Moving to Seattle Area-What Are The Best Hospitals?

[heidi b]

Hi, I am moving to Seattle area and would like your opinion on the best places to work with the best pay and opportunities...I will be starting as a new grad....any idea on the pay and working environments at different hospitals??..Thanks for your input...

[Brownms46]

I was a patient at Virginia Mason...WORST hospital I have EVER been in, and would NEVER return there! Nurses/tech were nice, but ...I wouldn't even go into the details...but I will say this...I would die on the way to somewhere else, before being bought there!!!!! :angryfire

[lady_jezebel]

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.

see above addendum.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

A lot of things about the UW are great. But staffing on the floors doesn't seem to be one of them. The ICUs are a great place to get a year or two of great experience . . . but don't plan on staying there forever. They definitely value recruitment above retention!

[bumpkittynurse]

I'm doing a BSN program in upstate New York, and my dream is to come back and work at Harborview, but I was wondering how much support new grads get. I'm in an accelerated program, so I want to do all I can to make sure my clinical skills are up to snuff. The orientation and preceptorship sound great. How do the older nurses seem to work with new grads? And how is Harborview's financial sit. affecting the nurses' job security?

Sorry, I know this is a late response, but I'm trying to get the skinny on nursing in Seattle. Sounds like there are a few good places to work.

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!!

[alyca]

In general at Harborview, precepting by experienced nurses is done voluntarily. If someone is not interested, they don't do it. So you get people who want to teach working with new grads. We have a very inviting/welcoming floor (trauma/orthopedics), and people really enjoy working with the new grads. We also get lots of nursing students from local community colleges who come in for their clinicals. My first experience at Harborview was as a student, and the wonderful nurses working there were so helpful and happy to have me there as a lowly student nurse that I signed on to work there once I graduated. It is a good environment. I have never seen/heard anyone as a new nurse running into problems with older battleaxe nurses that think no one else is good enough.

We have a strong union here that works to keep us paid and happy. Great benefits/retirement/insurance, etc with lots of options, and a pension plan for retirement. There are always issues with management and staffing, etc, just like everywhere else, but we do okay.

[tiggertoo]

try using a recruiter. they can many times get the company that hires you to pay for the move.

here is a great one and they are very personal and really work for your best intrest. i have used them many times.

edited by moderator to remove recruiters contact info, please pm poster if interested. thanks. nancy

that was helpful (taking the contact info off). i pm'd the posted and his/her pm box is so full that no more pm's can be added. i guess he/she doesn't know that their message was edited or how to answer pm's.

[ericalynn, BSN, RN]

I am a new grad and I was hired at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland. Myself and family members have also been patients there. They have a GREAT RN residency program with preceptors who WANT to be preceptors, so you know the person you are working with wants to help you succeed. I have never had a bad experience in this hosptial as a patient, family member to a patient, or as a new grad RN. I would recommend EHMC without any hesitation.

[JarOfPennies]

Erica, I've heard that it's hard to get hired by Evergreen. Did you find this to be true? Any tips or advice? I'm hoping to work in the FMC when I finish school.

[ericalynn, BSN, RN]

I applied to their RN residency program, which is what I would suggest you do. Evergreen is the only place I applied and I got hired so I really don't know if it is hard or not to get hired, but FYI, if you do get hired in FMC you work in postpartum for the first year and then you can move to L&D. Check their website for the RN resdiency program, they take residents 2 times a year, and ask for applications to be submitted prior to graduation. Good Luck!!

[JarOfPennies]

Good luck to you too, Erica... and congratulations! I did hear about their residency program. Have you completed that yet? I do hope you'll come back and let me know how you're enjoying it there. Thanks again!

[Chloe'sinNYNow]

try using a recruiter. they can many times get the company that hires you to pay for the move.

here is a great one and they are very personal and really work for your best intrest. i have used them many times.

edited by moderator to remove recruiters contact info, please pm poster if interested. thanks. nancy

clean your mailbox rnltc. i need to reach you