RN's in Spokane area?

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Hello,

How is the job market in spokane area for RN's/NP's? Where is a good place to work? Cost of living? Pay rate for experienced RN's?

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Hello,

How is the job market in spokane area for RN's/NP's? Where is a good place to work? Cost of living? Pay rate for experienced RN's?

As someone who has lived in Spokane for 15 years, the job market in Spokane is terrible! There are 3 schools of nursing here, (Spokane Community College- ADN and LPN, and 2 BSN programs- Gonzaga and ICNE). There is no respect for nurses here and the pay for nurses has not increased in years.

Sacred Heart, the largest, has been organized with the Washington State Nurses Association, and they are worse than worthless. In the midst of a nursing shortage, the nurses are MAYBE getting a 5 % raise. The contract expired in December and nothing has been settled. Sacred Heart wants to increase medical costs by 50 % and the nurses would more than lose the 5% raise the hospital is offered. The kicker is that 2 years ago the techs, aides, secretaries, etc. organized with 1199 and received SEATTLE/TACOMA AREA WAGES AND INCREASE THEIR PAY BY 20 %!!! The hospital also wants MANDATORY OT FOR SOME AREAS!! I'm trying to figure out how they are planning that since Washington outlawed Mandatory OT 2 years ago. The nurses and WSNA are so stupid they are probably going to allow it. The nurses here in Spokane are the worst of the worst interms of standing up to management, they are very weak and easliy pushed around and intiminidated by management and administration. It is not hard to do.

I grew up in New York and lived in California. The New York State Nurses Association and CNA are the best of the best. NYSNA has EMPLOYER PAYED MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR ALL NURSES AND DEPENDANTS IN THEIR CONTRACTS- IT IS NON- NEGOTIABLE!! Compare that to WSNA.

The cost of living here isn't as high as Seattle and there are not alot of high paying jobs.The techs are now making Seattle area wages! Go figure. Deaconess has not unionized and they took something like a 9 % PAY CUT LAST YEAR AND INCREASES IN THEIR MEDICAL BENIFITS because the hospital was having financial trouble!!!! Valley Hospital unionized with 1199, and Holy Family is unionized with WSNA. They have had mandatory OT for years. They only one contract ago voted it out.

The younger nurses all left and went to work at Sacred Heart and the few agencies in town, where the pay is terrible. Many have left for Seattlem Tacoma, Olympia, and California. They ahve nothing to lose. The older nurses are stuck.

Anyway, pay rates here are about $35/hr for experienced RN's at Sacred Heart. They are much less at Deaconess. I don't know about NP's. They are not making much more than other nurses with Masters' degrees. I remember talking to some who worked with MD practices. I was shocked that their pay wasn't much more than I would be making if I was working 40 hrs a week (I worked 2- 12 hr shifts). They took call, and as far as I could see, they were the scut monkeys that the interns used to be. I don't know how many are working as independant practitioners. I don't think many are. Spokane is in the Twilight Zone, and their attitude is a rather red neck mentality. Women are 2nd class citizens. I don't think that they are well received as primary care practitioners. That is why most are working within a medical practice. To make a living.

Anyway, I don't know where you live know, but nursing is not the best here and not likely to get better anytime soon. The hospitals are abusive towards their staff and the nurses take it. You decide for yourself. Don't say that I didn't tell you so.

Linda G.

Spokane, WA

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I was born, raised and have lived in Spokane for the last 38 years (well I did do a brief stint in MT. I have been a nurse here for 14 years and would agree that the pay inSpokane is not as lucrative as Seattle however, the cost of living is much much lower. 400-500 for a 1 bedroom apt compare to 800+ over in Seattle. My whole family lives in Seattle and I just got back from there..it is a great place to visit but I am not one for bumper to bumper traffic every day on the way to and from work. My mom and I went on a walk and I was looking at flyers on houses that were for sale..we went by a house that is very similar to my own with basically the same sq footage etc..asking price???..350K...I bought my house 4 yrs ago for 114k. I make 29.00 an hour but I do not work in the hospital anymore..when I left there 2 yrs ago, I was making 26.00. It really depends what type of lifestyle you want..Spoknae is a relatively quiet city..and pretty conservative..if you like outdoors we are surrounded with mountains, lakes and rivers and you can actually go camping and find a secluded spot without someone elses tent butting up to yours. Seattle is beautiful and green and I had almost decided to move there but one weekend we decided to go boating on Lake Washington and after waiting for over an hour to launch the boat and over an hour to take it out, I decided against it.

Gas is more expensive here than in Seattle however, I did note when I went to the store with my mom this weekend as I was buying the breakfast bars I always eat here at their safeway they were 2.00 more a box?? Thought that was a little nutty.

As far as the nurse/ doc relationship here..I have not had any problems other than a few and I would assume that would happen everywhere..I used to work ER and the docs were always great!!

I was at Sacred Heart about a month ago and there was a long list of job openings posted....

Just another perspective I guess.

Erin

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Your info was soooo great!!! I have hope. I looked online and I saw very little listings for RN's. I thought that all the nurses went to Spaokane! Can you name other hospitals? How about NP's? Is there a job market there? Is there a local online newspaper that the locals use to check out what is happening in Spokane? Thank you for your response!!!

Kim

I was born, raised and have lived in Spokane for the last 38 years (well I did do a brief stint in MT. I have been a nurse here for 14 years and would agree that the pay inSpokane is not as lucrative as Seattle however, the cost of living is much much lower. 400-500 for a 1 bedroom apt compare to 800+ over in Seattle. My whole family lives in Seattle and I just got back from there..it is a great place to visit but I am not one for bumper to bumper traffic every day on the way to and from work. My mom and I went on a walk and I was looking at flyers on houses that were for sale..we went by a house that is very similar to my own with basically the same sq footage etc..asking price???..350K...I bought my house 4 yrs ago for 114k. I make 29.00 an hour but I do not work in the hospital anymore..when I left there 2 yrs ago, I was making 26.00. It really depends what type of lifestyle you want..Spoknae is a relatively quiet city..and pretty conservative..if you like outdoors we are surrounded with mountains, lakes and rivers and you can actually go camping and find a secluded spot without someone elses tent butting up to yours. Seattle is beautiful and green and I had almost decided to move there but one weekend we decided to go boating on Lake Washington and after waiting for over an hour to launch the boat and over an hour to take it out, I decided against it.

Gas is more expensive here than in Seattle however, I did note when I went to the store with my mom this weekend as I was buying the breakfast bars I always eat here at their safeway they were 2.00 more a box?? Thought that was a little nutty.

As far as the nurse/ doc relationship here..I have not had any problems other than a few and I would assume that would happen everywhere..I used to work ER and the docs were always great!!

I was at Sacred Heart about a month ago and there was a long list of job openings posted....

Just another perspective I guess.

Erin

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Kim

Deaconess Medical center

Sacred Heart medical Center

Holy family Hospital

Valley Hospital

I don't know what type of nurse you are but Spokane has a pretty impressive heart transplant program at the Heart institute.

I would go to the Spokesman review online..Look on Sundays, that is when the ads are there.

As far as NPs..I am not sure, I know a few and they are all working and seem to be happy.

We also have Coeur d' Alene Id about 15 miles away and there is

Kootenai Medical Center there

All of the Spokane hospitals have websites and you can search for jobs...I have never met a nurse that had a hard time getting hired here.

Although not as exciting as Seattle , we do get concerts, broadway musicals, we have a "small" baseball team..there really is always something going on, just need to know where to look.

We have all four seasons..snow in the winter, 80-90 in the summer, fall and spring..that is something I wouldn't trade!! Good luck! Erin

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