Moving to Seattle Area-What Are The Best Hospitals?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 6, 2004

The UWMC uses a lot of travelors and does a lot of recruiting. Not so much effort on retention, though. If you're planning to stay a couple of years and move on, it's a fabulous experience. If you want to make it your career, stay out of the ICUs there.

Loribabble · Mar 6, 2004

I currently work at Harborview and love it. I worked here for a total of 18 months (2 assignments) as a traveler and have just gone permanent. Lots of staff at Harborview were travelers here but liked it so much they stayed. It is interesting.

I have heard from other travelers that Group Health in Seattle is good, Virginia Mason is not... don't value their nurses at all,a dn I have heard both good and bad things about Swedish and the UWMC.

I totally disagree about Valley in Kent/Renton - I picked up some extra shifts there per diem and that place was SCARY! There was no way I was going to put my license on the line for them. Their system on the med/surg floors was really unorganized and unsafe.

lady_jezebel · Mar 6, 2004

I work at UWMC. First job as a new grad. It is an excellent place to work. The nurse/patient ratio is never more than one to four on a med-surg unit. My managers are very supportive, friendly, and professional. I could not ask for a better first RN job.

********

Ok, I wrote the above several months ago. I recently switched to night shift and HATE it. I often have 6 pts, no unit secretary, often no nursing assistant. It's ungodly sometimes, just pure med-surg hell. I plan on quitting after my baby is born, and perhaps trying Harborview. Heard great things about that place.

zacarias, ASN, RN · Mar 11, 2004

I work at UWMC. First job as a new grad. It is an excellent place to work. The nurse/patient ratio is never more than one to four on a med-surg unit. My managers are very supportive, friendly, and professional. I could not ask for a better first RN job.

I work at UWMC and it's a great place for a new grad. You get a wealth of experience and I think we nurses are treated well. The ratio of 1:4 on day shift is the norm and that's OK because the patients can be really sick!!

To the poster who said stay out of the ICUs, can you explain more on that?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 12, 2004

The UW spends a lot of time, effort and money on recruiting RNs, but in the ICUs anyway, not so much on retention. It's a fabulous place to get some ICU experience if you're planning to move on after a year or two. Senior nurses don't seem to be valued as much there as in some of the other places I've worked.

alyca · Mar 17, 2004

I work at Harborview in Seattle, and I wouldn't go anywhere else. We have a 12-week minimum new-grad orientation that really goes at your own pace--when you are ready to be on your own, you are on your own, and if you need a little extra time working with a preceptor, they give it to you with no stigma attached. I work in trauma/orthopedics, and it is awesome. We are a level 1 trauma facility, and the only one in the state. In fact, we get all the high trauma patients from Idaho, Montana, Washington and Alaska, as well as british colombia, since those states do not have any level 1 facilities. Harborview is an awesome learning environment. We get tons of patients who are transferred from other hospitals because the docs there don't know what to do to treat them. We are also the county hospital, so we get a wide range of patients, ranging from homeless people to the very wealthy. Harboview is also home of the Sigvard Hansen Foot and Ankle INstitute, which has patients from all over the world coming in to have Dr. Hansen fix their severe foot and anke injuries. OFten, his is the last surgery they have, after sometimes dozens of failed previous attempts. Consider Harborview!!

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 23, 2004

Any nurse who is paid to move, given a huge sign-on bonus is going to be far happier than one of the old-timers who's paid the piper over the years.
Recruitment seems to be far more important than retention. That's the biggie right now on our negotiating table

absolutely. seeing $$$ signs can blind some. I know this for a fact.

Brenda-RN,BSN, WA. · Mar 23, 2004

I work at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue in the postpartum unit. I really love it. I've been there for 8 years. I work recomend it. It is a great palce to work. It depends on what unit you want to work on. If you want to work on peds. go to Children's in Seattle. Overlake does not have a peds. unit. They are really well known for their cardiac care, and women's health. Although all of their units are great. I have also worked at Valley hospital in Renton through an agency. The nurses there, at least on the mother baby unit, are great. They are VERY busy, but I've had great experiences there. I know that Overlake has residencies for new grads. so check them out, I highly recomend them. Good luck. I hope your move goes well, and I hope you enjoy living in Seattle as much as I do.

yves · Mar 30, 2004

I have worked as a traveler in harborview and agency in swedish and evergreen. My favorite at least for the ICUS is harborview

Mary Austin · May 30, 2004

I just went on staff at Harrison Hospital in Bremerton, across the sound from Seattle. I worked as a traveler here for a year, and liked the area and hospital so much decided to stay. Good luck.

I worked at HMH for 15 years. You will figure it out that they are not that nice to their nurses and harass female employees. You, Arnold, will go far there as a Male nurse. There are currently 38 job positions for that hospital in Bremerton as of May 2004. Census is usually at or around 120-160 patients. With that many staffing positions open you will realize why they have difficulty finding nurses. The word is out....it is a low paying, awful hospital.

Brownms46 · May 30, 2004

I just went on staff at Harrison Hospital in Bremerton, across the sound from Seattle. I worked as a traveler here for a year, and liked the area and hospital so much decided to stay. Good luck.

You know you are the first person I have ever heard say anything good about Harrison. Good to know there is something good about them.

clavy · May 30, 2004

I work at Virgina Mason. I havent worked anywhere else in town to compare it too though.

The ER at VMMC is not good. Other than that it's not a bad place to work.