Washington state is a diverse paradise of rolling scenery, breath taking mountains, amazing waterways and hipster cities that offer something for everybody, including for those who want to pursue a career in health care, great jobs in nursing.
Like is the case in many other states there is a growing shortage of nurses – especially registered nurses – across the state. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, by the year 2020, Washington is expected to suffer a nursing shortfall of 56 percent, or 26,000 nurses. There have been efforts made over the last decade or so by both the state government and private companies like Johnson and Johnson to help increase the enrollment in nursing programs in Washington by providing grants and scholarships and while the situation is improving there are still plenty of job opportunities for graduates of nursing programs in Washington.
Washington Nurses Salary Information – One of the first thing those considering enrolling in nursing programs in Washington want to know is how much money can I expect to earn after graduation? At the moment the average salaries for graduates of nursing programs in Washington are around 8-10% lower than the national average. An LPN can expect to earn around $41,000 while an RN can expect to command $66,000. Rns who hold a BSN degree can expect to earn more, as more employers these days, in Washington and elsewhere, give hiring preference to candidates that hold these four year degrees.
Nursing Programs in Washington – There are number of different kinds of nursing certifications and qualifications a potential student in nursing programs in Washington can aspire to. Each provides a different and increasingly more complex level of education and which a potential student chooses to undertake depends very much upon how much time they want to devote to their studies and to what level they want to take their nursing career:
LPN nursing programs in Washington state take the least time to complete – about a year – and upon graduation students are eligible to sit the state licensing exam to become licensed practical nurses.
Although registered nurses are in more demand in a hospital setting than LPNs in many regions of the state there is an increasing need for dedicated LPNs to staff residential nursing homes and long term care facilities, as well as the urgent care centers that are opening up with growing frequency to help take some of the load off crowded emergency rooms by providing care to those with less serious emergencies.
LPN nursing programs in Washington are offered at community colleges as well as at many technical and vocational schools across the state.
An ADN nursing program in Washington provides students with the minimum amount of education they need to become registered nurses and takes around 2 years to complete. These programs are also offered at many community colleges as well as at some public and private universities.
A traditional BSN program is a four year degree program offered at most four year colleges. Some of these school are now also offering a non-traditional, accelerated second-degree nursing program to obtain a bachelor’s in nursing degree for those students with a bachelor degree in a different discipline who wish to make a career change into the nursing field.
For those who choose to pursue their nursing education even further earning a Masters degree in Nursing opens the door to a number of advanced nursing opportunities, including becoming a nurse practitioner, a nurse midwife or a nurse educator.