Is Washington a Good State for Nursing?

tulipsweeti, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2015

I am not a nurse, I am considering entering the field too. According to this study is ranked 2nd in the nation for nursing. So they think so! 2014â€²s Best & Worst States for Nurses | WalletHubÂ®

LondonFog, BSN · Jan 4, 2015

I am still in high school and I am considering. I would eventually like to have a career as an NP and live in Seattle. Is seattle a good city for this? Is there opportunities to be successful?

You should be so proud of yourself for thinking so far ahead. Well done! :) Nursing is a varied field and expanding from what you read and see in the facilities. I think you should visit a local hospital (or other facility) and speak to the hiring manager on one of the floors to get a real snap of reality. The fact that you are already thinking of this and have planned so much should put you in a really good position for your future. Nursing is really so versatile and you can make it what you want it to be for you. Look at the local ads for nursing positions and maybe speak to a nursing recruiter to get real facts. Sometimes articles are very generic and they don't provide the details of reality. In a nutshell- yes, you should be fine, but speak to the people who may be hiring you in the future. If you make the effort to speak to them now (as a high school student), they may remember your dedication and initiative and hire you! (I am not a nurse yet, but hope to begin nursing school in May) Best of luck with your future :)

fujibug · Jan 5, 2015

I am a recent grad living in the Portland, OR area (so can look for jobs on the Washington state side in Vancouver, WA or on the Oregon side in Portland) and while they may be ranked #1 and #2 for nurses overall according to that link, it is VERY hard to get a job as a new grad. It may be that by the time you are out of college that the situation has turned around (since everyone is always talking about the "impending nursing shortage"), but this is very location-specific and I imagine it is no better in the Seattle area. From what I have seen, the whole west coast has too many new nurses in all of the cities compared to the number of positions to which new grads can apply. Most of the hospital jobs here won't even consider new grads (the applications all have a check box that ask you if you have at least one year of critical care experience and I suspect the computer culls your application automatically if you check "no"). They are always posting lots of jobs, but they all want experienced nurses. Once you have 1-3 years of experience, a lot more doors open up to you. Or so it seems to me, though obviously my experience in this is very limited. :) Just something to keep in mind as you are pursuing this path, if that is what you choose!

kelseykelsey4 · Jan 5, 2015

A lot of Seattle area hospitals have new grad residency programs. If you do well in school and are involved you shouldn't have a problem getting a job. You have to be a competitive applicant, but you can definitely do it. Seattle is a great area!

tokmom, BSN, RN · Jan 6, 2015

Seattle is a great place to work, but it is expensive to live in the city. I can't speak to obtaining a NP position, because I'm not an NP, lol.

Good luck in your future studies. :)