robbhman

Just looking for a little info on City Of Hope in Duarte. Does anyone here work there or has heard anything? It looks like a really nice facility, and oncology is an area I'd love to expand into. (I'm a RN with 2 years of med/tele experience, and a year of inpatient psych.) I see they have an oncology Internship, which no doubt is competitive, but seems appealing. Has anyone here applied or gone through the program? I'm familiar with LA, lived there in the mid 90s, but besides all the changes that no doubt have taken place in 15 years I'm just not that familiar with Duarte. I have friends wanting me to move to the Silverlake/WeHo area, but I'm sure that would be a miserable commute, so how is it living farther out? Thanks in advance for any advice or thoughts!

Thanks for the replies! I haven't even had an interview offer yet, so who knows, but I'm doing my best to think outside the box to get myself to Hawaii. (I know, I've read all the posts about how hard it is, but if I don't at least try then for sure it will never happen. And in my experience the universe generally responds to my optimism, I just have to stay patient and alert for opportunity.) $15 less an hour worries me slobgob, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I did just find an article about how they lost a gov't contract and fired like 30 staff over the summer, which perhaps doesn't bode well for me at the moment. But I'm gonna keep looking around! (Does anyone else hate the new job search feature at Queens? What is that about?)

Just wondering if anyone works at or has heard anything about Kahi Mohala? I've applied for their adult program, although it looks like their child/adolescent program is their main focus. Is this a good facility to work at? I've heard mixed things about the neighborhoods around there, is Ewa Beach a decent place to live, or how bad would the morning commute be if we lived closer to Honolulu proper (we'd been looking at Makiki)?

Thanks for the replies! I'm not looking to move immediately (don't want to leave a good job here until I know I have another ready to go), but I'm just trying to get an idea of the pros and cons of places I'd be interested to go. Valencia seems nice, except I'm concerned that with traffic we might feel isolated up north of LA. Gotta look more into the hiking and stuff in the area. We also have friends down in West Hollywood and Silverlake areas, and they are protesting that if we move to LA we should be closer to them. lol I'm sure Palm Springs gets hot, but I'm ok with that. I lived in Singapore for a while, where it was 100 degrees with 100% humidity every day. At least Palm Springs will be dry. Arcata or Eureka seem really nice with the Redwood Forest to play in, although I worry it might be a little too rural for a city boy like me, and that the pay might be a little low, although I'm sure the cost of living is much lower to correlate.

I'm a nurse with two years experience working in Washington DC, working a bit of med/surg (tele) and also an inpatient psych unit. Not sure what kind of nurse I want to be when I grow up yet, but I'm having fun trying different things. I've been on the east coast for a while now, but I'm ready to return to my California roots, however I don't really relish the idea of returning to LA proper. So I'm looking around the state for a nice place to stay for a few years, and am hoping someone might have some insight to share. I have an aunt near Palm Springs, and thought that might be a nice place to go. Then I heard someone extolling the virtues of Valencia. Finally I have a daydream of living in the Redwood forest of Humboldt county, although I'm a little scared of the rain. (I'm coming back to California mainly because I am SICK AND TIRED of these east coast winters. Snow sucks! lol) I know these three cities are pretty different, and there isn't really anything specific I'm looking for. I'm a bit of a gypsy and love trying new things. I'm just hoping someone who lives in or knows these areas might want to let me know what their experience has been as a working RN. Any hospitals to recommend? Neighborhoods to avoid? Is traffic a major concern in Valencia? I'm sure pay in Palm Springs would be higher than in Arcata, but do you feel your salary matches the cost of living in the area? (I think I'm slightly underpaid here in DC considering the high cost of living, $27 an hour before differentials, average 2 bedroom runs about $1600 a month rent, but I love the city and REALLY love my hospital, so its been worth it.) Thanks for your help!

Georgetown has a terrific team of recruiters, they certainly did everything they could to make my transition here seamless. I went to the new grad day a year and a half ago, and sure am glad I decided to stay at Georgetown. Just remember to ask questions when you interview with managers to find the unit that is the best fit. Also don't be afraid to ask for more interviews - when the floor I was looking at seemed not to have many open spots, the manager suggested another floor to me which turned out to be the best option. I seem to remember that floors like L&D had some 50 people interviewing, while the stepdown unit I ended up on had two of us.

So what did you find out? I'm very interested in this program.

I was wondering if I'd have to start on nights. I'm not terribly keen on that, I am definitely a creature of the sun, but working nights has its perks too I guess, at least in the beginning. The hard part will be my partner will still be on day shift, and I'm sure that will get old fast. But there are worse things I suppose. We would prefer to live in Kailua, but we are only bringing one car across, and it would be nice to be close enough to walk or even bus if I had to. I know there is a bus that goes across, although I feel like that would be a bummer to wait for after a 12 hour shift. So no day parking at Queens huh? That sucks. Guess there are garages in the area? Bet that costs and arm and a leg. Doubt I'm eligible for the sign on bonus. I got a federal scholarship for school so I already have a two year committment at a (any) hospital, and can't take any bonuses that require an additional time committment. Which sucks, cause it will be expensive to move to HI, but then again it was a great scholarship so I guess I can't complain. Tell me more about Straub. You just started as a new grad, didn't you? How well is the transition going for you? Do you work with a preceptor? And thanks again for taking the time to answer all my questions. You guys rock! Robb

I don't think you will have any problems in Alb or Santa Fe. I'm still a nursing student, and there have been lesbians on several of the floors I've done rotations on, and it wasn't ever an issue. This is a great area to travel to. Lots of great hiking and camping.

Hey there, thanks for your thoughts. I had seen the Queens site, which offers a lot of info. I just didn't want to discount a potential good employer just because they weren't as tech savvy, because I haven't been able to find comparable info on any other hospitals in the area. And I didn't know that about St. Francis. But I'm still crossing my fingers someone who actually works on a Med/Surg floor will read this and share what they recommend. What about Kailua? I seem to remember passing a hospital over there, but I don't remember the name. Is that worth looking at? Living over there might be more expensive, but with a bit of luck finding a place I could see it being worth it to get away from Waikiki. Thanks!

Hey everyone - I will graduate with my BSN in May (this is a second degree), and my partner and I have decided now is the time to finally move to Hawaii. We've lived in both Singapore and Taiwan, so we know we love tropical islands, and after three years in Albuquerque I am sure tired of being land-locked! I'm trying to figure out which hospital in/near Honolulu has the best program for new grads. Queens seems to have a good rep based on other threads I've read. What about Hawaii Pacific Health or St. Francis? Are there others I'm missing? I've been to Oahu before, so have an idea of the lay of the land, but it is still a bit intimidating trying to find employment from so far away. Does anyone have any idea what the patient/nurse ratios would be on a general Med/Surg floor? Does anyone here actually work on a M/S floor they'd recommend? There is always the temptation to start on a ICU to get a longer orientation, but I think my career would be better served by starting on a general floor before specializing. I guess that is a debate for another thread though. Anyway, I'd sure appreciate any and all advice. Thanks in advance! Robb