PR is definitely not the place to be for nurses. There probably aren't any openings because unemployment is ridiculous here in PR and no one is hiring. My husband and I just graduated from the nursing school at the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico or "La Inter," and we are moving to Arizona next month to work there. Just to give you an idea of what nurses make here--my husband's cousin has a masters in nursing, she has been with the same hospital in Caguas for over 25 years, is the manager of her department and she makes FOURTEEN dollars an hour. Yes, $14 an hour as a manager with a masters and 25 years with the same company. I saw an ad on clasificadosonline a few weeks ago where the company wanted a nurse with a BSN, 5 years + experience and a few other crazy requirements all for a part time job with a pay of $12 an hour. That is the norm here. In Arizona, we will make around $28 to $30 an hour as new grads with associates degrees. The cost of living here is horrendous as well. Milk is $6 a gallon, produce is sky high, our electric bill is about $350 a month and that's running one window AC unit from about 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and sweating the rest of the day.
I love this island, I really do. I will miss it dearly when I leave. However, life here is just too frustrating. I seriously laughed out loud when I read adolfojp's post regarding not being able to reach the BON in PR. "Welcome to the island! :-)" sums it all up. Businesses NEVER answer their phones here. Ever. And if you have to go to a doctor's appointment, be prepared to get up at 5:30 a.m. to go sign a list, go back to your house, come back to the office at 8 a.m. and wait until about 2 or 3 p.m. to finally be seen. I'm not kidding. PR is awesome for vacation, but not to live--not when you're used to the comforts of the US. Here the power goes out for hours at least once or twice a week for no reason. It can be sunny outside, no rain or wind, and *poof* no power. Please rethink your move. Especially if you're an RN.
