interested in the virgin islands

Specialties Travel

Published

This message was deleted, as we do not allow free advertising on the BB. Thanks

[This message has been edited by bshort (edited February 20, 2001).]

we are nurses on night shift at the hospital, and being entertained by the comments. I am a traveller, and you either love the place or hate it...the island that is, the hospital is what it is.....run by the government, and on the virgin islands that is enough of a comment in itself. as a traveller the pay is reasonable at $25 for an rn, time and a half for over 40 hours, and as much overtime as you want. plenty of sunshine and beaches. a very laid back lifestyle and island living. I think that there are only 2 agencys sending nurses here at the moment, mine doesnt any more. but I have an 18 month contract anyway. the agencys have housing which is ok, and either give you a car or pay towards a rental.

the hospital does run out of things and yes we do become very creative, and at the moment are short staffed, but we survive and live for the next days off to go to the beaches, where the water is 85 degrees. and yes we are just about to go into hurricane season, but we will live through that as well.

ps...I am white and yes I am now a minority, but get along fine with my co-workers. people can have an attitude towards you, but its not to do with colour, its do with them having a problem with anyway.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, ER.

I think it sounds great to live there and I don't mind getting creative when it comes to patient care. I'm sure you all come up with great ideas!! I am only a CNA/PCT and am ready for nursing school. Would you recommend I get my education in the states prior to moving to the island or should I move to the island to get my education at the University of the VI?

we are nurses on night shift at the hospital, and being entertained by the comments. I am a traveller, and you either love the place or hate it...the island that is, the hospital is what it is.....run by the government, and on the virgin islands that is enough of a comment in itself. as a traveller the pay is reasonable at $25 for an rn, time and a half for over 40 hours, and as much overtime as you want. plenty of sunshine and beaches. a very laid back lifestyle and island living. I think that there are only 2 agencys sending nurses here at the moment, mine doesnt any more. but I have an 18 month contract anyway. the agencys have housing which is ok, and either give you a car or pay towards a rental.

the hospital does run out of things and yes we do become very creative, and at the moment are short staffed, but we survive and live for the next days off to go to the beaches, where the water is 85 degrees. and yes we are just about to go into hurricane season, but we will live through that as well.

ps...I am white and yes I am now a minority, but get along fine with my co-workers. people can have an attitude towards you, but its not to do with colour, its do with them having a problem with anyway.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I know nothing about the training here, as I come from the uk and the training is different to the us anyway. we do 3 or 4 years to get our RN. but I do know that some nurses come to train here as the waiting list to get on the training course is a shorter wait time than the us.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hello! I am a pre-nursing student that lives in the states and would love to go to St. Thomas for nursing school. But from the sounds of the hospital setting is nursing school at the University of the Virgin Islands a bad idea?

Go to UVI website and compare their curriculum to the states. I know last time I looked at their site they required some caribbean history classes.

Another thing is ...will they accept all your classes from the states...remember they are still a US territory...so rules can be different there. Also you want to make sure that your degree will be recognized when you move back to the states. I know sounds dumb...but just triple check everything you can think of before you do it...

Life there is different than living in the states. Not trying to deter you, (I think it is so cool you want to go to school there)...just things to think about. If I wouldn't live there...would not of thought it would be any different to do things there as it is here. Paperwork always takes alot longer there to be processed...

Everything is slow pace. You have to have a carefree attitude to be able to survive the lifestyle. "Don't worry be happy is definitely the island motto. lol All in all the Cruzan people are really friendly, once you get to know them.

Also you might want to check residency status rules...When I lived there if you had not lived there for at least a year before you started college...the tuition was 3 times higher.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. :)

Another thought...Each island is different. Depending where you decide to go St. Thomas (party town) or St. Croix (more laid back) - for nursing school.

Never go anyone along...always go places in groups for safety.

I'm set to graduate with my BSN in Dec and would love to move back there.

Debbi

Up Vote Up Vote ×

OK, yall are scaring me about st thomas. My husband is ORtech and he will be there too. We thought that would help us offset housing as the travel agency will be paying him a housing stipend and then my housing will be the one funished. Is the housing ok? I am reading mostly negative comments here about going. We will be first time travelers, are white, and do want to make money and enjoy being together in island setting for a while. Having been a home health nurse in rural mtn setting i can deal with creativity for needs etc. But I'm there for the patient, I still love taking care of people, so I am perplexed. If so much of the staff are great skilled nurses from the states , why is the hospital so bad? Not the admin stuff. Is the patient well cared for or not? I dont want to accept the job if we are going to be unsafe in our patient care and unsafe on the streets as well and not even make money!! so... tell me soon, we have to accept/decline this week, we would start in mid August.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Katorules - please note this thread is 7 years old - much may have changed. You might want to start another thread that would garner you more up to date info.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Mental Health.
OK, yall are scaring me about st thomas. My husband is ORtech and he will be there too. We thought that would help us offset housing as the travel agency will be paying him a housing stipend and then my housing will be the one funished. Is the housing ok? I am reading mostly negative comments here about going. We will be first time travelers, are white, and do want to make money and enjoy being together in island setting for a while. Having been a home health nurse in rural mtn setting i can deal with creativity for needs etc. But I'm there for the patient, I still love taking care of people, so I am perplexed. If so much of the staff are great skilled nurses from the states , why is the hospital so bad? Not the admin stuff. Is the patient well cared for or not? I dont want to accept the job if we are going to be unsafe in our patient care and unsafe on the streets as well and not even make money!! so... tell me soon, we have to accept/decline this week, we would start in mid August.

I'm truly interested in your decision, I want to travel to St Croix soon for a psych or postpartum position. My daughter will be having my granddaughter the first part of March and I thought that traveling there would be a great way to be able to stay there longer. Would you please share your experience with me and what company you're traveling with. Thanks for your time.:nuke:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

anyone have any more recent experiences and can comment on nursing there NOW compared to 7 years ago when this thread was started?

i was just on a cruise and heard a fella state that there was a new $17 million Cardiac facility getting ready to open on one of the islands.

anybody give us some updated info. on traveling to the USVI's?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i was just on a cruise and heard a fella state that there was a new $17 million Cardiac facility getting ready to open on one of the islands.

anybody give us some updated info. on traveling to the USVI's?

Last I read the Cardiac facility was going to open on ST. Croix...sounds like things are looking up for the place...

I lived there back in 94 and the hospital was horrible...but like anything it has to have gotten better, especially since they moved out of the modular buildings and back into the new hospital a few years ago...

All I can say for people who are interested in working in the USVI...You have to be very open minded and laid back...because it's nothing like the states...whatever you think is really bad stateside, will be worse on the island...I know where I work now in Texas...we always ***** about not having enough supplies...well it will definitely be worse there...because everything has to be shipped into the island..

Don't get me wrong...I loved living and working on the island and I would go back there in a heartbeat...but it's not a place for someone who loves the mall and ease/accessibility of everything in the big city and wants things done now...Everything is really slowpaced there and it takes awhile to get things done...When I was there it took a few weeks just to get a drivers license and plates for your car.

Good luck to all who want to go there...Keep us updated on how it is there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thanks for the reply.

anyone else been there travel nursing recently and can give us an update?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Mental Health.
thanks for the reply.

anyone else been there travel nursing recently and can give us an update?

I'm here on St Thomas and I too love the islands and things are still laid back and slow. There is no new building here, I was on St Croix last weekend and they are building onto the hospital but it is just in the early phases, they have several new projects going on there. It may take some time to get them all completed.

psychrn50

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i also am looking at going to St. Croix. Can anyone tell me some info. Did you bring your pet, family. I am hoping to rent a house with another nurse who will be traveling with me. I really need some info. I will be bringing my 14 year old son with me and hopefully my small breed dog. I see where customs does allow pets to enter the islands with current health records. So that makes me feel better. But finding housing that allows it is gonna be a problem.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment