Bush Nursing in AK!

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After reading some posts, I have heard the term bush nursing. That sounds fun, but I guess I would like to have some questions answered:

1. Pay scale?

2. Names of some towns, villages, ect. where these facilities/places are?

3. Hire LPNS?

4. Can you get your RN ONLINE in AK?

5. Anyone have a union carpenter hubby who can talk my hubby into moving there? :typing

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i also wanted to add, what are some of your favorite things about this whole bush nursing aspect of the AK nurse? What skills do you have to know? i guess, what the HECK is it? :imbar

Also, how is the whole in home care scene up there? do they have nurses that help take care of the newbabies born premie that get sent home with memory monitors, trachs, sx, feeding tubes, ect?? seems like the kinda place where people (natives) may have an increased risk of preterm labor.

off the wall question, dont alaskans get paid a whop sum for just living there for over a year? from the oil benefits???:typing ( i just love the little typing head!)

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Hi, I dont know too much about bush nursing but I just moved from alaska to ga last month and just wanted to let you know that there is no online RN program that I know of because I checked. The only thing I could find is a program through Excelsior University if you want to check into that. Another thing you do get funds from the oil reserves after living there for a year if you plan on staying in Alaska. In 2007 it was $1,600 I believe. I hope this helps some.

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thanks for the tip! may i ask where you lived in AK? Any recommendations? We have family in Fairbanks, looks like that may be an option somewhere down the line. I would personally like Juneau, but my hubby is a union carpenter and i guess its not strong there??? GA sounds nice too! what a climate change! LOL

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I have lived in AK for many years. In general "bush" means off the road system. If you mean small villages, communities not well served for health care, it can mean lots of different things.

Pay scale is usually similar to the lower 48 when you take cost of living into account.

Many areas of the state are expanding in population so hubby would be in demand in those areas. LP/VNs are in demand in many areas. Check out the state of Alaska website for jobs.

Alaskans are an independent crowd.Many are very much into outdoor activities. Community is very important here. In bush areas the boundaries between patients/families/staff can become blurred. You will meet your patients on a daily basis in the stores, etc. They will tell you, in public, about their health care needs and responses.

Alcoholism is a huge problem in AK so if you have any negative feelings about this disease, be forewarned. I see so many people who abuse alcohol here. The degree here is different. It is not uncommon to see blood levels of .700. Remember .08 is considered DUI!

Yes, we have payments yearly for being permanent residents of AK. Don't ever think of this as easy money. It is tough to live in AK, especially in the bush.

Like every place I know, AK needs nurses. Be prepared for great sadness if in the bush, as grief permeates life. Many people lose their lives as a result of alcohol related accidents. Bush environment is harsh and unforgiving of forgetting the basics.

I love Alaska and there is nothing in the lower 48 I have seen to match the Northern Lights, the long sunrises and sunsets, the beauty of the land and people.

I would be glad to share more if you want to email me. Come on up if I haven't scared you away:coollook:!

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thank you so much for your thoughtful response! No way have you scared me away! Although I love my Michigan, I believe that AK is the place for me. Yes, I will email you to "harass you further!" Thanks again!!!!!!

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I presently living in "Bush Alaska". Times here can be tough. Pay is well, if you use the computer to do a lot of your shopping. If you have to buy everything local then you are not making much. You have to take a lot of things into concideration. One thing is there is no way in or out of the area that you are in unless you fly or maybe a boat. If you have children, the schools are not the best. Alcohol is a HUGE issue. The place that I am at is a "damp" village. You can not buy or sell it here, but you can have it and drink it. And bo can people drink here. Weather is something else. Summers are mild, winters are very very harsh. Where I am at it is nothing for a L.P.N. to be making around $30 an hour, depending on experience. I would recommend that you check with different travel agenieces that service the bush area's. If you like it and you can handle not having things always available to do your job. Talk to the company that you are working for. They just might offer you a full time position. Remember though, if you stay in the "Bush", it is not for the money per say, as it is for the love of the work that you do. It is an experience that you will never get again.

By the way, I am 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle! Wonderful country side and wonderful people to be around. My family of 4 moved up here from Missouri.:nurse::yeah::clown:

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Specializes in Diabetes, Transplant, CCU, Neurology.

We visited Alaska a couple of years ago and here is what we were told about "bush nurses". This is generally a hospital-based nurse. He/she has access to a pilot/plane to visit people (similar to a home health nurse or in some cases, a trauma flight nurse). Many of the people there are considered American Indians, so they are entitled to government health care. Bush Nurses often are used for this purpose. I was told in 2006 that bush nurses were being paid $90-100/hr.

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We visited Alaska a couple of years ago and here is what we were told about "bush nurses". This is generally a hospital-based nurse. He/she has access to a pilot/plane to visit people (similar to a home health nurse or in some cases, a trauma flight nurse). Many of the people there are considered American Indians, so they are entitled to government health care. Bush Nurses often are used for this purpose. I was told in 2006 that bush nurses were being paid $90-100/hr.

Boy, I want to know where they are paying $90-100/hr!!!!!!!:eek:

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Moving to AK is a dream of mine, but I don't know if I am up to the reality of such a harsh life.

I do like the solitude, the freedom - mostly, I feel that I could make a difference as a nurse there, instead of keeping moribund 90 year old granma alive through another bout of pneumonia.

*sigh* I have aging parents 5 hours from here, and a husband who has no romantic notions about it at all.

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Moving to AK is a dream of mine, but I don't know if I am up to the reality of such a harsh life.

I do like the solitude, the freedom - mostly, I feel that I could make a difference as a nurse there, instead of keeping moribund 90 year old granma alive through another bout of pneumonia.

*sigh* I have aging parents 5 hours from here, and a husband who has no romantic notions about it at all.

I've just moved to SE Alaska. It's not so harsh here, temps are moderate and it's a rain forest. It's a good place to get your feet wet (no pun intended) and see how you like being up here before you move further north like the tundra or the article circle. It is beautiful here. Eagles live in my back yard and fly around here like crows back where I'm from. Pull up some pictures on the web and get your husband to look at them. Maybe he'll change his mind!

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We went to Fairbanks for our honeymoon, to see the northern lights. I think it just doesn't appeal to him - even though Anchorage is a warmer climate than we have here in the lower 48!

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