Hiring freeze with State of Alaska public health nurses

[SiwanRN]

It's been a secret daydream of mine to one day work as an itinerant public health nurse with the state of Alaska. While I work to save up money for a move, I'll browse the job boards with the state health and human services website once in awhile to see what regions are hiring. The last time I looked it appears there is a hiring freeze and no public health nurse positions have been posted in some time. Does anybody on the board here work as a public health nurse in Alaska? Could you shed some light on the hiring freeze and how it has impacted your work? Might it be lifted in the foreseeable future or does it look like it's going to be a long haul freeze?

[MP3310]

Though I'm a nurse in the "lower 48" I was never an RN in Alaska when I was living up there for a number of years. However... I still have family there and keep in touch with the community. They were not nearly as hard hit during the economy dip like much of the country, however, with oil prices dropping it's currently reflecting state budget cuts. If you watch the oil market I'm guessing you'll be able to correlate when/if the state puts investments in public anything. I have heard the Native Hospital (Anchorage) there is an excellent place to work and it may be a good place to start if you're heading into public health?? Also, Sitka area is up and coming and I think has a pretty solid community aspect, but that's just what I've read and heard. Good luck! I'll be up there this summer :)