According to the Alaska Board of Nursing, over eight percent of Alaska's RNs have an MSN and another 20 percent plan to get one in the near future. Most nurses with an MSN are in advanced-practice specialties, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, but the demand for MSN-prepared nurses is expected to rise for almost every other specialty including education, research, policy making, and leadership roles.
Nurse practitioners in particular are a strong force in Alaska. The California HealthCare Foundation reports that it's one of about half a dozen U.S. states that allows NPs the most comprehensive and unrestricted scope of practice. The Kaiser Foundation found that Alaska has over twice the number of NPs per 100,000 people as the national average (154 versus 54). Their average salary is $82,754 and on the way up according to a 2007 salary survey by Advance for Nurse Practitioners. A great need persists, however, for NPs in rural areas of the state, and the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association reports an especially high vacancy rate (37.4 percent) for pediatric nurse practitioners. For more information check out the Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association, Alaska Board of Nursing, and Alaska Nurses Association.
Programs to consider:
University of Alaska-Anchorage (Anchorage, AK). UAA has a part-time or full-time MSN program available in such concentrations as family NP, psychiatric/mental health NP, and education.
Western Governor's University (online program). This exclusively online university was founded in 1995 by the governors of 19 states, including Alaska. The MSN program offers concentrations such as education and management.
