jerrycRN

i dont know about that..had a call-in position at queens as a cna..an a call-in position at hmc-east as a psa during nursing school...and neither of them offered me a job...but i aint h8tin..got a great rn position at a magnet bay are hospital..but still wanna return back home

getting your foot in the door is also not enough.. i worked at queens as an aide and hmc as a tech even before nursing school..and i still couldnt land a job in either place..i even applied to nursing homes i.e. ann pearl, oahu care facility, etc. etc. etc... but im grateful to find a job in a well known hospital in the mainland..n hopefully i can bring the experience back when i return to HI.. my advice..pretty much look everywhere n anywhere in the country that is willing to hire new grads..the longer you wait the harder it is to get into a new grad program..also the military is not a bad option..

Thanks Lisa for the advice..I'm actually here in Hawaii for a little R and R and vacation..Being home for a short time makes me miss everything I loved about Hawaii...My plan was to actually work in the mainland for 3 years and I truly hope and pray that there will be opportunities in the future for nurses...cause I really would like to come back permanentely..

thanks for the advice....but i was wondering, for all you O.R. nurses have you had prior med./surg. experience before working in the O.R.?

Hey thanks for all the advice...im pretty much stuck here for the next two years because i've commited myself for two years because of the training the hospital provided me...i think its starting to look like a 3 year plan (i recently bought a car here)...but hopefully the job market will turn around in a couple of years so that i can return back home...

So I've been a pediatric nurse for almost six months, and even though I love it, my passion out of nursing school was to become an O.R. nurse. I was wondering, what steps or classes I need to take to become an O.R. nurse? And for you O.R. nurses, do y'all have side jobs on the floor? Thanks

Born and raised in HI, I made the difficult decision to move out of the islands to pursue my nursing career and now I've been working at a great hospital in the area I've always wanted to work in, pediatrics. Though I love working where I'm at, I still feel very, very homesick. My intention was to always comeback home, but I'm not too sure the amount of experience I need to make myself marketable as an "experienced" nurse. I've heard six months? a year? two years? I've also heard that well experienced nurses are having hard time to find jobs in HI. Also, i was wondering what is the current job rate in HI. Thanks.

I love and grateful to be working at LPCH. It's a great place to learn. As for my essays, my short answers were about a quarter of a page long and my main essay was a page long double spaced. The CVICU is a relatively new unit (and nice) so I would think they would be hiring more new grads. I also noticed that in my versant class, there seems to be more CVICU, PICU, and Onc/Hem. new grads. hope that helped. good luck. btw, what school did you grad from?

I graduated from UHM with a cumlative gpa of 3.4 with so-so grades during nursing school and yes it was very competitive out of 300 applicants only 20 or so of us made it through the program. It also depends on the type of unit you apply for. you are only allowed to select two units. I applied for a med./surg. type of unit. Whereas, NICU, PICU, L/D you would expect a lot of applicants. In my opinion they look at the total package from grades to your essay and the interview. My advice is to apply early and follow-up often...good luck with your job search...

yea i agree..i was placed on the alternate/ waiting list at KCC, but was accepted at UHM..

UHM/ Lucile Packard Children's Hospital

The upside was that I was able to get into the UHM Nursing Program with a 3.7 g.p.a and 92% on NET. I was also wait-listed. Also I heard they are taking in more students now. The downside is that I heard there were even more applicants because of the economy. Seems like everyone wants to get into healthcare because no matter how bad the economy is, there will always be sick people. good luck though.

that's a correct assumption. there are many new grads from hawaii (ahem..myself) who are forced to leave the islands to pursue career opportunities in the mainland and there are some new grads who are working as lpns and nas hoping that its their "foot" into a hospital.

First of congratulations on getting your R.N. license. Secondly, most nurses say that its a good idea to start off in an acute care setting (i.e. med/surg.) then specialize after a year or two of experience. I also learned that most outpatient clinics won't hire "new grads" they either want experience or if you can get "hooked up." Also, now is not the time to be too picky on where you want to start off at. There are a lot of new grads who would basically take any R.N. position that is offered to them.

yea..gonna have to agree with your teachers..for several months i've been tryin to find a job as a nurse in hawaii from hospitals to nursing homes to even home health...i did a couple of flu clinics..then made the difficult decision to move to the mainland...within two weeks I was fortunate to get into a new grad program...my advice is go elsewhere..fulfill your commitment (at least a year)..then move to hawaii..good luck...

hey im a new grad from hawaii too..just moved here a couple of weeks ago..anyways..i believe the next new grad programs begin in the summer (i.e. regional medical center-san jose, good samaritan hospital- san jose, and the va at palo alto). some hospitals you may want to check up on are el camino hospital, o'connor hospital, valley medical center, john muir, washington, st. rose...(yea theres a lot compared to hawaii :wink2:) well good luck in your search...

first of all just wanted to say congrats on almost graduating..secondly, its tough for new grads to get jobs in hawaii..from what I heard there are still new grads from a year ago who have a hard time finding work in a hospital...but good luck on your search...

Don't want to be a "stick in the mud.." but I spoke with Leilani, the nurse recruiter at HPH, and she said she does not know when the next new grad program going to start. Plus, a couple of my classmates, who I graduated with and who did the EPIC trainer position in the fall, said that their new grad program started in january. Therefore, I highly doubt that they would have another new grad program to start in february. well that's my thinking..but good luck..

I just graduated in Spring 2008, and I'm planning on moving to the mainland to look for new grad positions. Like many others born and raised in Hawaii, I was hoping to find a position in Hawaii as soon as I graduated. I guess its just the timing with the depleting economy and the financial troubles with HMC. As much as I want to stay in Hawaii, where all my friends and family are, there is more opportunities in the mainland. For those who do not want to leave Hawaii, think of it as the out of state college experience you never had (this is my approach on it). Get your 2-3 years of experience, then check out for any positions that open up at home (hopefully once the economy start to pick up). Give yourself a year, and if things don't work out, you can always comeback home. So I just wanted to say is good luck to all you new grads and to all future new grads. HANG in there..HANG tough...n...HANG LOOSE!!:nuke: