Become an LPN or RN in Washington

Narrow Down Nursing Schools that Best Meet Your Goals

It’s a great time to go to school for nursing in Washington. Across the country well-educated RNs and LPNs are in huge demand. Washington is no different. Nurses in mid- to late-career are abandoning jobs and reducing work hours, leaving in their wake a dangerous void.

How to Narrow Down the List of Schools

When you want a brick and mortar nursing program right in your own backyard consider one of the few dozen in Washington. Given an A to Z list of schools, how do you best narrow down your search to schools that matter to your career goals?

Technical and vocational nursing schools primarily offer practical nurse programs. Here you learn very basic patient care skills that only prep you for LPN jobs and licensure. You can always add-on education later to earn your RN license.
Community colleges in the state specialize in the Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN). These 2-year programs are among the most popular for new nurses. Again, an abundant number of RN-to-BSN programs are available on campuses or online should you wish to advance your nursing education and career opportunities.
Four-year colleges and university nursing programs deliver the baccalaureate, graduate, and post-grad nursing degrees: BSN, MSN, PhD.

If you’re a new nurse in Washington and have no previous college degree then first decide your goal license—RN or LPN—the confine your school search as needed.

Professional nurses or career changers with a college degree already, should narrow their search for nursing schools to the four-year colleges and universities.

Find a Good Salary and Job in Washington State

Of course salary matters and a good job is the intended goal of a nursing degree. An average salary range for a staff RN in Seattle is between $61,000 and $73,600. Compare this with that for a staff RN in the Yakima area: $50,700 to $61,000.(1) This illustrates the significant differences in RN salaries between very metro areas and those a bit more outlying. If you are up for an adventure, why not try a couple travel nursing assignments in the state? These jobs offer excellent pay, completion bonuses and variety. AND there are many travel jobs open in the Pacific Northwest region.(2)

Hospitals remain the largest employers of nurses, particularly RNs. There are over 60 in state (3). But when it comes time to search for a job don’t overlook the other direct patient care and non-patient care employers where nurses are prevalent, including long-term and assisted care facilities, outpatient clinics, doctors’ offices, school systems and large businesses, insurance and pharmaceutical companies, research facilities, and legal offices.

For information on state licensure requirements visit the Washington State board of nursing.

Washington Nursing Schools that Offer Some Online Degree Options

Gonzaga University
CCNE Accredited

University of Phoenix
CCNE Accredited

Search our big list of online nursing schools for many more distance education opportunities.

Campus-based Nursing Schools in Washington

Bellevue Community College – Bellevue
Health Sciences
NLNAC Accredited

Big Bend Community College - Moses Lake
School of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Clark College – Vancouver
NLNAC Accredited

Columbia Basin College – Pasco
Nursing Department
NLNAC Accredited

Eastern Washington University – Cheney
WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing
CCNE Accredited

Everett Community College – Everett
Department of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Gonzaga University – Spokane
CCNE Accredited

Grays Harbor College – Aberdeen
Nursing Program
NLNAC Accredited

Highline Community College - Des Moines
Nursing Program
NLNAC Accredited

Lake Washington Technical College – Kirkland

Lower Columbia College – Longview
NLNAC Accredited

Northwest University – Kirkland
CCNE Accredited

Olympic College – Bremerton
NLNAC Accredited

Pacific Lutheran University – Tacoma
CCNE Accredited

Peninsula College – Port Angeles
Department of Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Pierce College – Puyallup
Associate Degree Nursing
NLNAC Accredited

Seattle Central Community College – Seattle
NLNAC Accredited

Seattle Pacific University – Seattle
CCNE Accredited

Seattle University – Seattle
CCNE Accredited

Shoreline Community College – Seattle
Nursing Program
NLNAC Accredited

Skagit Valley College - Mount Vernon
Nursing Department
NLNAC Accredited

South Puget Sound Community College – Olympia
NLNAC Accredited

Tacoma Community College – Tacoma
NLNAC Accredited

University of Washington – Seattle
CCNE Accredited

Walla Walla Community College – Walla Walla
NLNAC Accredited

Washington State University – Spokane
CCNE Accredited

Wenatchee Valley College – Wenatchee
NLNAC Accredited

Whitworth College
CCNE Accredited

Yakima Valley Community College – Yakima
NLNAC Accredited

1 Salary.com
2 Travel Nursing Demands Shift to Pacific Northwest
3 American Hospital Directory