Need some answers

[nunieboy]

Hi im completely knew to this site but i've been reading a lot of posts and everyone seems to be friendly.

i am currently a student at Houston community college in tx trying to get my nursing degree. i still live with my parents and they pay for my college. thing is, i really want to move to alaska after i graduate. i was wondering if its a smart move since houston has a really big medical center and i know starting pay is $23. i was wondering a few things:

1) wat is starting pay for a nurse there

2) wat is cost of living

3) would ankorage be a good place to start?(my friend lives there and i wouldnt mind knowing somebody wen i move)

thnx for the reply=D

[JMBM]

The labor contract pay at Providence Hospital in Anchorage for a new RN with no experience is about $25/hr. Providence is the largest hospital in the state and its wage scale is probably about average. To get a feel for Anchorage costs of living, check out the website for the Anchorage Daily News, which is the largest paper in the state. Anchorage as a starting point? Depends on what you like. Over half the people in the state live in or within commuting distance of Anchorage, but that's still only about 400,000 people. Anchorage has many of the amenities (and jobs) you might expect in any small American city and its still easy to get out of town to the "real Alaska". Still, even Anchorage is a world away from Houston in terms of size, weather and geography. I'd advise taking a vacation up here to check out the land before deciding. You might find a great new home, and the worst that could happen is that you'd have a great vacation.

[NursePamela]

If you are not sure about Alaska I would definately start with Anchorage. Travel nursing is always a great way to experience anything without any long term committment - unless you want it. Since Alaska is known for the Oil industry (among others) there are several people here from Houston. The ONLY thing bad about Alaska is how far away it is from the lower 48.