new grad moving to AK

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Hi all!

I am currently in nursing school looking to move to Anchorage after I graduate. I was wondering if anyone knew of job availability, and how easy it would be to get a job. I would like to end up in the NICU or something to deal with kids, but I would be willing to take a different job for a year or so to get some experience. Does anyone know of any good new grad programs?!? or any other suggestions??

thanks :)

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Hi Adventure11,

I am also graduating this spring and plan to move to the Fairbanks area this summer. I'm hoping the job market there has openings for newly licensed RN's. I hope we can gain some insight into the Alaskan RN job market on this site!! Good luck in your job search!

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Specializes in SN, LTC, REHAB, HH.
Hi Adventure11,

I am also graduating this spring and plan to move to the Fairbanks area this summer. I'm hoping the job market there has openings for newly licensed RN's. I hope we can gain some insight into the Alaskan RN job market on this site!! Good luck in your job search!

i would like to know how the job market is for nurses in alaska. with alaska being so little populated, i'm wondering is there more nurses than there are jobs. a HUGE state but not enough people live there.

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here is a listing of alaska hospitals that might be helpful.

good luck in your future career.

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Specializes in Labor/Delivery/Postpartum/GYN.

Hi all, I live in Alaska and am graduating from nursing school in December in FAIRBANKS. From what I have heard, Anchorage nurses are having trouble finding jobs in the hospitals. The problem with Alaska is that we are sporificely populated with only 4 major hospitals in the state: Fairbanks Memorial Hospital-Fairbanks, Providence Hospital(largest)-Anchorage, Alaska Native Medical Center-Anchorage, Providence of the Matorificeka Valley-serving Wasilla, Palmer, and surrounding areas. And, many Fairbanks patients get sent to Anchorage, while many Anchorage patients get sent to Seattle. Anchorage graduates close to 100 RN's a year, while Fairbanks only graduates maximum 16/year and another, probably, 25 students in other outreach sites (Juneau, Matorificeka-Valley, Ketchikan, Kotzebue to name a few). That is quite a few new grads every year and most want an acute setting job for the experience. With so few hospitals to choose from, I can see it could be hard to find a job now. And a lot of residents go outside for college and come home to work. Being from Fairbanks and just having watched the previous class pass NCLEX and get jobs, I know Fairbanks RN's are not having trouble getting jobs. 15 of the 16 new grads secured jobs at our local hospital on many floors including medical, surgical, pediatrics, and ER. That was everyone who applied. However, in Alaska and most places, the NICU is reserved for experienced nurses and those units have a very low turnover. In Fairbanks, the last nursery/NICU nurse was hired 2 year ago and the one before that was 6 years ago. But fairbanks sends its most critacal newborns to Anchorage or Seattle. Also, the ICU is next to impossible to get in to as a new grad. So hard, I will spend one year at my local hospital for experience, and then I will be moving outside to look for an ICU position as I want to pursue anesthesia and it requires ICU experience. The highest turnover units are med-surg. Long term care and clinics are also options and there are many of those. Also, Alaska RN's make a decent wage almost anywhere they work. The average for a new grad is about $26-$28/hr and the schedules vary from working 3 12 hr shifts to 5 8 hr shifts and everything in between. Keep in mind that Alaska does have a higher cost of living than most other states. I hope at least some of this information has been helpful and good luck to all of you coming to this great state. Hope you're ready to freeze (was between 30 below and 50 below for 2 months this winter in Fairbanks!)

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Specializes in Labor/Delivery/Postpartum/GYN.

I failed to mention Alaska Regional Hospital serves Anchorage

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Hi all, I live in Alaska and am graduating from nursing school in December in FAIRBANKS. From what I have heard, Anchorage nurses are having trouble finding jobs in the hospitals. The problem with Alaska is that we are sporificely populated with only 4 major hospitals in the state: Fairbanks Memorial Hospital-Fairbanks, Providence Hospital(largest)-Anchorage, Alaska Native Medical Center-Anchorage, Providence of the Matorificeka Valley-serving Wasilla, Palmer, and surrounding areas. And, many Fairbanks patients get sent to Anchorage, while many Anchorage patients get sent to Seattle. Anchorage graduates close to 100 RN's a year, while Fairbanks only graduates maximum 16/year and another, probably, 25 students in other outreach sites (Juneau, Matorificeka-Valley, Ketchikan, Kotzebue to name a few). That is quite a few new grads every year and most want an acute setting job for the experience. With so few hospitals to choose from, I can see it could be hard to find a job now. And a lot of residents go outside for college and come home to work. Being from Fairbanks and just having watched the previous class pass NCLEX and get jobs, I know Fairbanks RN's are not having trouble getting jobs. 15 of the 16 new grads secured jobs at our local hospital on many floors including medical, surgical, pediatrics, and ER. That was everyone who applied. However, in Alaska and most places, the NICU is reserved for experienced nurses and those units have a very low turnover. In Fairbanks, the last nursery/NICU nurse was hired 2 year ago and the one before that was 6 years ago. But fairbanks sends its most critacal newborns to Anchorage or Seattle. Also, the ICU is next to impossible to get in to as a new grad. So hard, I will spend one year at my local hospital for experience, and then I will be moving outside to look for an ICU position as I want to pursue anesthesia and it requires ICU experience. The highest turnover units are med-surg. Long term care and clinics are also options and there are many of those. Also, Alaska RN's make a decent wage almost anywhere they work. The average for a new grad is about $26-$28/hr and the schedules vary from working 3 12 hr shifts to 5 8 hr shifts and everything in between. Keep in mind that Alaska does have a higher cost of living than most other states. I hope at least some of this information has been helpful and good luck to all of you coming to this great state. Hope you're ready to freeze (was between 30 below and 50 below for 2 months this winter in Fairbanks!)

Thank you very much. Great read and very informative for a new grad from CA who is looking at Alaska to start RN career.

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Anchorage is not an easy place for a new grad to find work. There are approx. 80 nurses (RN) graduating from UAA every 4 months.. that's not including LPN programs or other bridge programs in other towns. For a city of 300,000 people that's a lot of new nurses.

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well i to am in a program, but i will wait a extra year after i graduate so i can get icu exp. I have a hospital here that will allow me to start in pediatrics. After i get 1 yr exp, i also have a agency that will pay 6 figures for me to go to Alaska, or Hawaii. So i will be patient, but i cant wait. I have a freind in Alaska allready with the same agency and says its tough but he likes it there and the pay is awsome.

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Have you looked in Juneau?

I lived on an island in Southeast AK for about a year. The small clinic there was always in need of nurses. It was a town of about 3k-5k people so, no need for an icu nurse.

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I have found 2 agencies that hire Rns with one -2 years exp in ICU setting, and hire for Alaska. They pay in the 6 digit figure. My buddy was a graduate a few years ago and landed a jobthrough a paticular agency, and is working in Alaska for huge amounts of money. He said he can get me on when i graduate and get a yr exp in icu, which i can have since i have People lol in certain places. Anyway good luck to all.

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i live in fairbanks and agree with the previous posting regarding ICU or NICU jobs, they r not available, with the economy as poor as it is many people r turning their eyes northward believing there is easy money to be had. my hubby and i have lived here for 5 years now, it costs at least 3X as much to live here than it costs to live in the lower 48. fuel costs are high, food..$3.00 for a red bell pepper, .79-1.49 for a single ear of corn, and u must plug ur car in every night for months. if u have more than 1 cAR... gas is over 3 dollars a gallon still, it adds up quickly, so in addition to heating, usually with oil, (power costs which r tied into the price of oil as well,) my point ..research it well, come here in jan or feb 4 vacation. if there were huge amounts of money to be made here would not everyone be clamoring to move here?

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