs wouldn't be a good idea.
A way to mitigate what could possible be a painful and costly move is for one person to rent a vacation rental for a month or two - try to secure employment, if that happens - move, if it don't pan out, all you lost was some vacation rental money and expenses but it is recoverable.
The economy is not so good, here. Factories and other businesses are closing their doors right and left. Myrtle Beach hasn't enjoyed record tourism for some time, and tourists just aren't spending as they did in years past. Unemployment rates in several SC counties exceed 15%. Fortunately, it isn't too difficult to find employment in nursing at this time, especially for those who are willing to commute a bit. Thanks for the idea, whtviper. I'll definitely run it past my husband's ears. =)
Thank you so much, PaliPatty; I appreciate your candid and kind reply. My husband has 30 years of ER experience; that's the only dept he's worked since licensure. I, on the other hand, have mostly worked the med/surg floor with some experience in the stroke and renal units (but not in dialysis). We would truly be afraid to sell our home and move almost halfway around the world with the prospects of reliable employment being a very remote "maybe." As much as we want it, I guess that now just isn't the time. It really is a shame for so many new grads to be turned out every year with such poor chances of finding work for which they've so diligently trained for so many years! We were beginning to run into that problem in this area as well. The nursing programs compensated by making it much more difficult to get accepted into nursing school, as well as much more difficult to stay in the program, so as not to flood the area with unemployed nurses. Thank you, again. Maybe the economy will take a turn for the better, before too much longer. One can hope.
Thirty years in the ER is fabulous experience and he has, IMHO, a much better than average chance of finding a position on the BI. He'll also get health insurance if he works more than 19.5 hours per week (Hawaii law).
There is a tendency for employers here to hire people for less than twenty hours per week to avoid the mandatory insurance law but, IME, not so much with nursing jobs. But since there is such a glut of nurses now, I do see a tendency to hire more per diem and PT nurses.
I've been working here for fourteen years and this is about the worst it's ever been. It's not just the economy, which actually is pretty good here. Hospitals are trimming everywhere they can and if it means hiring per diems, call-ins, agency nurses, and PT-ers to save money, they'll do it. I see it where I work. Makes for a very disjointed unit...kinda sad.
Personally, I wouldn't come here without a firm job offer in hand. Especially since both of you are nurses.
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