FAQ’s Nursing
Staff Support/Shifts
How many nurses work at Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital?
We are staffed with 16 nurses, one CNA, two unit clerks, and six case managers. Our management team consists of a Patient Care Manager and Director of Nursing.
Do you hire LPNs and CNA’s?
We hire LPN’s for our Outpatient unit and for our Specialty Clinic. We also hire CNA’s in our Outpatient unit.
How many doctors work at Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital?
Eight family practice physicians with ER and low risk OB experience work at the hospital.
Do nurses float to other units?
Nurses are hired and scheduled for one specific unit, but may be assigned to another unit based on patient need.
Do I have to take call?
Occasionally we will ask nurses to take call for OB coverage or additional ER coverage, but this does not happen frequently.
What support services do you offer?
Our auxiliary services include a laboratory, pharmacy and imaging services. Nurses do draw blood and provide respiratory care to patients.
Do nurses fly on the medevacs?
Typically, trained personnel from Search and Rescue staff the medevacs or a medevac team flies up from Anchorage to transport a patient. Occasionally, our OB nurses may be asked to fly on a medevac or nurses may be asked to “escort” patients to Anchorage via commercial airlines.
What are the backgrounds of your nursing staff?
Our nursing staff has varied backgrounds. We require three to five years of current clinical experience and mainly look for staff with an ER, OB, Med/Surgical, Peds, or clinic background. But we have had staff from home health, OR, ICU, and community health backgrounds as well.
Do you do L&D?
Yes. We do low risk OB. We do not have an OR or an anesthesiologist, so high risk OB’s are transported to Anchorage. There is no augmentation or induction of labor.
What is your average patient/nurse ratio on the Inpatient unit?
One nurse is scheduled on the unit per shift. Occasionally, depending on acuity, an additional nurse or CNA may be asked to assist on the unit as needed.
Do you work 8 or 12-hour shifts?
In the units the shifts are 12-hours (7-7), in Case Management and the Specialty Clinic the shifts are eight hours Monday-Friday.
How many shifts do nurses working in the units work in a pay period?
Nurses in the units work seven shifts per two-week pay period for eight hours of guaranteed overtime.
Are there additional opportunities for overtime beyond the guaranteed eight hours?
Yes, there are opportunities for overtime beyond the scheduled shifts.
How many nurses work at a time in each unit?
In the Inpatient unit there is one nurse assigned to day shift and one to the night shift. If there is a delivery or a larger than usual census, an additional nurse will be assigned to the unit. In the Outpatient unit, there are four nurses assigned to the day shift and one nurse assigned to the night shift, and an additional nurse on night shift that floats between the two units.
What is your nursing management structure?
The Patient Care Manager oversees the operation of both the Inpatient and Outpatient units and reports to the Director of Nursing (DON). The DON supervises the Patient Care Manager as well as Case Managers.
Do you have charge nurses?
We do not have charge nurses, but we do have a lead nurse for the Outpatient unit who works Monday-Friday and manages the day-to-day running of the unit. The Inpatient unit and night staff do not have a lead nurse, but the Patient Care Manager and DON are available by cell phone at all times.
Can I be involved in performance improvement projects or data collection?
There are many opportunities to be involved in performance improvement projects, data collection and chart reviews. If you volunteer for these projects, management will provide time away from the unit or allow your hours on the unit to be spent on projects, depending on patient census.
Do you hire travelers?
Yes. We have 16 positions for nursing staff. If permanent staff does not fill these positions, we do fill them with travelers.
Career Paths In Nursing
Do you have a career ladder?
We do not have a structured career ladder, but we do offer many on-slope educational programs and career advancement opportunities.
What educational opportunities do you offer?
Bi-annually we offer ACLS, BLS, NRP, PALS, and TNCC. Annually, we offer a medevac course since a large number of patients travel by Search and Rescue. We also offer an annual continuing education trip to Anchorage or Fairbanks.
How do I apply for my Alaska nursing license?
Visit www.dced.state.ak.us/occ/pnur.htm for information on applying for an Alaska nursing license.
Are there opportunities for growth and promotion?
Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital offers many opportunities to enhance your skills. In fact, several of our nurses teach BLS and TNCC, as well as do OB training. At SSMH, staff nurses have moved on to become lead nurses, moved into management positions, and even moved to other departments in the hospital for personal and professional growth.
Nurse Benefits
Do you pay for my Alaska nursing license?
Yes. We will reimburse you for your Alaska nursing license once you arrive in Barrow, as well as pay for your license renewal.
Do I have to live on campus?
No. We offer both on-campus and off-campus housing, so you have the option to live on- or off-campus.
Technology
Do you have ventilators?
No. There are no ventilators in the hospital. Typically, the Search and Rescue department brings in portable ventilators if needed.
Do you have paper or computer charting?
We utilize paper charting, but do obtain patient histories and order labs on the computer using RPMS.
Do you use Pyxis?
Yes, we have a Pyxis machine in both our Inpatient and Outpatient units.
Patients
What type of patients do you normally see?
Because we are the only hospital on the North Slope, we see a wide range of injuries and ailments. We see a large number of patients with diabetes, hypertension, ETOH and asthma. We also have a large prenatal patient population. And our ER treats everything from chest pain, hypothermia, to trauma caused by motor vehicle accidents, snow machine accidents, gunshot wounds, and overdoses.
What is your average daily census and length of stay?
Our average daily census is 2.3, with our average length of stay at two days.
Do you call off for low census?
No. If there are no patients in the Inpatient Unit, nurses will help in the Outpatient Unit, Specialty Clinic, or work on chart reviews and projects assigned by management.
How do you handle your trauma patients?
Trauma patients are stabilized and medevaced to Anchorage.
How many patients do you see a day in your Outpatient/ER?
In the morning the Outpatient unit is run like a doctor’s office and on average 20 patients are seen. In the afternoon, the unit is run as an urgent care with an average of 40-60 patients being seen. The ER is open 24/7 and on average 10-20 patients a day are seen.
Safety
Are there safety measures that have been implemented?
Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital does not tolerate violence in the workplace. Should there be issues of violence, several items are in place to protect staff, such as front desk personnel managing flow and an emergency button in the ER to alert the public safety office. We also provide training to all staff in crisis prevention to help de-escalate a potentially violent situation and provide restraint techniques should an individual be of harm to themselves or others. | 
