From Walla Walla to the Puget Sound, Washington state offers many opportunities for visitors and residents to enjoy nature and metropolitan pleasures. Seattle is this state’s major urban center, and other large towns and cities surround Seattle such as Olympia, Tacoma and Everett. The eastern portion of the state is filled with smaller towns that surround the larger Spokane. Nurses can find many opportunities for education and jobs in Washington, including the variety that comes with family nursing to emergency care for ‘accidental’ tourists.

Becoming a Nurse in Washington

Washington provides opportunities to earn every certification and degree imaginable in nursing. The University of Washington in Seattle, for instance, offers certifications, the BSN, MSN and a doctoral degree in nursing, with specialties in adult care, community health, family care, geriatrics, informatics, midwifery and more. On the other side of the state, in Spokane, nurses can earn a BSN or MSN in adult care, anatomy, family care and nutrition from Washington State University, Intercollegiate College of Nursing. For the nurse who prefers a smaller town and a fast track to an associate’s degree, try Gray’s Harbor College in Aberdeen.

Nursing Jobs in Washington

Nurses won’t lack for places to seek work in Washington. One of the larger health care providers includes Virginia Mason Medical Center, a regional referral center for the Pacific Northwest. They combine a 390-physician primary care and multi-specialty group practice with a satellite system of neighborhood clinics throughout the Puget Sound Region. At their Seattle Campus, they operate a 336-bed hospital and the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason. The Bailey-Boushay House, a skilled nursing facility, provides adult day health and in-patient services to people living with AIDS and other complex nursing needs. Other top-tier employers include Public Health in Seattle and King County, serving 1.7 million residents; Olympic Medical Center, the largest employer in the Olympic Peninsula; and, Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen. Nurse salaries in Washington are competitive with the rest of the nation. LPNs in this state can earn between $27,000 and $55,000 per year, and RNs can earn $52,000 and $116,000 per year.