[pRNss808]

Am I the only one having a hard time finding a job in Hawaii?

I got my license in September 2007 and it's already January 2008. I have a classmate who graduated December 2004 and is still not working.

[WindwardOahuRN]

What kind of position are you looking for and where are you looking?

[pRNss808]

I've applied at the Big Five hospitals. I want to specialize in oncology. But I'm at the point where I'll take anything and any shift.

[cheyeree]

ALOHA to everyone,
I think with the holiday season its kinda slow i got my RN license Dec 3 and been applying on line since hopefully they will call next week .
I have a friend she got her license Oct 2007 then took the pharma exam nov passed it and the hospital she applied doesnt call her yet, we were wondering if they are prejudice to foreign graduate nurses. I hope not.
Anyway GOODLUCK to us all with GOD blessings we will all get the job this month
HOPE FOR THE BEST

lots of Aloha
Cheyeree

[keke56]

i have been doing research for nearly a year now about oahu. im moving here in may and it seems like unless your a local or know someone who can get you in your %^$^ outta luck.
i got a tip on an internal announcement for one hospital and called. here was the "recruiters" answer.
oh your from the mainland? well that announcement has already had some applicants... you can go ahead and put an application in though...
so much for the shortage. how are we supposed to get work if they only take ppl with experience and we cant get any


so frustrated right now

[WindwardOahuRN]

Originally Posted by keke56

i have been doing research for nearly a year now about oahu. im moving here in may and it seems like unless your a local or know someone who can get you in your %^$^ outta luck.
i got a tip on an internal announcement for one hospital and called. here was the "recruiters" answer.
oh your from the mainland? well that announcement has already had some applicants... you can go ahead and put an application in though...
so much for the shortage. how are we supposed to get work if they only take ppl with experience and we cant get any


so frustrated right now

To be honest the recruiters and hospitals are only thinking practically. The average stay for a professional (of any profession) who comes here is eighteen months. This state is like one big revolving door.

New grad applicants with local ties DO get preference. They have a support system here and are not likely to leave any time soon. And the reasons mainland transplants leave Hawaii are many---loneliness, the very high cost of living here, and a bit of culture shock are just a few.

If you have experience and can hit the ground running hospitals lose nothing if you work for them for a year or two and then head on back home. To train a new grad, though, is expensive. It's money that the hospital's education department does not want to waste. Yes, you may be one of the few that actually does stay here for a good long time but the hospital is generally not willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, IME.

Harsh reality....

[mew1]

i'm local and got my license in october 2007 and have been unsuccessful in finding a job also. i've applied to many positions and called HR to follow up, but haven't had a single interview yet. people have reviewed my resume and said it looks fine, so i really don't know what the problem is. i really don't think there is a nursing shortage here in hawaii...at least not for new grads.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Originally Posted by mew1

i'm local and got my license in october 2007 and have been unsuccessful in finding a job also. i've applied to many positions and called HR to follow up, but haven't had a single interview yet. people have reviewed my resume and said it looks fine, so i really don't know what the problem is. i really don't think there is a nursing shortage here in hawaii...at least not for new grads.

It definitely seems like a "who you know" preference system here, especially for new grads.

Sad that you see so many articles in the local papers bemoaning the fact that new nurses leave here for the mainland and they're doing all these studies to try and figure out how to keep them here.

Uh....how about HIRING them?? I've known quite a few new grads who have been readily accepted by mainland hospitals for training. And guess what? They don't come back here once they've settled in at those hospitals.

Sorry you're having such a tough time.

[mcubed45]

most new grad positions are filled by the very same students that did their clinicals at those facilities. our nursing programs have great rapport with the hospitals in which their students train. because of this, there's not going to be a lot of opportunity for new grads moving from the mainland. our state pays for a sizable chunk of our students education. it makes sense that first priority be given to nurses that graduate from hawaii programs.

training a new grad is very large investment of time and money. those resources are best invested in a new grad the facility is familiar with and knows will succeed and go on to be a valuable member of their team. i'm sure there are a lot of great nurses from other places but you gotta look at things from the employer's perspective. why risk it on a stranger when you can hire an RN that has already spent time learning at your facility for several months.

[pincush23]

aloha,and good luck.