Moving to Seattle, I have some questions

SDSUBSN · Dec 29, 2016

I don't have any input to your thread post so sorry in advance - but I will be graduating in May 2017 and will be moving to Seattle around the same time you are. I am wondering the same for an affordable living area as I know I will definitely need to find a roommate.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Dec 30, 2016

No affordable living in Seattle. You have to go out quite a way to find affordable.

jaycam, RN · Dec 30, 2016

The Seattle housing bubble is horrid. You're not going to find much that is affordable. Especially if you plan on working places in the city like UW and Swedish. That said, we have a great multi city transit system that can make living outside the city easier.

UW Valley medical in Renton is a option, with housing in Renton and nearby Kent being cheaper areas. Multicare has several facilities between Auburn and Tacoma which are less expensive as well.

Most of the union hospitals here have base rates for nurses in the high twenties. Last I looked it was 28 ish but that could of gone up.

Job market is getting better. My cohort is having a decent run at getting jobs or residencies. Having a BSN will help as most hospital systems want magnet status. If you don't have one, expect to sign a contract agreeing to get it.

Good luck!

klcspb · Jan 10, 2017

I just moved to the Seattle area before Thanksgiving, so I'm still learning about the area, but maybe I can help a little. As far as jobs go, I'm a new grad with my BSN and I was a little frustrated because I did not really hear anything at all in December, but I think that was due to the holidays because in the past week, I have gotten called for four interviews at different hospitals in the area. Housing is expensive, especially in Seattle. We moved to Kent and managed to find a 2 bedroom, 2 full bath apartment for $1290 a month, which is definitely more than we wanted to spend, but was one of the cheapest options we could find. I feel like it is a good location because it is within a reasonable distance to a lot of hospitals. My boyfriend even commutes to Seattle every morning and he doesn't mind the drive, however, we are from Chicago and are used to horrendous traffic and commute times.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

SquishyRN, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2017

The union contracts of a lot of the Seattle area/Western Washington hospitals can be found online. You'll be able to see what the hospitals are offering straight from the horses' mouths including base pay, differentials, premiums, vacation, benefits, etc. Here's a link to hospitals represented by SEIU, the link to each hospital will lead to another link to the contract: Chapters | SEIU Healthcare 1199NW

Here's the link to UW Medical Center (not SEIU): https://www.wsnacdn.org/assets/local-unit-assets/university-of-washington-medical-center/2016-08-01-2015-17-WSNA-UW-CBA-CLEAN.pdf