rdugirl

I am an RN with 16 years experience and am contemplating a move to either HI or USVI. I am in the very beginning stages of doing my research. I know that I could go as a travel nurse, but those jobs go quickly! I know it is expensive and it's far away from 'home' . What I need help with is deciding which island, what are the different hospitals/clinics like, public transportation, renting apt, etc. I am a young 45 and I currently live in Raleigh, NC. I live in a historic area in the heart of downtown. I love being able to walk/bike to restaurants, art galleries, concerts, parks, etc. I would be bringing my dog and I am well aware of the extensive screening that the dog must have in order to come to HI.

So, tell me the good, the bad and the ugly..but try and focus on the good. It is my dream to live in 'paradise' so no dream squashing! I've narrowed it down to HI or St. Thomas/St. John.

Thanks for you input and feel free to email me as well.

nytraveler

Have you researched the salaries in each place versus the cost of living? That seems to me to be the practical first step.

I have no idea of cost of living in USVI, but know that HI is expensive. Will your salary in HI be enough higher that you can maintain your style of living?

1JAR

WE lived in HAwaii for 4 years..on OAHU the main island for business, population where you will have more choice in jobs.

Worked for 3 of the big civilian healthcare co, Kaiser & Queen's & St Francis.. and got my care in a 4th Straub or military. All are very good about equal for benefits and jobs.

Depending on skill/speciality, you will find work readily. Some preference to give jobs to locals... understandable...but if you have a sought afer skill..you may be luckier.

Recruiters sometimes come to the "mainland" west coast if they get desperate but economy is down now so doubt it now .....best to contact the Nurse recruiters for each hc sytem...usually they want you to already be living in Hawaii and usually they don't pay for moving exp.

Traffic is horrific at commute times so, make sure you get a place to stay very close to the job or opposite commute.

One thing is that KAiser will not transfer staff unless very senior management: but working at a KAiser facily mainland will definately help you get rehired at Kaiser HAwaii.

1 other option for work besides Travel Nrs (which if you can do would be a great way to check it out to see if you like it), US Goverment jobs..(civilian military or Veterans). they pay for cola and you will get a decent retirement... military is BIG on OAhu and jobs are always open for civilian RNs.
http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/search....dPub=Y&x=0&y=0

Main military hospital is Tripler and it is above Pearl Harbor, nice general area of Oahu to live/easy commute, huge facility. Kaiser main hospital campus is also nearby.. we lived in Pearl City/Aiea but commute starts getting dicey on freeway into town at Kaiser hosp area Red HIll...of course I used to marvel at sitting on the freeway looking at Diamond Head!

I know everyone thinks living on HAwaii is more expensive: yes certain items are like rent, food, gas and airfare... But if you live like the locals..we found it to be on par. And there are places like Wal MArt & Costco now...we would still be there except we had 2 sets of elderly parents to care for on the West Coast...

Whenever we were going to move somewhere, I found it helpful to get the local newspaper, read the jobs, grocery ads, track rents etc.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/

suze

I'd pick Oahu myself.

I'm no expert about the medical field but I would think Honolulu would offer by far the most opportunities. And for me as a single women, it's also the only place I'd personally consider living (you may feel differently) because I don't like to feel too isolated. Great public transportation.

To be able to walk to restaurants, parks, art galleries, etc. have things going on to entertain yourself, you need a town of substantial size imo.

Agreeing with the post above, I don't think Hawaii has to be 'more expensive'. Depends what you are comparing it to, and how you choose to live once you're there. I've looked at rents, food prices, etc. in Waikiki and it is similar to my home in Seattle.

I would absolutely pick it over the USVI myself, for many different reasons.

suze

Of everything you mention, I think getting your dog into Hawaii is probably going to be the toughest part.

rdugirl

I agree that the lifestyle you live has a lot to do with how expensive it will be. There are pros/cons to both HI and the USVI. The biggest con for me as far as HI is concerned is the 12-14 hr flight back home. Biggest con to USVI is size and getting used to the much slower pace. Making a PVM to USVI is a lot less expensive than HI would be, so I will have to go to HI on a travel contract to do PMV. It would be ideal to get back to back 13 week contracts in each place, and then decide. As far as my furry friend goes, I know it won't be easy and HI has a few more hoops to jump thru and a longer flight with cargo temps to consider vs. USVI.

nanabee

Oahu would be my first choice but I like your idea of a back to back 13 week contracts - that is the best idea because we can recommend what our likes are but you have some real concerns with distance if you move to Hawaii.

lcuy

It's not difficult to bring in a dog, just expensive and takes time if you want a direct release from teh airport.. You have to have two rabies shots at least 30 days apart. Once the rabies vaccine is administered, you have to send a blood sample to kansas for testing. The dog cannot enter Hawaii until 4 months after Kansas receives the sample. (It works out that a dog will be about 8 months old even if you start the process as soon as it's old enough for his first rabies shot)

If these conditions are not met (along with special forms and fees, your dog will have to spend 120 days in quarantine.It takes about 2 months, you have to have a rabies shot, blood test sent to Kansas, another rabies shot, etc. Apartments tend to be less pet friendly than many other cities, too.

Hawaii is expensive, but people come here to work all the time. From your post, I'd guess that one of the hospitals in Honolulu would offer your the lifestyle you're looking for.


Good luck!


http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqsbrochure.pdf

lcuy

Oh, meant to add that the neighbor island health centers tend to be pretty small and public transportation is not very good on most of them.

In Honolulu, the hospitals in town are Queens (major med center with big trauma center) Straub (known for cardiac and transplants), Kapiolani Women and Childrens and Kuakini (geriatrics), plus a Shriners, which just recently almost doubled in size. You could easily get to any of these if you lived in areas like Waikiki, Downtown, or Kaimuki.

suze

lcuy~ Thanks for the update on the dog situation. I looked into it but obviously awhile ago now (for a cat). I'm thrilled to know there's an easier way to bring animals with you these days (other than straight up quarantine). Again thanks.

rdugirl~ I think Hawaii would be great if you can deal with the distance from 'home' part about your move. I just think Hawaii offers so much more opportunities in so many ways than the USVI.

Dukey1

The USVI is a lot closer to where you live now than is Honolulu but you do not elaborate on how much of an influencer the "being far from home" thing really is and, quite frankly, if it IS major, then is being in Hawaii actually a REALISTIC proposition?

I lived on Oahu for several years and I can tell you that as has been pointed out, some things are more expensive and some things aren't. I wish we had that low real estate tax rate up here in Northern Virginia they are enjoying in Honolulu.

I would definitely at least CONSIDER the possibility of federal employment as the long-run benefits are often more extensive than those offered by the private sector.

sunbum1944

I moved to Hawaii when I was a young nurse and we had a blast- however, that was many years ago and of course times have changed. Didnt even have a job lined up when we arrived but were hired instantly at Queens Hospital - where I learned a lot about nursing.
Also later worked at a nursing home in Waikiki which was an interesting experience and also did private duty nursing which was interesting because I got to look after some of the rich and famous of Hawaii.

It is expensive to live there of course but as others have suggested - there are ways to conserve.
I always had a roomate though to share living expenses.
It was a fun experience, loved the local people- the downside that finally got to me was that after awhile I felt island bound - no where to go but around the island again.
But I did love the experience and Hawaii will always have a special place in my heart

suze

Well if 'island fever' does hit you in Hawaii... I'm guessing it's gonna hit a LOT sooner in the USVI which are itty bitty islands, no where near the space and diversity of Hawaii.

sunbum1944

suze - might have not had island fever so badly if I had found more activities besides going to the beach- I was young and naive and did not have any other hobbies or activities - so maybe as a more mature adult I would find more to keep me occupied-

suze

No, actually I mentioned it because a LOT of people I talk to who have lived there for various periods of time mentioned it to me. I've seriously considered a move myself (or more likely when/if I ever get to retire) so have talked to many different people, all ages, about their Hawaii time.

rdugirl

I don't have a large family or a need to be able to get home quickly so the distance is something to think about, but not a major issue. As for being 'island bound' no doubt that it would happen sooner on the USVI than Hawaii although it seems that it will be a lot easier to get off the island and visit someplace else from USVI than HI? More research needed on that issue.

Working a 13 week travel contract in USVI and then in HI will be the ideal way to check out both places and see which is a better fit. The perfect scenerio would be to work 26 weeks in USVI, 13 weeks in the states and 13 weeks in HI.

suze

If you can arrange those placements in all places, sure why not try them all? That would be the best of all worlds and a fantastic experience.

As far as getting 'off' Hawaii I think west coast US is the closest? I'm here in Seattle and it is a 6-hour nonstop flight from Honolulu.

nanabee

My sister has lived in Hawaii for almost 40 years now. It allows you better access to travel to SE Asia. She travels to India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan sometimes on a monthly basis.

So that might be another opportunity for you to travel to places you normally wouldn't.