Newly Graduated Nurses to Join Southeast Health Care Industry Workforce

Five members of the class of seven have been offered jobs at Bartlett Hospital.

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: December 17, 2007

UAS, UAA, and Bartlett Hospital held a pinning ceremony for graduates of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at 2 p.m., Sunday, December 16, 2007 at the Egan Library on the UAS Campus. Five members of the class of seven have been offered jobs at Bartlett Hospital. The students worked as interns at Bartlett while completing their degrees.

The new hires are part of a growing positive trend. In a recent editorial, UA President Mark Hamilton wrote, “We've doubled nursing graduates from the University of Alaska Anchorage and now offer the program in a dozen locations and via distance delivery. Hospitals across our state have saved millions in recent years simply by being able to hire locally trained nurses, instead of importing them from outside.”

The Juneau graduates bring the tally to 17 newly registered nursing graduates from Southeast Alaska.

On Friday, December 7, 10 UAS-Ketchikan nurse graduates received their pins at a traditional ceremony held at the Crow’s Nest on the Coast Guard base. All plan to practice in Ketchikan, according to UAA Ketchikan faculty Maureen Northway.  The program is a collaborative effort between Bartlett and UAA with campuses in Juneau and Ketchikan.

"It is exciting to celebrate the graduation of the UAA nursing students in Juneau and Ketchikan. Our four-year regional partnership with the UAA School of Nursing, Bartlett Regional Hospital and Ketchikan General Hospital continues to provide UAS students with the opportunity to start their careers in nursing right here in Southeast Alaska,” said UAS Dean of Career Education Karen Schmitt.

The Juneau students learned to start IVs, do catheters, take blood pressure and dress wounds at a lab set-up at the Bill Ray Center. They attended weekly video conferences and got hands-on experience at Wildflower Court, SEARHC and Valley Medical.

Sunday’s graduates received their nursing pin and recited the nurse’s version of the Hippocratic Oath. The Florence Nightingale pledge reads in part, “With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician, in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”

“It’s been an honor to work with this group and help them achieve their goals,” said Juneau faculty Chris Urata.

The graduate nurses take their National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) in Anchorage early next year.