Not a nursing question but....

[smurfynursey]

I have heard that the average amount of time people live in Alaska is 5 years. Is that true? Is it hard to get used to having neighbors changing all the times (I heard this for the first time when I was 8 and thats how I thought of it haha). Is it hard to get used to the dark winters? Is there a high incidence of SAD with the darkness for such a big portion of the year? Do y'all like living up there? I have been twice (last time was when I was 13) and it seemed like a "nice place to visit, don't want to live here" sort of place. So gorgous tho! I would love to do a travel assignment for the summer :)

[jenndavis]

I lived in Alaska for three years, but that was just due to the military. If my husband and I had our way we would have stayed. We were stationed in Fairbanks. I know quite a few people that moved to Alaska for job positions and say that wish they had moved sooner. I had three winters there due to the time we moved, and it was cold. The coldest it ever got was about -50. If you are closer to the coast, like in Anchorage it is a bit warmer. I didn't have much difficulty with the dark winters. Fairbanks always had something going on to keep people active. It was also important to have a good group of friends and some craft projects. They do have plenty of SAD lamps for purchase. I know my place of employment, Basset Army hospital had "special" lights in the building to help as well. I think the summers took more getting used to. The continuous day light really jacked with my sleep. Blackout curtains were important as well as keeping an eye on your watch when it came close to bed time. The people up there are amazing and I look forward to making it back one day.

[missnurse01, MSN, RN]

we are in WA state and have lots of people that either lived there for a time, or pt's that come down for hospital treatment not available in the area. Everyone usually says great things about living there. good luck