Soon to be graduate - moving to Seattle

U.S.A. Washington

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Hello all! I've been lurking this site for a while now, but this is my first post.

I'm a senior BSN student from Pennsylvania. I'll be graduating in May and I'm looking to move to Seattle. I also have 4 years experience as a PCT in a cardiovascular ICU. So, ideally I'd like to start my career as an RN in some sort of cardiac ICU. I have almost no contacts in Seattle, so most of my information regarding the various hospitals comes from a few travelling friends, and this site. However, a lot of reviews I've found here are more than a few years old.

I'm trying to weigh my options as far as nursing culture, educational opportunities, quality care, and salary(because as far as I can tell, rent is very expensive).

The only hospitals that are really on my radar are Swedish, Virginia Mason, UWMC, and Harborview.

I'd love to hear opinions from local RN's regarding these facilities, as well as any others worth mentioning that a Pennsylvania boy might not be familiar with!

Is it realistic to expect an ICU position? Is it realistic to expect a relocation/sign on bonus? Are nurses treated fairly?

I really have a lot of questions I guess, so I suppose that's as good a place to start as any.

Thanks in advance!

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Congrats on your upcoming graduation.

So a few things to consider, although it may not all be what you want to hear:

First, many if not all of the Seattle-area hospitals are represented by unions, which means that their contracts are available to the public. With enough googling, you can find out exactly what your salary and benefits would be at each hospital (though it might take some investigative work to figure out which unions represent each hospital).

Secondly, the salaries in Seattle are kind of crappy compared to the very high cost of living. You may have to consider living in an outlying community (i.e. Renton) and commuting in to make it more affordable on a new grad salary. Living in the city is doable, although you might end up in a studio.

Third, the Seattle market is somewhat saturated with new grads since there are a ton of local nursing schools (both BSN and ADN). You'll probably be competing against many people who completed rotations on those units, which puts you at a disadvantage. In contrast, it is much easier to get an experienced position in a specialty area like ICU.

Fourth, not sure if this is specific to Washington, but it sounds like many new grad programs in general don't pay for relocation expenses (unlike experienced positions, which they may be desperate to fill). The assumption is that they'll spend upwards of $50,000 to orient you as a new grad, so they may not be willing to pay for an expensive move (especially since they've got a lot of local new grads willing to work without relocation). I've also heard that some local new grad jobs have two-year contracts under which you owe them money if you leave before the contract is up (up to $5000).

I'm sure it's doable, much easier than a job market like California, but there are certainly some challenges.

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Thank you for your input. It was the honest answer I kind of expected to get.

However, I am pleased to report that UW has offered me a position when I graduate!

Thanks again!

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Thank you for your input. It was the honest answer I kind of expected to get.

However, I am pleased to report that UW has offered me a position when I graduate!

Thanks again!

That's awesome, congrats! Seattle is an amazing area with so much to do. Out of curiosity, were you happy with your salary/reolc?

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Thank you! I'm pretty excited. And pretty nervous too.

I am happy with the salary. It's a union hospital so there's not a lot of wiggle room. And there's no relocation/sign on bonus for new grads, which I guess I didn't really expect. So the cross-country move is all on me :nailbiting:

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