Spokane hospitals ðŸ˜„

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Aug 16, 2015

Have you checked the many threads about Seattle hospitals in this section?

lindarn · Aug 18, 2015

I have no idea why you would want to move to Spokane. Spokane is an economic and employment black hole. I have spent 26 miserable years here.

There is NO nursing shortage in Spokane, and has never had one, even when most of the country was experiencing one.

Spokane has three schools of nursing- three BSN programs, and one ADN. In addition to these schools, there is a BSN program at Boise State in Idaho, an ADN program in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 60 miles from Spokane, and various ADN programs in other parts of Eastern Washington.

Nurses have NEVER been treated especially well in Spokane. Washington State is not a, "right to work" state, but Idaho, right next door, is. Idaho's "right to work", politics and mentality, has spread like manure to eastern Washington.

Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia are much better places to work, but it is also much more expensive to live there. It is 300 miles to these cities from Spokane. Tricities is about 150 miles south of Spokane.

Spokane also has a VA hospital, which is unionized, a State Mental Hospital (Eastern State Hospital), and a hospital for the developmentally delayed, (Lakeland Village). There is also a Shriners Hospital, which is across the street from Deaconess, and was only completed a few years ago. It is a very nice facility. There is a Guild School, for Developmentally Disabled children and infants.

There are also nursing homes all over Spokane, and a rehab hospital, St Luke's, also down the block from Deaconess, and Sacred Heart, which are almost next to each other, down town.

If I had to choose where to work in Spokane, I would choose the VA, Eastern, or Lakeland village. The VA is Federal, with GREAT benefits, a NO Low census, send home policy, or Eastern or Lakeland Village, both state facilities, with great pay and benefits, (~$38-$39 + an hour). The acute care hospitals are probably about $30+ an hour. Hospitals have to compete with hospitals from California who offer staffing ratios, and very high pay. You can check on WSNAs website, and look at their contract. You can probably do the same for the state facilities. The State also has GREAT BENEFITS AND PENSION PLAN, as does the VA. Spokane also has a much lower cost of living than Seattle Tacoma, or Olympia.

Spokane has always had a poor economy, scarce jobs, low paying, minimum wage jobs, and NO industry except for health care. I have always felt that Spokane was a Blue Collar, Trailer Trash Community. But I am from NYC.

Kaiser Aluminum had a large plant here, but when the union started to make demands, and went on strike, the owner just up and closed the plant to spite the union and workers. They put over 2000 people out of work, and in an area that has few good paying, benefitted jobs to offer.

This was definately a Koch Brothers, act, for sure.

There are two hospital systems here- Providence, which owns Sacred Heart (the larger on), and Holy Family, the smaller one. Sacred Heart and Holy Family are unionized with WSNA. WSNA is NOT a particularly strong union, but it is better than nothing.

Deaconess and Valley used to be owned by Empire Health (was going bankrupt), and was bought out by Community Health, a very anti union corporation from Tennessee. Deaconess was non union for years, and finally unionized under SEIU while it was still owned by Empire Health. The nurses were not happy with SEIU, and voted them out. Deaconess nurses have a, "diploma nurse, martyr mary mentality". The other departments that voted in SEIU, have remained unionized with SEIU. Deaconess and Sacred Heart, both had RN Diploma Schools of Nursing, that closed many years ago. The pay is somewhat comparable to Sacred Heart, or they would not have any nurses. The pay and benefits are still lower than Sacred Heart and Holy Family.

The moral of the story is, I would stay away from Spokane. I would choose the Tricities area of Eastern Washington (Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland). They are in South Central Washington State.

The hospitals are unionized with WSNA, pay and benefits are actually better than Spokane.

The one good thing that I can say about Washington State, is that we have NO state income tax, and we have NO toll roads or toll bridges.

I hope I have answered your questions. Feel Free to PM me is you need some more information.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN (ret)