Hawaii Salaries

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Hi...I am a Med Surg nurse with two years experience who may be relocating to Oahu. Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of salary I might expect, as well as the job climate. I love my job, am passionate, and will take a step down, but I just want to know what's up. Thanks so much!

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\ said:
Hi...I am a Med Surg nurse with two years experience who may be relocating to Oahu. Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of salary I might expect, as well as the job climate. I love my job, am passionate, and will take a step down, but I just want to know what's up. Thanks so much!

Aloha, the salary differs where u work, hospitals like queens pays more than agencies,u might want to check at qmc website http://www.queens.org..it shows the salary and weekend/night differentials..and they r constantly hiring,.hope this helps..gydluck:)

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Sorry its http://www.queens.org :)

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Typical hospital RN pay, at "job rate" is roughly $50/hr regardless of where you work.

Job rate is pay when you have X months of experience (usually >23 months). If you have more experience then that, then you usually start at a lower rate for 3-4 months as a probation and then you make job rate.

Many of the hospitals are unionized and their pay scale is very strict. Holiday is usually very good. For example, Thanksgiving/Xmas/NYE are 2 1/2 times hourly pay. Thats $125/hr. Well over $1000 for a 12 hr shift.

However, nightshift differentials are not very good, and PRN/call-in pay is not necessarily higher like in the mainland, reason being those staff are not unionized.

The job market is tough here, but not impossible. Unlike the mainland where this happens "sometimes"- nearly every hospital here hires new grad RNs as techs/CNAs/secretarys and they can sometimes be given priority for medsurg/other RN position openings.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

>>Many of the hospitals are unionized and their pay scale is very strict. Holiday is usually very good. For example, Thanksgiving/Xmas/NYE are 2 1/2 times hourly pay. Thats $125/hr. Well over $1000 for a 12 hr shift.

I've never seen that kind of pay for a holiday here---where do they pay double-time-and-a-half for a holiday? IME it's time-and-a half. 1.5 times regular pay. There are five holidays per year where premium pay is earned according to HNA contracts---New Year's, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Mainland nursing jobs with a good union routinely have at least 10-12 holidays at, yes, double-time-and-a-half.

It would be nice to know that someone here gets that kind of holiday pay but I'm not sure it's possible in Hawaii.

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I've never seen that kind of pay for a holiday here---where do they pay double-time-and-a-half for a holiday? IME it's time-and-a half. 1.5 times regular pay. There are five holidays per year where premium pay is earned according to HNA contracts---New Year's, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Mainland nursing jobs with a good union routinely have at least 10-12 holidays at, yes, double-time-and-a-half.

It would be nice to know that someone here gets that kind of holiday pay but I'm not sure it's possible in Hawaii.

Each hospital has its own union contract. I am 100% certain that my facility's contract agrees to 2 1/2 hourly rate for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Id prefer not to compare contracts, though. Because trust me, our contract is not perfect in many ways.

Likewise, regions of the US are different, because Im familiar with hospitals in more than 3 eastern states and none of those hospitals had 10 or 12 holidays. More like 3 to 5 holidays at 1 and 1/5 times pay. Which mainland union job has 10 or 12 double and a half time holiday pay? IMO, hands-down RN pay in Hawaii is much better than most of the US. I cant speak for urban areas of San Francisco, Texas, or NYC, but a BASE pay of around 50.00/hr for a regular scheduled medsurg nurse with 2 yrs experience is literally unheard of stateside.

California pays higher than most states but still not $50/hr. I was looking at travel nurse jobs to UCLA starting at about $39/hr (and this was in a speciality). Even Mayo Clinic doesnt start that high.

The reality however, is that cost of living in Hawaii makes $50/hr FEEL like $25/hr

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Specializes in Critical Care.

LOL---all I can tell you is that I personally have worked in the NE where we received 2.5X pay for holidays and I knew of many others that had the same perk. Perhaps it's a thing of the past.

Congrats on a contract that gives you that in HI---just think it's strange that after working here for over a decade and having worked at two HNA-contract hospitals here I've never heard of it. Can you possible share the name of the facility that has such a contract? I might just be inspired to head on over there. :heartbeat

IME union contracts here fall far short of what I got at union hospitals on the mainland.

Travel nurse jobs, BTW, do seem to pay less than staff positions, especially in areas that are in high demand. Not many travel jobs here in Hawaii anymore, though, but years ago we were swimming in travel nurses.

Have you looked at the Sacramento area? I have a friend who relocated there and her base pay is way over $50/hr. Very experienced ICU nurse---maybe that's why? SoCal pays less than other areas of California, BTW.

This is a few years old so the pay now is higher but it gives you an idea of what the California pay scale is (ignore the first part and scroll down to the actual pay rate table---I think that first part might be a "dream" contract):

101 salaries | National Nurses United

Also, UCLA has their current contract online, EXCEPT for the wage table (darn!!), including premium holidays---interesting reading:

University of California Human Resources and Benefits - At Your Service

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Queens Medical Center

About Nursing at Queen's

RN Salary Information

The Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Hawaii Nurses Association covers all full-time and part-time RNs. Starting salaries are based on the amount of experience accumulated in an acute care facility within the five year period immediately preceding employment. In addition, shift differentials are provided. RNs can choose from 8 to 12 hour shifts and weekend options, subject to availability, to accommodate lifestyles. Nurse Managers can provide details specific to their units.

[TABLE=class: colorstripes, width: 300, align: center]

[TR]

[TD=bgcolor: #265d80]Experience[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #265d80]Hourly Base

Effective 12/7/2008

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]0-6 months[/TD]

[TD]$31.65[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]7-12 months[/TD]

[TD]$33.92[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]13-18 months[/TD]

[TD]$36.18[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]19 months +[/TD]

[TD]$40.70[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Job rate*[/TD]

[TD]$45.22[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

* New hires who have 24+ months of experience shall be placed at the 19+ month start rate for a minimum of 3 months (probationary period) before progressing to the job rate.

[TABLE=class: colorstripes, width: 300, align: center]

[TR]

[TD=bgcolor: #265d80] [/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #265d80]Differentials Above Base

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=bgcolor: #1F3D59]

[TD]Call-in[/TD]

[TD]$2.50[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Charge[/TD]

[TD]$3.00[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Evening Shift[/TD]

[TD]$1.25[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Night Shift[/TD]

[TD]$2.75[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Certified RNFA[/TD]

[TD]$2.00

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

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Specializes in Critical Care.

That pay scale is four years old....:nurse:

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anyone know what an RN pay is for Kahi?

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$45/ hour almost everywhere to start

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Specializes in med surg, icu.

UCLA pay is not representative of California as a whole. Pay rate drops the further away from San Francisco that you go. Starting pay is actually lower in San Diego. I started as a new grad in San Diego at $29/hr about 5 years ago. I live/work coastal, so cost of living is quite high. My cousin works heme-onc in Oakland and is making much more than $50/hr... But the cost of living in the bay area is high as well (I went to nursing school in the Bay Area). The reason why pay is so low here is the "sunshine tax"... Weather is lovely, we're close to the beach, we have all the benefits of being on the mainland, so people are willing to give up a lot of pay and deal with a high cost of living to be here. Orange County/Los Angeles pays slightly higher, but you really have to want to be in the thick of the LA culture and lifestyle to want to be there long term.

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