Nursing on the northern slopes? (Anchorage, Ketchikan: loan, school, cost)

[andywire]

Hello, I'm a nursing student in Michigan. When I get done with school, I would like to move to Alaska... My folks think I'm crazy! Anyways, I was wondering if they station nurses out in the slopes like they do every other profession. My intention is to call Alaska my home, as I intend to become a resident. Maybe it is crazy, but I have fond memories of my winters up north. I'm know winter in Alaska is a whole other ball game, but I'm willing to tough it out. I would appreciate any help regarding this topic. Thanks.

[MeganAK]

Andywire, As a new grad, you will have a few more opportunities in Alaska than maybe elsewhere, but you may have to take what you can get initially. There are many rural hospitals that will accept new grads, and if you work at an Indian Helath Service facility, you will also have the option of applying for loan repayment, which can be significant. Do your homework and make sure you know what you are getting into. Different regions offer different benefits and they can be very different. Bethel, Barrow, Dillingham, Kotzebue, Nome, Ketchikan, and Sitka are some of the places we looked at going to when I was a new grad. When I was looking three years ago, things were very different than they are now in terms of which community had the most to offer financially, socially, recreationally, etc. Call and talk with the nurse managers/recruiters. They will tell you how they feel about hiring new grads. Right now, the economy is affecting rural ALaska in that more people from out of state are applying for permanent positions. In Nome, we used to have many more open positions than we do now. But we are still hiring and still hiring new grads. The closest you could probably get to the North Slope as a Nurse would be Barrow. I am not absolutely certain, but I believe that right now, the best benefits, housing, pay, etc, would be found in Bethel and Kotzebue. Nome, Dillingham, Ketchikan do not offer housing stipends, which hurts your pocketbook quite a bit. We have had a few people in the last year leave to go to either Bethel or Kotzebue for better opportunity and pay. Just do your homework and talk to local people at the hospitals. You should be able to make it work. Good luck!

[andywire]

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually thinking of coming up there for the summer break to test the waters. I'm hoping to get a job there in a hospital as a temporary aid, since I will have med surg 1 completed in about 4 weeks. I've just been applying to different locations around Anchorage. Some require that you be certified as a CNA, but hopefully I can find a place that will take me. I just can't get to attached, seeing as how I will have to go back to Michigan when all is said and done! I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I can find a place that will take me in for awhile. It certainly would cost me a bit of money to come up there and all, but it would be a good way to see if I really do want to move to Alaska when I'm done with school.

[MeganAK]

Great idea!!