Alaska

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plainfacts

plainfacts

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I just read on another forum that Alaska is a not IMG friendly state. I wonder how that is possible? It just feels like IMGs would be just about the only doctors such a state could attract but obviously that's not true. Why would a doctor want to move to alaska or do an FP (!!!) residency there?

I associate Alaska with cold-ass weather, deeply fundamentalist religious people, mooses, hockey moms and Russia. What am I missing 😕
 
Anywhere that I can't wear my Manolo sandals year around doesn't appeal to me, but suffice it to say that many people find the natural beauty, the indigenous people, and the abundant sporting opportunities in Alaska inviting.

It is no more mystifying to me than people who claim the Midwest or the Deep South is the only place they'd live. I'm sure they are just as mystified that I enjoy the 118 degree heat. Different strokes man. 😕
 
plainfacts said:
I just read on another forum that Alaska is a not IMG friendly state. I wonder how that is possible? It just feels like IMGs would be just about the only doctors such a state could attract but obviously that's not true. Why would a doctor want to move to alaska or do an FP (!!!) residency there?

I associate Alaska with cold-ass weather, deeply fundamentalist religious people, mooses, hockey moms and Russia. What am I missing 😕
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It might also be that Alaska doesn't have very many residency programs on a per capita basis. For example, if Ohio had only a couple residency programs like Alaska it would be very hard for IMGs to work there.

I sort of equate Alaska with California as they both have great parks and outdoor activities and it is very expensive to live in both. When you read that many people in Alaska have to us planes to get around it made me think as flying in a plane is expensive. Turns out Alaska has the 6th highest per capita income in the United States. Makes sense as you would need a lot of capital for transportation as well as paying for shipping things like food into remote locals. So, actually Alaska I think is more affluent than its rustic image. And per household income is high too:


  1. Maryland – $68,080
  2. New Jersey – $67,035
  3. Connecticut – $65,967
  4. Alaska – $64,333
  5. Hawaii – $63,746
  6. New Hampshire – $62,369
  7. Massachusetts – $62,365
  8. California – $59,945

I also associate Alaska with huge natural resources, Alaska has more land area than the next three biggest states, California, Texas and Montana combined . . . this is impressive if you have ever driven across Texas. And Anchorage has 100 miles of bike and "lighted skii trails." Now, I don't ski, but I know a lot of people who do and would think Alaska is a paradise. A lot of the residents who match in Alaska have outdoor activities such as moutain hiking which they no doubt tend to do in Alaska. Plus, the television show "Northern Exposure" featuring a doctor who was "forced" to practice in Alaska was a hit and maybe this attracted attention. (Sure made me think about applying for residency there.)

I sort of equate Alaska as a red-state version of Washington, i.e. affluent and somewhat intellectual with a conservative tilt and a passion for hunting and out of doors things in the setting of a lot industry that lives off of Alaska's natural resources. Ask Sarah Palin if Alaska is as good a place to live as California and she would likely say "You Betcha!"
 
plainfacts said:
I just read on another forum that Alaska is a not IMG friendly state. I wonder how that is possible? It just feels like IMGs would be just about the only doctors such a state could attract but obviously that's not true. Why would a doctor want to move to alaska or do an FP (!!!) residency there?

I associate Alaska with cold-ass weather, deeply fundamentalist religious people, mooses, hockey moms and Russia. What am I missing 😕
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Moose and Hockey Moms yes, we have those in abundance (and it's Moose, not Mooses lol). However, the people in AK are all really nice and very welcoming. The weather is cold in the winter, but the summers are pretty nice. It also depends on where you go. Anchorage has pretty mild winters, Fairbanks tends to get Really cold. We also have a lot of great residency programs up here. The WWAMI program has been ranked #1 in several categories for the last 10-17 years. I'm not sure what the residencies are, but I do know there's some really good ones up here. I believe Family Practice is supposed to be among the better ones...I'd check on that though.
Not to mention there is TONS of stuff to do in AK, esp if you like the outdoors! There's ice skating, hockey, hiking, snow machining, skiing/snowboarding galore, cruises, biking, cross-country skiing, hunting, fishing. The usual city stuff too - movies, malls (small, but they work), bars, clubs....
And most of all, the People here rock!


I 😍 AK!
 
HurricaneKatt said:
Moose and Hockey Moms yes, we have those in abundance (and it's Moose, not Mooses lol).
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If alaska didnt exist the word wouldnt be needed.

HurricaneKatt said:
Not to mention there is TONS of stuff to do in AK, esp if you like the outdoors!
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I hate the outdoors.

HurricaneKatt said:
There's ice skating, hockey, hiking, snow machining, skiing/snowboarding galore, cruises, biking, cross-country skiing, hunting, fishing. The usual city stuff too - movies, malls (small, but they work), bars, clubs....
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I think I just died a little inside.

HurricaneKatt said:
And most of all, the People here rock!
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Sarah Palin, the only alaskan I know of, sucks. Is she a very typical alaskan?
 
DarthNeurology said:
It might also be that Alaska doesn't have very many residency programs on a per capita basis. For example, if Ohio had only a couple residency programs like Alaska it would be very hard for IMGs to work there.
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According to FREIDA, Alaska only has 1 residency in the entire state.

Alaska Family Medicine/Providence Hospital Program
[FONT=arial, helvetica][SIZE=-1]Identifier: 120-02-21-596 [/SIZE].
[SIZE=-1][FONT=arial, helvetica]Specialty: Family Medicine.[/SIZE]
Web Address: http://www.akfmr.org

Apparently they take 12 per year.

Their website, under the menu tag for "Residency Information" has a section called "Info for IMGs"
 
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plainfacts said:
If alaska didnt exist the word wouldnt be needed.


I hate the outdoors.


I think I just died a little inside.


Sarah Palin, the only alaskan I know of, sucks. Is she a very typical alaskan?
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If you hate it so much, than don't come. Easy as that.

*ahem*troll*
 
I think that the Alaska FM residency is is an outstanding program, producing top notch physicians. Maybe one of the best in the country.

I don't know why some people 'sniff' at FM residents or practicing physicians - these people are incredibly smart and know a ton of stuff about alot of things. Maybe not all programs are equal, but one like Alaska's - you are producing rock stars who can handle just about anything that walks through the door. And to be able to fly around the state in your own private plane? are you kidding? I think one of their faculty docs does that. Let me just say two words: Awe-some! 👍

Why would you post something like this, making fun of both FP and Alaska? If you don't want to go there then just leave it at that. Plenty of other people can appreciate what it has to offer.
 
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plainfacts said:
I just wanted to learn a little about alaska... Palin is my only reference point so far 🙁
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I am not a Republican, but I think Sarah Palin seems to have great optimism, and a funny sort of midwestern way of talking, . . . (You Betcha!) so while I don't agree with her somewhat neonconservative positions, a state with people with that similar category of personality seems interesting. I.e. nothing to turn me off with regards to the people of the state. Anyway, you can make generalizations about people in a state, but you will meet people of all types in Alaska I am sure, just like in California or New York or anywhere else . . . almost every state has its pluses and negatives.
 
Winged Scapula said:
Anywhere that I can't wear my Manolo sandals year around doesn't appeal to me, but suffice it to say that many people find the natural beauty, the indigenous people, and the abundant sporting opportunities in Alaska inviting.

It is no more mystifying to me than people who claim the Midwest or the Deep South is the only place they'd live. I'm sure they are just as mystified that I enjoy the 118 degree heat. Different strokes man. 😕
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I had to google manolo sandals to figure out what Winged was talking about. They sure don't look like they would stand up to a week of weather in Alaska. I can think of a lot more boring places to practice medicine than Alaska, and I admit that I looked into residency there as it seems interesting to maybe care for inuits! I think a lot of people in Arizona might wonder how Winged enjoys 118 degree heat, (delirium secondary to heat exhaustion?) . . . sure 100 is picnic weather but 118 is pushing it! 😱 118 looks great from inside an air conditioned building, stuffy in the shade, and in direct sunlight you can cook eggs outside, for real, I have done this.
 
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DarthNeurology said:
I had to google manolo sandals to figure out what Winged was talking about. They sure don't look like they would stand up to a week of weather in Alaska. I can think of a lot more boring places to practice medicine than Alaska, and I admit that I looked into residency there as it seems interesting to maybe care for inuits! I think a lot of people in Arizona might wonder how Winged enjoys 118 degree heat, (delirium secondary to heat exhaustion?) . . . sure 100 is picnic weather but 118 is pushing it! 😱 118 looks great from inside an air conditioned building, stuffy in the shade, and in direct sunlight you can cook eggs outside, for real, I have done this.
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Delirium? Perhaps.😀

Ok, 118 is pushing it, although really since I go from my air conditioned house to my air conditioned car to my air conditioned office to the air conditioned hospital, its not like I'm actually living and working in it. The highway workers and other outdoor workers have my sympathies.

But I do enjoy the heat, especially dry heat, as I get cold easily (maybe if I wore sandals less).
 
I lived in Alaska briefly and currently I live in Texas. If I could summer in the former and winter in the latter, life would be perfect.

Summer in Alaska is glorious. The winter though... cold as hell and worst of all, no sun. No wonder it's the seasonal affective disorder capital of the US.
 
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