AF Wife & RN headed to Kadena AFB in Okinawa... job info?

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Specializes in Women's Health- Mother/Baby care.

Hello everyone-

I'm just trying to get some information about the possibility of working in Okinawa when my husband and I get to Kadena in April '08. I graduated from a BSN program in July '07 and so I will only have about 7 months experience as an RN in Women's Services when we arrive. I heard that you need at least 1 year of experience as an RN to be considered for any position there and I just wanted to verify if that is true or not. Honestly, I do not "have" to work while I'm there... my husband is an officer in the AF and his salary covered us just fine while I was in school. But because it's so early on in my career, I would hate to not use my RN license for the 2-3 years that we are in Japan. Any advice or information would be appreciated.

Thanks so much and God Bless Our Troops!:redbeathe

-Carmen

Specializes in trauma er.

There is a naval hospital on Okinawa, that might be a starting point. I haven't been there for 12 years so not a lot of info, but definately start with your military installations. It is trult a beautiful island, enjoy!

The clinic at Kadena is mostly run by the military so your best bet would be Lester Naval Hospital at Camp Lester a few minutes away. They do hire civilian nurses so that would be a good place to start. Also, they have RN's who visit new moms and newborns to provide assessments, education, etc. There's also a few schools in the area if you're interested in school nursing. It's kind of hard to get into because some of those school nurses stay forever! But you never know. It's worth a shot.

And you can always start with the American Red Cross. They deployed local RN's to Thailand during the Tsunami Relief a few years back, and they're always looking for CPR instructors. That might be more of a volunteer status, but like you said yourself, you don't really "have" to work.

The important thing is to stay busy and active in regards to your license. I had just graduated nursing school before moving to Okinawa in 2002. I had tested for the NCLEX before leaving TX and unfortunately did not pass. Being overseas, it was difficult to get into gear again. My whole life was put on hold. I am now living at Yokota AB which is in mainland JP. I'm finally picking up the pieces and will take the NCLEX again in April. There's a Pearson Vue center in Tokyo. If only I would have known this 6 years ago!!

Best of luck in Okinawa. Take advantage of all the cultural opportunities. Some people hate it there but it's because they don't make the most of it.

Specializes in Women's Health- Mother/Baby care.

Thanks so much for the replies.

I work in a Mother/Baby Unit right now and was planning to move into L&D next year, before I found out about our assignment to Kadena. If I could find an RN position to visit moms and newborns to provide education (like you had mentioned), that would be ideal since all of my experience has been on a postpartum unit. Any more info about that would be greatly appreciated. If not, I'm sure I'll find out more when we arrive there and get settled. Also, best of luck with your NCLEX in April!

Thanks again!

Hello! My name is Katlan. I'll be graduating with my ADN RN degree Dec., 2009. I am moving to Okinawa and will be stationed with my fiancee on Kadena AFB. I'm just trying to do some research and look for advice on what needs to be done before I go overseas. We will be married in February 2010 and thats shortly after my arrival to the island. Are there an y specific requirements to work on the Naval base hospital as a civilian nurse? Thanks for your time!

Katlan B.

Specializes in Women's Health- Mother/Baby care.

They do hire civilian nurses at Camp Lester Naval Hospital in Okinawa. They do post job openings online...

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhoki/Pages/CivPers(old).aspx

A lot of the job openings say they require 1 year experience, but you can get around that. They may have you go through the Red Cross and volunteer at the hospital first to get more hours during your application process... it depends on the unit and job you're applying for.

I chose not to work at the hospital as my art hobby has turned into more of a "business" since being on the island. I did apply and was approved to work as a substitute school nurse for the RNs at the schools, but didn't actually get called in very much. My husband and I have a baby on the way in March, so being on-call will probably not work for me in the near future, haha.

Best wishes!

thank you so much for your time and information! congratulations to you on the new baby! hope all goes well! ill be over there sometime in february.

how were you able to get your license to transfer over?

Specializes in Women's Health- Mother/Baby care.

Thank you! And good luck with the moving process... we love it over here and hope that it will be a good experience for you too :D

As for transferring licenses, the Red Cross never asked me for anything but a copy of my current license (state of Oklahoma). Same went for the substitute job with the schools. As far as the hospital goes, I have no idea. Sometimes it's best to wait until you arrive here before you start the paperwork process, b/c I hear it's quite lengthy. For my application with the school system, I had to complete a 20 page background check which took over 6 weeks to process.... it might be the same for the hospital jobs. It might be a good idea to make sure you have a good list of employer references and up to date info just to be prepared. Sorry I can't be of more help with this!

-Carmen

Specializes in Ambulatory Care.

Hi. Are you still here in Oki?

They do hire civilian nurses at Camp Lester Naval Hospital in Okinawa. They do post job openings online...

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhoki/Pages/CivPers(old).aspx

A lot of the job openings say they require 1 year experience, but you can get around that. They may have you go through the Red Cross and volunteer at the hospital first to get more hours during your application process... it depends on the unit and job you're applying for.

I chose not to work at the hospital as my art hobby has turned into more of a "business" since being on the island. I did apply and was approved to work as a substitute school nurse for the RNs at the schools, but didn't actually get called in very much. My husband and I have a baby on the way in March, so being on-call will probably not work for me in the near future, haha.

Best wishes!

Hello,

I will be stationed in Oki in January. I was wondering is it hard to get on at the navy hospital.

Thanks

Specializes in Ambulatory Care.

Check out the link and you should be able to see if you qualify for the position or not:

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhoki/CivPers/Pages/default.aspx#employment

HTHLulu

Just wanted to know if Jack's Place on Kadena is still serving up their delicious garlic steak and cheese lumpia? I am sorry this is utterly OT, but I miss Oki something fierce sometimes :) It was a great place for me to be stationed - loved the culture and the island. I hope you all have had/will have great experiences too!

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