Anchorage area hospitals

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Can anyone comment on the culture, pay, benefits etc. of any of the Anchorage area hospitals (Alaska Regional, Providence, and Alaska Native)? My husband and I are planning on moving there in October 2020. I will have 2.5 years experience as an ICU RN by that time. Thank you!

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Specializes in ICU, ER, International Disaster Response, PACU.

Hey COMountaineer88!

I see this thread is a little old-- are you still planning to move to AK in October 2020? If so, I'm not the best source of info, but I'll tell you what I know!

I've worked the last year at a rural critical access ER in the bush, and I'm starting a job at Providence Anchorage in about a month. What I know about each hospital is from an outsider perspective, but here it goes!

1) Providence: the only Level 1 trauma hospital in the state, about 400 beds. Because it's the only Level 1, almost all of our patient transfers go there. If someone has a medical emergency in the bush, we stabilize them, then life flight them to Providence-- unless they are a Native and are not extremely ill or injured. Then we fly them to Alaska Native. Therefore, at Prov you will have the highest patient acuity, and I believe also specialized ICUs. Whenever I've spoken to them in report, they have been excellent, and they have a good reputation. As far as pay, Google "PAMC Collective Bargaining Agreement", and scroll down to almost the last page. There you will find the salary scale by experience. They are reported to be the best paying hospital in Anchorage, but I don't know if that's true or not.

2) Alaska Regional

An HCA hospital-- and the one I hear the least about! Probably because PAMC and ANMC are the two main hospitals we transfer to. I think it's about 100-200 beds, and would assume lower acuity, as all the very critical or difficult cases end up at PAMC. Probably lower stress, but also fewer learning opportunities.

3) Alaska Native

Beautiful inside! There are cultural exhibits all through the hospital! As the name implies, it serves only Native patients. Because of this, as I hear from an ER nurse who works there (staff are all races), it is an interesting cultural opportunity, but hard to always see a lot of the rampant issues, especially surrounding drug/alcohol/sexual abuse. The staff is very unified, I hear, and I've also been told it may be a little slower pace than some hospitals. The most critical cases, or high level trauma, still go to Providence.

I've heard from a nurse that has worked at all of them, that they are all pretty good and there's not one to avoid. I hope that helped a little! Good luck!!

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Did you ever move to AK? I am interested in moving back to AK and getting a nursing job in the Anchorage/Wasilla area.  

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Specializes in ICU, ER, International Disaster Response, PACU.

Hi Akn8ive!

I know you were talking to the original poster, but since I last posted the above comment 4-5 years ago, I have since worked at both Providence Anchorage as well as Mat Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer. They are both excellent. MSRMC might possibly be my favorite hospital I've ever worked at (and I've worked at a lot!) Pay is great at both, compared to the lower 48, but PAMC is higher due to being a union facility. I was PRN at both with 8-9 yrs experience; at MSRMC I think it was about $54/hr which included a 15% differential for being PRN (so if I was FT or PT with benefits it would have been around $47/hr). PAMC was $55/hr (but they since increased their pay scales, so now I think they are around $60 for PRN with experience— but you can reference the collective bargaining unit available online to find the pay scale you would fit in ).

I love the close knit staff at MSRMC. It has around 120 beds, so small enough to know most people, but large enough to be current and not too cliquey. The acuity isn't as high as PAMC, but you will still have your share of very sick pts in the ICU! Overall a much more chill atmosphere than PAMC, even on busy days. I loved my team. An advantage of PAMC, though, is that, being union, you get a 30 min lunch and three 15 min breaks per 12 hr shift! We would often combine one of the 15's with lunch to have a 45 min lunch, and then a morning and afternoon break. Very nice! I heard rumor that not all units had break nurses, but ours always did and we always got our breaks. 

I would go back to work for either in a heartbeat. I'm in the lower 48 finishing my NP right now after 5 years in AK, but I would definitely come back and work at either. Also I still have a goal to work at Alaska Native Medical Center— it's a really neat place! Hope that helps! :)

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Thank you so much for replying! I started doing some research and so many nurses were complaining about the hospitals I was getting worried about moving back.  I'm definitely interested in moving to the valley as I love to hike.  MSRMC was one of the hospitals I wanted to check out.  

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Specializes in ICU, ER, International Disaster Response, PACU.

You're welcome! People love to complain no matter where they are it seems like, haha! 😂 When I lived in Anchorage and worked at Prov, I would hear people call Mat Su Regional "Death Valley" and it made me afraid to work there! I'm so glad I didn't listen to their advice and gave them a chance— one of the best jobs of my life, and some of the most safe and competent staff. Good luck to you! I hope you find a job there that you love and thrive being back in your home state!

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