Nursing Programs in Seattle
Patience, attention to detail, and the ability to work as part of a team: these are just some of the traits that nurses in Seattle must have to be successful. Whether you want to complete an Associate’s degree, Bachelor’s degree, or Master’s degree in nursing, this city has several nursing schools that can provide the education you need. This huge metropolitan area has many potential employers as well, including nursing homes, hospitals, and research facilities.
Seattle has an ethnically diverse population, according to the City of Seattle, leading to a need for nurses that can use sensitivity when it comes to cultural norms and treating patients of different backgrounds.
One benefit of beginning a career in this area is the fact that you may be able to help alleviate the area’s shortage of nurses. The Washington Center for Nursing notes that there is a statewide nursing shortage that is expected to worsen in the years to come. To learn more about your option for study, contact the Seattle nursing schools that interest you.
Curriculum, Costs, and Financial Aid for Nursing in Seattle
As a nursing student in Seattle, you can plan on developing a wide variety of skills and a solid knowledge base that can enable you to serve patients of different ages and medical needs. While an Associate’s degree may prepare you to work in emergency care and certain specialties, a Bachelor’s degree can open up more nursing specialty areas to you. As a graduate or doctoral student, you may focus on one higher-level nursing field.
If you are hoping to earn an Associate’s degree or Bachelor’s degree, you may take many core nursing courses. It’s likely that your curriculum will have courses like Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacology, Foundations of Professional Nursing, Health Assessment, and Nursing Interventions. Some of these courses are held entirely in the classroom, while others include a lab component. In the lab, you may learn how to perform a patient assessment, draw blood, how to safely store medical equipment and bodily fluids, and how to interpret test results. Clinical practice is a core part of any nursing curriculum. Most Seattle schools require you to begin your clinical hours early in the program and continue them until graduation. Your clinical experience may take you into local hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes.
Tuition rates vary widely in this area. Community colleges, like Seattle Central College, tend to have the lowest tuition rates. Here, tuition is $106.84 per credit hour for residents or $278.84 for non-residents. Slightly more expensive is the University of Washington, where tuition is $3,580 per semester for residents and $10,300 for non-residents. At Seattle University, all students pay $37,845 per year.
Scholarships can go a long way to making your education more affordable. Both Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University offer a long list of nursing scholarships. The Washington State Nurses Association awards scholarships to multiple students every year, as does the Washington Center for Nursing.
Career Options in Seattle Area
Some of the largest nursing employers in Seattle include Evergreen Health Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, and Columbia Lutheran Home. Some employers in this area offer tuition reimbursement and assistance to employees attending nursing school. Seattle Children’s Hospital and Northwest Hospital & Medical Center have tuition benefits for full-time employees. There are also several research facilities in this area; the Seattle Nursing Research Conference brings together those in the field of nursing research every year.
Salaries for different nursing positions in this area tend to be slightly higher than the national average. Those who go into licensed professional nursing earn a median salary of $54,450 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Registered nurses receive an average annual salary of $82,750
(BLS, 2016). The median income for a nurse practitioner is $108,540 (BLS, 2016). Nurses of all degree levels and backgrounds are welcome to join the Washington State Nurses Association, an organization that offers continuing education courses, legislative updates, and information on nursing practice in Washington.
To find out more about the nursing programs in Seattle that interest you, contact the schools listed on our site today.
