Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Is it easy to find a job as a nurse in the pasific? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
all_viking 22:37 UTC 05 Jan 2010 | Hi I'm a nurse from Denmark and I want to work as a nurse somewhere in the Passific, for ½-1 year. I have searched the internet and I find only job sites, when you klick on them it just goes on and on, in the end there isn't any or you have to pay, and I doubt that they are very good. I guess more than a few have those thoughts, so i guess it's pretty hard. So do anyone have any experience with that? Islands to reccomend? Viking |
5waldos 23:57 UTC 05 Jan 2010 | I would suggest contacting the hospitals directly. I don't know anything about the South Pacific but in the north Pacific there is Palau, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia (although unless things have changed a lot, I would avoid Chuuk). The pay scales would be local, and thus quite low compared to what you have experienced I suspect. Most of the nurses are either local or from Fiji or other of the islands. You could probably go through the government web sites- the Department of Health or Public Health. Hope this helps some. Others will know more about the more southern islands. | 1
thecatalyst 08:59 UTC 06 Jan 2010 | I worked in Palau for 3 and a half years as a journalist and has covered public health. Although there are some nurses from outside, it is limited in numbers because they have good program for nursing aid courses at the only community college in there besides the government prefers hiring from the Philippines because it costs them less. They may hire you if you are not choosy on the salary rate. I won't make any guess but I can tell you it's too low. The environment is clean, pristine waters, safe, and all that. You will surely love that place. Good to see you there! I advise you to avoid applying to Saipan, CNMI. I also covered for a year there in the commonwealth health center.The state of public health there, as far as hiring is concerned, is highly deplorable, (although they have better facilities and perhaps services rendered compared to Palau). This is not an accusation or speculation. It is a public knowledge and the government publicly laments this situation. Here is an article I wrote during a conference of Pacific nurses recently in Saipan wherein they discussed thoroughly the problems that they are currently encountering, including the shortage of nurses in the Region and hiring issues. | 2
papamike 19:39 UTC 06 Jan 2010 | I would think a qualified nurse would have little difficulty working in the South Pacific. You may want to E-Mail public health in Cook Islands, Fiji or Tahiti for more information. Stay away from those ads for web sites promising job opportunities after paying a fee. Most island nations have restrictions on visitors seeking employment, but key jobs for which there is a shortage, like nursing and teaching are often exempted from these restrictions. Good luck. Papa Mike | 3
Laszlo 00:42 UTC 08 Jan 2010 | Off-topic to 5Waldos: Is Chuuk really THAT bad? | 4
ozziegiraffe 12:15 UTC 22 Jan 2010 | You could also contact a volunteer organisation like VSO (UK based, but taking EU volunteers). Generally their allowances and conditions are as good as, or better than, the local salary, and you would have the organisation's support. | 5