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north slope work


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I am looking for some information from those with experience working the north slope jobs or any jobs in the bush that are 'two weeks on, two weeks off.' In the past I have read some posts regarding these jobs but I am unable to find them with my searches now. I am very interested in the opportunity but want some opinions on the type of experience you need to be prepared for work up there. Thanks in advance.

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  • 2 years later...

As an Alaskan who has worked on the "North Slope" I have found it to be "interesting".  The vast majority of the clinics are owned/operated by the companies and then contracted out, currently to Beacon Occupational Health Services located in Anchorage.  However the "North Slope" is not just the Oil Fields.  There is a small village/town/community called Dead Horse which has a small Post Office, General Store, Hotel etc. No permanent family dwellings here.  The PALS need is because Dead Horse is a tourist destination, mostly in the summer for people that drive up there on the Haul Road.  This means families with very small children as well as the geriatric patient and everything in between.  If there were a medical event to occur to any of the Tourists, they would be taken to the closest Clinic.  I worked at the clinic in Dead Horse which was privately owned at the time, but has since sold.  I am not sure if it remains closed or if Beacon is now operating it.   At any rate, Beacon provides the staffing for the North Slope, Fairweather, Inc in Anchorage also deploys PA's to various sites in Alaska.  HealthForce Partners based in Seattle provides rotational staffing at the Trident Akutan Seafood Plant on Akutan Island, half-way down the Aleutian Chain.  Eastern Aleutian Tribes has many clinics in the Chain that do use locums to fill in for their FT staff.  If interested the Hospitals in Bethel and Kotzebue use locums as well as PT/FT staffing.  Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage would be another good contact for remote Alaskan work.

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  • 1 year later...

Older discussion but may be helpful.  Check out Fairweathermedical.com  I've worked with them for a few years - first as a remote field PA now as Director of their medical program.  We are looking for folks with experience - 3 years in the ER or previous remote experience.  Our requirements can be a bit intimidating at first but if you can get your Alaska license and the basics - ACLS/BLS/ATLS, then the rest we can help you with.  It is exciting work but obviously not for everyone.  

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I've worked a good bit of remote sites in AK up on the slope and out in the chain with a few interior villages thrown in. It's been my experience that one must be sure of themselves and know their limits and have a very good general base of skills and knowledge to be effective up here. I can say that I'm employed as a locum by many of the previously listed organizations which all offer good employment opportunities  for those with the ability to work and think independently , yet know when to call for help. Be prepared to hold seriously injured or sick patients in your facility for hours to days due to adverse weather to include volcanic events, dodge dangerous animals, face extreme weather conditions just getting to work. Alaska locums jobs can be very rewarding personally and professionally but if you can't handle days of monotony which will be interrupted by hours of stress 24/7  without notice where the weight is on your shoulders exclusively, I suggest you look elsewhere for work.

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