Jobs in Hawaii

thekid · Jul 12, 2009

hi Okie, I'm happy to share about my experience moving to Hawaii.

First of all I have just been reinstated as an RN and am not actively employed as a nurse right now..

I lived in the bay area of California and fell in love with Hawaii during a weekend trip (like many do..)

I moved here in May 2005, at first into a house with other room-mates and then later into my own studio in Waikiki. I paid $800 for a 'studio' which was basically a room built on to a larger apartment, with its own entrance. I had a bed, a table, a balcony, a small fridge, a microwave and a hot plate (oh and sink and tiny bathroom). Tiny doesn't sum it up. It's like living in a closet. I spent many years in Arizona living in large houses with large yards and lots of garage or street parking. The size of accomodations here was a big shock..but this place was all I could afford at the time. Since I did not have a kitchen, I ended up walking for food most of the time (pretty easy in waikiki but it's also pricey).

I did not have a parking space that came with my unit so used to drive up and down the streets looking for a space..with groceries this can be very difficult. I did not have my baby at the time.

BUT I was two blocks up from the beach and I took up surfing..so the inconveniences of living somewhere small were outweighed by instant ocean access.

When tourists ask me what it's like to live here..I usually tell them that Hawaii should have something you REALLY enjoy or else you might as well pick California. If you like good weather, great..but if you are working all the time are you outside enjoying it? For me I fell in love with water activity and can't imagine a day without being in the water. My husband loves the water as well ..and hiking..we have a baby who is growing up as familiar with walking in sand as walking on carpet :) We are very outdoor-sy. A while back I decided to CHOOSE where I was going to live then find work to make it possible for me to stay. I would go work at McDonalds to stay in Hawaii (at least during optimum surfing conditions)

If you don't have something that you are really in love with about Hawaii, I think many of the new 'fun' things about it may wear off over time. There's good weather in Southern Cal. There's also more interstate system so you can move around. Once you are on an island it CAN be tough to leave..even for a break. It's a five hour flight to the nearest airport..I believe is LA or SF. You can at times feel isolated.

The shopping and selection may not be as varied as the mainland depending on what you are looking for. Of course prices are high but you knew that :)

Traffic can be and usually is, horrible. Before work and after school hours I try to stay away from H1 but even the local streets are packed. We have taxis, limos, buses, tour buses, etc. I LOVE the city, love Waikiki, love tourists, don't mind getting caught behind buses, because I love it here. I don't mind swimming with tourists or sitting at a crowded beach.

Some mainlanders may feel like outsiders. As a 38 year old haole chick who surfs , I am fortunate and I know a lot of local people, I have never ever encountered any discrimation from them. My friends here are the most wonderful, generous, laid back people I've ever met. The spirit of Aloha is strong. We are family. My husband is from Malaysia and has never encountered problems either.

Things like street signs can cause confusion..and the local language. It took me a few years to be able to understand a street name someone said to me on the phone, or what 'pau' meant. If you assimilate quickly and easily into other cultures, you may do fine.

Life here is not all luaus and bikinis..most of us work a LOT to maintain a very simple but expensive lifestyle. (surfing is free after you buy the board) . I think it's easy to be lured here by the romance of paradise but living here is a different thing completely.

I would not discourage anyone from trying it..but if you can, pick up something temporary and see if you can hang for a year..before selling off everything on the mainland and coming over.

Other than that, I have learned it's easier to NOT have pets (live in high rise), large yards are hard to find on this side unless you have won the lottery, parking even in front of your house is tough, if you don't like people you will hate Hawaii because we have tourists and almost monthly festivals in Waikiki that bring large crowds. When you rent a place ask if it has a full kitchen. Be prepared for old outdated appliances and cockroaches. Be flexible enough to move around and find your niche. Maybe you like Oahu, maybe Maui. I spent a year on the big island, it was a neat experience but I am sooo happy to be back home again.

If the island bites you, you are in love. I fell in love and have tried to move back to the mainland twice, only to return here again and cry with happiness as the plane landed. There is no place like Hawaii :) The only reason I'd leave is if I was offered a sweet job that paid super good..but then I'd try to work it so I spent summers here or at least buy a condo and visit part time :)

aloha

Jesennia

thekid · Jul 12, 2009

Lisa makes an excellent point..I moved here completely alone. And it's not always easy being a single person in paradise (but then it's not always feasible for mainland married couples to move over together..BOTH have to be ready for the change )

Lisa From Maui · Jul 12, 2009

dear okie icu rn: i agree with many things the kid said. these are all real drawbacks to living here... it's like living in a closet. if you are working all the time are you outside enjoying it? some mainlanders may feel like outsiders. the shopping and selection may not be as varied as the mainland... and the local language... most of us work a lot to maintain a very simple but expensive lifestyle. i think it's easy to be lured here by the romance of paradise but living here is a different thing completely. i would not discourage anyone from trying it..but if you can, pick up something temporary and see if you can hang for a year..before selling off everything on the mainland and coming over.

dear jesennia aka "the kid": i really enjoyed reading your post. as i read it, i was laughing because i can completely relate to some of the things you said. thank you for posting! jesennia, i'm happy for you, that you have a passion (water sports). happy that your husband wants to be in hawai'i. it sounds like the pros outweigh the cons. again, thanks for writing, thanks for being honest and real.

thekid · Jul 13, 2009

aww mahalo Lisa :) great to meet other nurses here..we love it..I don't know if we will always live here but I think part of me would feel like I was missing something if we went somewhere else. Gotta love travel nursing :)

Let me know if/when you visit Oahu..do you get in the water?? I haven't been to Maui in years, regretfully..I guess making it on one island is 'busy' enough..love Maui though. It was the island that grabbed me first..I vowed I'd never live in snow again. We went to a String Cheese Incident concert in Lahaina years ago..then whale watching the next day. I still have the photo we took of the whale playing in a silver ocean beneath the setting sun..Maui was magic. Ended up on Oahu in hopes there would be more jobs..really do enjoy Oahu..I love Waikiki to pieces.

would love to meet

hey how about a Hawaii nurse meetup some time?

J

Lisa From Maui · Jul 13, 2009

To expound more...

In 2008, a study by the private company INRIX ranked Honolulu as having the worst drive-time travel time in the nation. Source: Island Scene, summer 2009, a magazine published for HMSA (blue cross blue shield) members.

In my humble opinion... On Maui, there's very little traffic, compared to the mainland. Molokai has so little traffic that it doesn't even have a stop light. I don't know about the other islands.

CaliToHawaiiRN · Jul 31, 2009

Hey guys. I am a new grad and just got my RN license this week in the mail, so recently I've been been applying around Oahu. I'm desperately in need of a job in any hospital. Just want to get my foot in the door at least, but it seems like even though I apply for a lower level position, no hospitals are calling me back. From reading all these threads/posts about how hard it is to find a job in Hawaii, I am getting really depressed. I really want to be in Hawaii, but I just need some help getting any kind of job in a hospital until a new grad position opens up. I made this huge transition to Hawaii from Cali knowing what I was getting into in terms of living expenses, which is why I decided to rent a room for really cheap from a friend of a friend, but I can't make this move work in Oahu without a regular job. I was even thinking about being a waitress for a little bit just to have some cash while I look for a hospital position. Any advice? I really need some help. All these years and money spent getting my BSN and now I have my RN license, but no jobs are available. If anyone can help me out, I would really appreciate it. I have my heart set on Hawaii and don't want to consider any other state. I will do anything to work as an RN in Hawaii. Please will someone give me some insight. :crying2:

Lisa From Maui · Jul 31, 2009

Dear Cali:

I suggest you look at allnurses.com posts for some cities on the mainland. Look at LA, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix. Start to read what the new grads there are saying about finding a job. You might feel less depressed if you realize it's not you. :confused:

Also, read allnurses.com posts for Hawai'i for the last 12 months. Not just the past 3 months. Read what nurses were writing 12 months ago. Read what other new grads have said about trying to find jobs. :banghead:

If you have your heart set on Hawai'i and won't consider another state... then it sounds like you've made up your mind.

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 · Aug 9, 2009

Dear Okie ICU: If you don't already have family or good friends in Hawai'i...
You will say goodbye to all of your family. All of your friends. Your house of worship (synagogue, church, stake, temple, etc) and everyone there. And probably your pets. You will say goodbye to your entire support system. Want me to expound more?

Sounds a lot like when I moved from Minnesota to Arizona about ten years ago. It wasn't easy, especially the first few years. I was single then (recently divorced) and didn't have any family or friends in AZ - no support network to help or that I could rely on. I decided to move anyway because of the climate, and to get a fresh start. I'm remarried now, so no matter where we would move my spouse and I would at least have each other if we moved somewhere where we didn't know anyone. One of the biggest things was moving to a place that was so far away from any relatives or family, so I'm familiar with that too. I've quietly thought now and then about maybe moving to Hawai'i someday (haven't mentioned it to anyone except on here) after I am out of nursing school and maybe after I've had like at least five years or so of solid experience under my belt. But that won't be for quite a while yet.... Arizona is a great place to live and work too for many reasons. The only places I wouldn't want to move to are the Snowbelt states or the South. Most other places I think I could adapt to OK, including Hawai'i.

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 · Aug 9, 2009

I have to sift through the milk at Costco. They stick the old ones in the front. I even climb into the fridge sometimes to get the fresh ones in the back. They last a long time. =)

LOL I thought I was the only one who did this (pick through the milk at Costco - I haven't actually climbed into the fridge yet). I shop at the Costco here in Arizona near where I live for the basics like milk, eggs, bread, butter, etc. and will occasionally get some meat or fish if it looks like a bargain. The milk is about half price of other places like WalMart, Safeway, etc. I wasn't aware that they have Costcos in Hawai'i..... You are correct about the local items at Costco - many of the food items they sell here are produced locally here in AZ, including things like milk and honey.

Lisa From Maui · Aug 9, 2009

Dear PC Student 2009: What block are you in? Who are your instructors for lecture? For clinicals? -- Lisa ;-)

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 · Aug 9, 2009

Actually won't be starting Block 1 until 2010 - I am now in CNA classes while I am waiting for cohort placement. The wait times here are incredible - everyone wants to go to nursing school now and there's a shortage of nursing instructors....... I hear that it's this way all over though, unless you want to pay big $$$$$ for a private school.

wyotech · Aug 28, 2009

this goes to the original post here, yes hospitals are out to make $. They complain that they are short handed, or scew the nurses they have now to have 6-7-8-9 patients each.over worked and then dont hire help for their help they have. I see several places hiring new grads. I also see, folks whinning because where they are there are no jobs. Sometimes you may need to move somehwere else. I see around here folks not wanting to drive 30-40 miles one way and never get a nurse job. or they wanna stay in a one horse town and then complain that jobs are not around. Around here the hospitals hirse new grads all the time. The reason hopsitals are short handed is because they are cheap, and dont want to hire good help. instead they will run a skeleton crew, and have quality care suffer.