Relocating to Seattle Area in Early 2015

U.S.A. Washington

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Hello, my name is Michelle. I have 15 years health care experience as a Nurse Assistant, Unit Secretary, Staffing Coordinator, and Registered Nurse. I'm currently an ICU Nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Topeka Kansas for past two years. I graduated from the University of Kansas. We will be relocating to Seattle Washington in the first part of 2015. Through much thought and research during the past 5 years, Seattle is the best fit. We were focused on Seattle, Portland, Denver, Chicago, and Texas. Portland and Seattle were the final two. Weather was HUGE in our decision. Finding an area with very little humidity, heat, and ice storms were very important. As crazy as this sounds, cloudy rainy climates are ideal for us. MY husband works in the Supply Chain/ Specialty Coffee Industry. All the cities mentioned offer solid health care and supply chain career opportunities. These cities are also exploding within the specialty coffee industry too. But again, we kept coming back to the Pacific Northwest region as a great place to live.

Yes, we are totally aware of the insane rental rates in and around Seattle. We currently pay $1600 per month in Lawrence Kansas. We expect our rent in Seattle to be anywhere from $1600-$2000 per month (Ugh!). We are flying back out in August to look at neighborhoods and apartments again. I really am focused on Harborview Medical Center. I plan to apply for ICU and other positions with no preference with shifts. I have also researched Swedish, Virginia Mason, and Seattle Children's Hospital. I have found various forums and comments explaining the difficulties out-of-towners have in obtaining positions at certain facilities. I have also read so many varying opinions on salaries in this region. I currently average $80,000+ per year in this area of the country (Kansas City, Topeka) Are my expectations of matching this unrealistic with OT in the Seattle area? I usually work 1-3 OT shifts per pay period. Any advise pro and con would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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Hi Michelle,

I'm going to assume tou have a BSN since you graduated from KU. With a BSN and experience you should have no problem finding a job. How many RN years of experience do you have? I have found that Harborview and UW pay the least of all the hospitals you named. That may not matter if you have specific reasons for wanting to work there. I mean it's not drastically. less. Pay is based on years of RN (might get some credit for LPN, but nothing else) experience. I could give you a beter ballpark if I knew how many RN years you have. You should be eligible for a relocation reimbursement with any of the hospitals. Obviously nights and weekends pay the most. Hopefully someone else can let you know if that much OT is available. I have only worked in ICU as a traveler in the Seattle are and didnt see much OT.

I moved here from OK so I understand what you mean about the weather. The neighborhood you choose will decide what kind of place you get for $1600-2000. My guess is that you live in a 3/2/2 there?? If you want to live in Seattle proper, almost anywhere will be $2000 for a nice 2bdrm. If you live further out, you can get a lot more space for the money. Do you have an area in mind yet? Oh. One more thing. Summer here can get pretty hot. Many apts, condos, houses dont have AC since its only needed maybe 2-3 months during the year. If it gets into the upper 80s and 90s. It can be kinda miserable. But we deal cause its so amazing here!!

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As far as living, I live in Lynnwood and commute downtown. The north side is gorgeous and if you don't like driving you can always find a vanpool wherever you work. Essentially, the community transit systems loan a van to a group of people who have the same commute route. North side is a bit less expensive, and easy access to beaches if you love outdoorsy things. And it rains less in Lynnwood than Everett or Seattle because it's situated straight easy of the highest peaks in the Olympics so we catch a better rain shadow.

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Sorry for late reply. Couldn't figure out password. But I currently have 5 years of actual BSN Nursing experience. My first year out of school was on TeleMed floor. The rest has been in Critical Care and ICU.

Since my original posting, we have both been getting phone calls and feedback about opportunities in Portland area. Is it just me or does it seem like Portland is offering better salaries for nurses? I definitely don't want to simply focus on salaries alone. Both cities offer good opportunities for my husband along the ports, retail supply chain, coffee industry, and even the health care industry. The rental rates are somewhat cheaper in Portland. But we just seem to love the Seattle area in general.

As far as health care, I have been very impressed with the various facilities I have visited in both cities.

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

You need to get on Union websites and see what the pay will be that is all the hospitals can offer. It is based on years of experience. However you can factor in overtime , extra shifts and some hospitals pay for a baccalaureate degree.

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You need to get on Union websites and see what the pay will be that is all the hospitals can offer. It is based on years of experience. However you can factor in overtime , extra shifts and some hospitals pay for a baccalaureate degree.

OK, I will do that now. Thanks Tokmom.

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Specializes in CVSICU.

KansasNurse14, I attempted to send you some contact info for the hospitals/units you mentioned but you don't seem to have access to Private Messages (r/t only 4 posts). Rules (and professionalism) don't allow for me to post this in an open forum. Let me know if you are interested.

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I've been trying to turn the message feature on but it keeps telling me I need at least 10 "quality post" to use this feature. Thanks for heads up. I plan on contributing more to this site so hopefully I meet this criteria soon.

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Actually, here is the message I received:

"Members are required to have a minimum of 15 quality topics in order to use our Private Messaging (PM) System."

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I'd say live in Vancouver, WA (cheaper costs of living and no income tax) and work in Portland (more jobs and no sales tax). Welcome to the Northwest no matter what you decide!

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.
You need to get on Union websites and see what the pay will be that is all the hospitals can offer. It is based on years of experience. However you can factor in overtime , extra shifts and some hospitals pay for a baccalaureate degree.

If you haven't already gone there this is a link to the SEIU contract for Swedish Medical Center. Most the other hospitals are similar. Wage rates are on page 31.

Mostly depends on years RN experience but there are weekend and shift differentials, certification and preceptor premiums. Time and a half for overtime and call back. It adds up!

I believe the contract states the least the employer can offer. You can always try to negotiate for more. Good luck with that.

http://www.seiu1199nw.org/files/2012/05/smc-rn-contract-2011-2015.pdf

I moved back to Washington after working at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City for 5 years. Good choice for me!

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Have you made the move yet? If so, did you start applying before you moved or waited until after? We are planning on relocating from Arkansas next year, and I've been trying to figure out when to start applying as well.

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