Petersburg Medical Center

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Petersburg Medical Center
103 Fram Street
Petersburg, Alaska, 99833
Telephone: 907-772-4291
E-mail: stackett@hospitalsoup.com

Click Here to View Jobs and Apply Online

Learn more about Petersburg Medical Center

Part I: An In-Depth Look
Part II: Employment Opportunities
Part III: The Surrounding Community
Part IV: Related Links

Part I: An In-Depth Look

An Interview with: Petersburg Medical Center

Q. Can you tell us more about your organization?

The Petersburg Medical Center is a fully integrated medical facility and is covered for both Medicare and Medicaid. It is owned by the City of Petersburg and governed by an elected board. The doors are open to all in need of services, whether or not they are covered by insurance.

Acute Care--11 Beds
Two rooms are equipped with hard wire cardiac monitor defibrillator units and four additional telemetry beds are available. A separate room is prepared for postpartum patients which allows the newborn to "room-in". Additionally, there is a designated pediatric room with a crib and a croup tent.

The nursing staff is familiar with medical/surgical, intensive care, critical care, obstetric, postpartum, newborn, psychiatric, detoxification and pediatric patients.

Extended Care--14 Beds
The extended care facility is part of the hospital complex and provides both for immediate and skilled care. Doctors visit their patients at least monthly. Residents requiring more frequent care may be seen in their rooms, in the adjacent Joy Janssen Clinic or in the energency room, as appropriate.

Q. What types of specialty services does your organization provide?..

Audiologist
Dentistry
Ear, Nose and Throat
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Opthalmology
Optometry
Orthopedic Surgery
Pathology
Pediatrics
Podiatry
Psychiatry
Radiology
Urology
Services are also available from a nurse anesthetist, a nurse practitioner and 2 Masters of Social Work.

Q. Describe any future expansion plans, added services or new developments for your facility?

Recently added Colonoscopy and C-sections and we're looking at increasing surgical services offering additional procedures at regularly scheduled times for the convenience of our patients.

Q. What makes working in your organization different from working for other employers?

Our nurses work as generalists, and have to have a comfort level in all areas of nursing. They have the opportunity to work in ER, LTC, Pediatrics, and OB. The nursing staff has a great deal of independence in their practice, and an excellent, close working relationship with physicians. Staff works very hard to have positive alliances with co-workers, as many times you may be one of only two nurses in the entire building, and teamwork and the ability to depend upon each other is key. Nurses need to be motivated to maintain their clinical competencies and stay up to date with their skills. The hospital provides a lot of in-service education for nursing staff. Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Neonatal resuscitation and CPR are all mandatory and provided by the hospital, and we offer many other in-service educations throughout the year. Shifts are a mix of 8 and 10 hours with the midnight shift being 10 hours in duration.

Ask anyone on our nursing staff why they choose to work at Petersburg Medical Center, and you'll hear that our nurses feel they are able to be involved in all areas of nursing-not just one specialty area. Additionally, nurses have the time to offer and give patients the care that they want to give. There is time in a facility of our size to get to know the Long Term Care residents, and provide them with a very high level of care. Nurses also have the ability to spend time getting to know the families of our patients, a luxury often lost in more metropolitan areas. And finally, the same type of managed care regulations like the PPS system, haven’t reached small rural facilities in Alaska in contrast with the impact that managed care has had on many of the lower 48 states.

In many ways working in our facility is much less stressful than a large metropolitan hospital, but in other ways it could be construed as more stressful. It's absolutely necessary for nursing staff to have a good clinical background, and a lot of confidence in their nursing abilities. If someone hasn’t worked in a small facility before our environment may not be the best fit for the candidate.

Q. Can you explain the career opportunities available for new graduates in your organization?

We’d prefer candidates have at least six months experience prior to coming to Petersburg Medical Center. We have hired a few new grads, but due to the fact that our volume is low, it's very difficult for new graduates to obtain the experience they want and need immediately upon transitioning from school to a clinical environment.

Q. What can a candidate expect during their interview process?

Multiple phone interviews are conducted, after the initial contact is done with our Director of Nursing. Interviews are scheduled with our Human Resource Manager, and/or our Director of Nursing, and sometimes the two of them will conference call with the applicant over the phone. We have a program where our hospital offers up to 5,000 in relocation expenses for new employees relocating to our area. This requires a two year committment from the applicant.
If a candidates would like to come and see the island prior to accepting employment, then we will deduct the trip cost from the 5,000 moving allowance.

Q. What are some common mistakes candidates make when applying for jobs with your facility?

The biggest problem for us arises when applicants haven't done their research on our area, prior to applying for a position. We are located in a rain forest, as I mentioned earlier, and in the rain forest, it rains a lot--sometimes 40 days in a row. Candidates should understand we are on an island, and therefore you can't drive away from the community.
Travel is by ferry or plane and must be planned, around the schedules of the ferry or plane services. You can't just decide that tomorrow you want to go to Juneau or another part of Alaska without taking the time to coordinate one's schedule. I really think that's been our biggest challenge--sometimes applicants have no idea what they are getting into when they come here or they have unrealistic expectations.

Q. Describe the employee compensation and benefit packages available at your organization.

Click Here for Employee Benefit Information

Q. Most facilities stress only the positive aspects of working for their organization. What are some of the challenges faced by new employees and even experienced personnel?

Along with the points I made above, just getting here is a challenge. Our hospital however, can assist new employees with information on the best ways of transporting oneself and one's belongings during the relocation process. Generally speaking, the barge service is probably the easiest and most economical means of moving to our area. What this means is that new employees will pack a container, place it on a barge, and ship their belongings in that manner up to Petersburg. It's just important to realize how isolated you are, and how far away from families you'll be once you come here.

Q. What is the best way for a candidate to apply for a job with your facility?

Online at HospitalSoup.com Click Here to View Jobs and Apply Online

Top In-Depth Look Employment Opportunities Surrounding Community Related Links

Part II: Employment Opportunities

If provided, please follow the link/s below to access employment opportunities at Petersburg Medical Center. If employment opportunity information is not available at this time, you are advised to contact the facility's Human Resource Department for more information.

Click Here to View Jobs and Apply Online

Contact Personnel:

Name

Department

Telephone

Sandy Tackett

Nursing Administration

907-772-4291 x 246

Cindy Newman

Human Resources

907-772-4291 x 156

Top In-Depth Look Employment Opportunities Surrounding Community Related Links

Part III: The Surrounding Community

To help you get a better picture of the community surrounding Petersburg Medical Center, you may also want to check out any Related Links (Part IV), below, for further community, business and hospital information.

Community Highlights

	Spectacular sports fishing, hiking, kayaking, boating, cross country skiing
	Largest concentration of humpback whales in Alaska
	Three harbors -- where you'll see Luxury yachts, sailboats and research vessels
	Norweigan heritage
	Cultural events are available

Additional Thoughts About The Community

Although our town is small and isolated, one can meet the majority of their needs right here on the island. Services available locally include: grocery stores, small clothing store, movie theatre, arts council, and groups that bring a variety of cultural flavor to the community. There is an active school system program for children’s activities in Petersburg and it is a family friendly community.