Graduating...moving...does anyone work in Seattle?

ann945n, RN · Apr 16, 2008

There is childrens hospital in seattle that you might be interested in. As well there is Harborview, Swedish, UW med, and Virginia Mason. In the suburbs there is Overlake, Evergreen, and Valley Medical. Pleanty of job options not to mention all the small clinics around here. Its a beautiful place to live.:wink2:

Sis123 · Apr 17, 2008

Nice place, really bad weather. If you don't mind living under dark clouds and drippy rain for about 9 months out of the year, and then three months of beautiful, then it might be for you. If you are prone to SAD, or seasonal depression, be very careful about moving there.

I moved away from there to get to the sun. I am now in a place where we have 4 seasons and I love it. When it rains here, it actually stops and then the sun comes out. It hardly ever did that in the Seattle area.

Beware.

whiskeygirl, LPN · Apr 17, 2008

Tasket,

The traffic is unbeliveable here!!! It takes me a minimum of 1 hour to drive less than 30 miles, one way. It can take up to 2 hours. If there is any precipitation on the roads traffic slows to a halt. And gas costs more here but less than in California.

When Sis123 says it rains here, she is being nice. Ugh! The rain is unending. But it makes everything very green and lush. Plus you have the mountains AND the ocean!

I have NOT seen the "plenty of job options" that Ann945n mentions. It appears to be slim pickens to me. However, it could be that I have not figured out where a majority of them are advertised. I let career builder pull ads from the local papers and search craigslist on a daily basis. There are a good selection of nursing schools in the Seattle/Tacoma area so I am sure that has an effect.

Just my opinions!

Congrats on your impending graduation. :yeah:

Good luck to you!

ann945n, RN · Apr 17, 2008

To look for jobs simply visit Seattletimes.com and click jobs. There are Thousands listed for RN's and no I am not over estimating that number. Traffic is bad, but any major city has bad traffic. It does NOT rain all the time, give me a break. I have lived here my whole life. We actually get less rain, yes less, then most other major cities. It does rain but it is soft and nice you hardly notice. We do have over cast skies more often then most but you get used to it. And we do have 4 season, not sure where that came from. It snows lightly in the winter, cool fall with colorful trees, wet and sunny springs and GREAT summers of the 70-80 very out door friendly weather. I HATE that seattle gets a bad wrap for weather...... shessh, personally 110 summer days are awful to me, give me cool weather any day over that! (yes I am protective over my city, no need to point that out!) Not to mention I love the liberal life style!

Sis123 · Apr 18, 2008

Oh yes, I was born in Seattle General Hospital back when it was located in downtown Seattle ages and ages ago. I am a native also. Yes, it's too bad that Seattle gets a bad rap about it's weather. Deservedly so. You'd love it if you were a mushroom, or if you own galoshes.

Oh yeah, it's a hip, happening place, but it's been "loved to death" since Money magazine listed it as the "best place to live" in the early eighties. Hordes of people from everywhere else flooded in, making the city more cosmopolitan, but also much more crowded. The locals watched in astonishment as people from elsewhere bought was was always thought of as "worthless lots" on steep embankments in order to build homes. Suburban crowding became the rule, and subsequent traffic got worse and worse to the point that some say it is worse than LA. The reason why it suffers such bottlenecks is that large large bodies of water (Puget Sound, Lake Washington, Lake Union and Lake Sammamish) prohibit the construction of a mesh of highways like they have in LA. The rule used to be that you had to leave downtown Seattle by 3 to avoid getting stuck in traffic, but I think it's much earlier than that now. It's simply hard to avoid bad traffic, it's just the rule these days.

There are *many* community colleges with nursing programs in the Seattle area also. Just off the top of my head let me list:

Seattle Central community college, Highline CC, North Seattle CC, Shoreline CC, Everett CC, Lake Washington Vocational/technical (for LPN), Bellevue CC, then the Universities, Seattle U., U of W, Pacific Lutheran U, and a christian college in Kirkland, which the name escapes me just now. That's a bunch of fresh grads on a regular basis.

I moved south and east for the weather. I get approximately 90 days more of sunshine than I did in Seattle, per year now. Oh yes, we get baked for about 10 days in the summer time, but I tell you, when I drive home in the afternoon to see my sweet tame deer and their little spotted fawns lying down in the shade of the trees in my yard, and smell my fresh laundry which has been drying on the clothesline, I tell myself, Life is good.

Oh yes, you can enjoy living in Seattle. I used to like it. I left when I got the chance. Your mileage may vary. Just check it out and see if you like it in the rainy season before you make a commitment to accept a job and live there. :up:

ann945n, RN · Apr 18, 2008

*sigh* no it is not 'deserved' to get a wrap for bad weather. I can not figure out why people like to keep this myth going. We get LESS rain fall then most other major cities...... *sigh* and yes traffic is bad and get worse every year, but show me a major city without bad traffic. If you want to live in a major city you have to put up with certain major city things that come along with that, like growth.... hello

Ms Kylee · Apr 18, 2008

My ex works at General Health.. he loves it... course he loves the weather too. He will not move.

I have SAD and cannot move...

End of relationship.

aeauooo · Apr 18, 2008

I started at Harborview, a great place for new grads - at least it was 16 years ago. The nursing ed department was great, and you'll get experience there that will prepare you for where ever your nursing career may take you.

That being said, my last job in Seattle was at Swedish and, as far as I'm concerned, it was the best job I've ever had as a nurse (other than working in Ethiopia as a volunteer).

I worked agency at Overlake - not bad. In fact, I was thinking about taking a job there before I started at Swedish. The East Side: urban sprawl. That area used to be farms not long ago.

I hate the suburbs - anywhere, but I particularily dislike the suburbs south of Seattle. I lived in Federal Way for too long. I remember working a night shift and seeing the show "Cops" on TV - "Bad boys, bad boys - Cops, in Seattle" It was Federal Way. There's a reason the housing is less expensive out there.

Traffic in Seattle, IMHO, is the worst of any place I've every lived - including 3rd world countries! I lived on Capitol Hill so I could walk to work, but rent in the city is expensive and the occupancy rate is high, so it can be tough to find a place.

Good luck!

VEBERT1020 · Mar 29, 2009

I have been living in Seattle since May 2008. And...yes, the weather sucks! Today is March 28, 2009 and snow is predicted. It has been raining for days without any let up.Last year, in the the month of June, I saw the sun for 1/2 day. The sun did come out and stayed for July, Aug., Sept., and Oct. If you enjoy skiing and snowboarding the mountains have had tons and tons of snow this year and another foot is predicted for tonight. Some of them have a 9 foot base. OK, so much for winter weather. I have lived in Chicago, Atlanta, and the mountains of Idaho. All big cities have mucho traffic problems including Seattle. The city has at least 200 days of rain/snow yearly. Since I have SAD, I will be moving soon or will take on a traveling job.I have been able to get a job in any specialty I desire. At this time, I am working Psyche nursing. However Harborview, Swedish and Virginia Mason are the best hospitals for all kinds of specialties. Oh, least I forget, the cost of living is VERY HIGH! Good luck! :rolleyes:

aeauooo · Mar 29, 2009

I have been living in Seattle since May 2008. And...yes, the weather sucks! Today is March 28, 2009 and snow is predicted. It has been raining for days without any let up.

My wife and I moved from Seattle to New Orleans a few years ago. Today the weather was beautiful! Clear blue sky - a little chilly, down to the 60's - but I managed to bundle up and go for a nice long bike ride up on the levee.

My wife misses Seattle.

I don't!

Magsulfate, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2009

I will take nine months of rain as long as the temperature is nice and cool.... i'll take that WAYYY over nine months of HOT STEAMY HUMID like you're in an OVEN, houston, anyday. UGH, I hate the weather in Houston,, I just can't make myself move away from my parents. It would break my mother's heart.