So I got a job offer to work in the US Virgin Islands....

[charlottenian]

As I am in the midst of my residency training a personal friend of mine wanted to recruit me to St. Thomas in USVI.... Well it turns out that the hospital wants to set up a hospitalist program (where a physician only works in the hospital and takes care of the patient's that belong to outpatient doctors) and would like someone to start it / staff it. They plan on doing this next year which is when my residency training ends. I have been invited for a two week orientation in the fall, my work schedule would be 15 days on and 15 days off and the hospital would be pay for me to fly home to Charlotte once a month (about a 3.5 hour flight). I really do not see many negatives in the deal, I have lived in the Cayman Islands before and St. Thomas seems pretty developed. Anyone have any kind of living experience in the USVI?

[dimbee]

No idea, but good luck!!

[Ja Rhule]

St Thomas is like a Ghetto area outside tourist zone. I remember the ride from Airport to a hotel I stayed in. I was like wow... Nothing Virgin about this place... Tourist zone is alright but if you gonna live there, you'll have to grocery shop locally. You'll be the only light boy out there and people will look at you funny (you'll be minority). Food overthere is dirt cheap, you can buy a bottle of vodka for like $7. St John is 20min boat ride and that place is great, for rich folks you know.

[Davidson Deac II]

Charlotte amalie was a fairly dangerous area outside of the tourist areas. But probably no worse than any other city.

But I was able to buy a Long Island Iced Tea at an Arby's at 10 am on a Saturday.

[Skew]

Lmao

[Happy Panther]

St. Thomas is nothing like Cayman

If you are single or married with no kids then it could be fun.

[SgtJoo]

All I know about the Virgin Islands is that Ludacris mentions it in Pimpin' All Over the World.

[Darth Urious]

St. Thomas is cool, but St. John is better...

I'm not of the "it is dangerous outside the tourist area" crowd... It is just more underdeveloped than the US...

If you want to see dangerous, go to the Dominican Republic... It is a thousand times worse than any of the VI...

[Squirrel]

I actually just researched moving to St Croix last week. Here is a good site to check out with alot of people willing to give you good info.

vimovingcenter.com

Check out the messageboard.

[Epistaxis]

No kids....great plan.

Kids....finding the charter school/American school might be a challenge.

Hospitalist work is the wave of the future, wouldn't be surprised if we all end up corporate/government tools in the not-too-distant future.

Shift work is a sweet deal, and the pay is much better than most private internists make.

Only downside is the lack of autonomy, but most ignore that once they see the schedule and paycheck.

Depending on my family situation, I say go for it.

Could be cool.

All the fun of "medical college of the caribbean", none of the professional stigma.

[Darth Urious]

We actually ran into a teenage girl that lived on a houseboat with her family there at the time... She was home schooled, but talked about how awesome it was. Basically, when she wasn't helping upkeep their nice boat or homeschooling, she was roaming the island on her own.

I think you can be pretty sure a place is safe if a 17 year old blonde-headed white girl can roam about care free... (before you cry race, I'm more so referring to Natalie Holloway)

[The Saltman]

That would be a dream job if u are single. Go for it. Just make sure u dont wear those red shoes u bought.

[Davidson Deac II]

I spent some time in Charlotte Amalie while I was in the Navy, and it does have a high crime rate, compared to other cities its size. I was on Shore Patrol several times while I was there, and there are certain areas you should avoid. Of course, thats no different from most other towns and cities. Fortunately, most of the crime was of the non violent nature.

Crime on the other Islands in the Chain is virtually non existent.