Dear Prospective Candidate,
The market here is small and somewhat seasonal. There is never wild demand, and by the time late spring and summer come, there are far more nurses looking than there are jobs available. There are a number of factors to consider:
- The hospitals in Anchorage and Fairbanks have exclusive agreements with various staffing agencies, allowing them to control costs and pay lower wages.
- A number of agencies will use Alaska as bait, but when the time comes, “Well, gee, nothing right now. How about Modesto?”
- If you do not have a license in your hand, it is very tough to compete. There are 1,700 Alaska licensed nurses who live out of state, 90% of which are travelers or would-be travelers.
- The Alaska State License costs over $400 for 2 years, taking 2-3 weeks to obtain. Alaska is the only state in the union without a sales or state income tax. That means user and license fees are one of the few ways the state can raise money.
For information on obtaining an Alaska nursing license go to:
https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing.aspx
**Note: Fingerprint Card required is FBI Form FD-258 "Blue Applicant Card." You can request these directly from the state of Alaska or you can get them at most fingerprinting locations.
- Wages are respectable but not spectacular. Wages for RN’s run in the high 20’s to the mid 30’s. A common therapist’s wages run from mid 30’s to low 40’s. Can you make more elsewhere? Sure.
- “I have to make $40 an hour." "I have kids in college and a mortgage.” That cuts no ice with the hospitals, as a nurse’s financial position has no bearing on what he or she is worth. In fact, they sometimes get a bit nervous if money comes up as an issue. What will stop you from going elsewhere for a buck more?
- Overtime is available, but never guaranteed. On the flipside, I have eight nurses and therapists in Kotzebue and after 8 weeks, they are averaging 50 hours per week. None of this is guaranteed, but they get it every week and they are clearing around $1,500.
- It is harder to place a temp if they have “baggage”: “I’ll only work days. Oh, and I travel with my husband and two kids. And, while we are talking, I don’t float. I am straight ER and that’s all I am willing to do.”
- “I won’t share housing.” That can be tough to work around as in many of the smaller towns, every available apartment is rented and that is it. You can’t just drive another 20 or 30 miles to another town and look for a place because there are not any to be had, and the situation is far worse in the summer.
- Pets are also a real issue. Many of these towns are small and if the landlord says no pets, then there are not any options.
- “I only want to work short assignments." Most, if not all, of my calls are for 13 weeks minimum. The only exceptions are around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, or if the employee has worked at the facility before. It is very rare for someone to get a 4-6 week deal the first time.
- There is demand for some specialties, but not all. I receive few calls for Med-Surg or LTC, but have steady needs for ER, ICU and OR; and L&D is always hot. The hospitals I deal with are small, often not having some of the more specialized units, such as Peds units. For example, I need L&D that can float to other units and do Mother/Baby at the same time. Several of the hospitals I work with have fewer than 100 deliveries a year, making it hard to justify nine full-time L&D nurses that only do L&D. However, the hospitals must have them on staff to keep JAHCO certified.
- Many of the LTC and M-S jobs are out in the boondocks. The bigger hospitals and those on the road system have no trouble staffing these positions in the summer so if you want to come to Alaska, you may have to look at coming in the fall or winter or going out in the Bush.
- Finally, many nurses get into positions and just stay there. It is not at all uncommon for a traveler to stay 6-9 even 12 months at a hospital. That means the positions do not become available as often as you would think, making it tough if you are only looking to come in the summer.
How’s that? That’s the bad news… The good news... If you’re serious, if you plan ahead, if you are flexible, yes, you can find an assignment here and Alaska is like no place on earth.
Jim Wilke
Managing Partner
(Tele) 907-336-8596
(Fax) 907-336-8596
(Cell) 907-242-7022
4710 Business Park Blvd., Ste. 18
Anchorage, AK 99503
Tel: (907) 336-8595
Fax: (907) 336-8596
