"Vital" New Nurse Information About Local Employers...

By: Josh Lystra and Jennifer Orta

Here are some "vital" answers to some of the most common questions when looking for your first position as an RN. The information is broken down by organization and interviews were conducted via telephone conversation with the appropriate hiring manager listed. Hope this helps everyone in their search for work.

MultiCare

Barry White-253-403-4862
Sandy Squires-253-403-1176
Jennifer Sutton-253-459-6886
Starting Wage: $24.43 (Due to increase after first of year)
Benefits: Med/Dent, Retirement, Tuition Reimbursement, Loan Repayment, Annual Gain Share Award.
Residencies: Many Residencies available. Commitment of 1 year after residency completed.
Nurse:Pt Ratio: Based on Acuity, no set number per department.

Franciscan
Erin Davis-253-857-1433/253-426-6958
Starting Wage: $24.37 (At St. Claire’s & Joe’s) $24.39 (At St. Francis)
Benefits: Med/Dent, 403B, Pension plan, Tuition Reimbursement, Loan Repayment (up to 9K), Scholarships for CE.
Residencies: Offered in August and February for Med/Surg, ED, ICU, OR, Rehab, Oncology, Birth Ctr.
Nurse:Pt Ratio: Typically 1:4 or 1:5. Depending on acuity.

Madigan Army Medical Center
Sandy Jones-253-968-2859
Starting Wage: Start at GS5 level ADN at 51,344/yr (This goes up as you move up levels)
Benefits: Cost of living raise every January, 10 % night diff, Student loan repayment with 3 yr commitment, 10 paid holidays, Med/Dent, 401K, Retirement plan (3 yr invested).
Residency: 6 week orientation at hire and mentored in department until comfortable.
Nurse:Pt Ratio: Typically 1:3.

Valley Medical
Jill Rogerson-425-228-3440 Ext. 3909
Starting Wage: $24.04 (Due to change in July)
Benefits: Free Med premium for dependents, Life insurance, Long-term Disability, 10 days vacation (more with yrs of service), Sick, holidays, Pension plan employer funded after 3 yrs service, CE $, car pool, RN to BSN program on site through SPU (CE$ can be used for this tuition as well as scholarships available)
Residencies: Many residencies for different departments available.
Nurse:Pt Ratio: Typically 1:2.

Virginia Mason
Mary Pirnke-866-422-2275
Starting Wage: $25.41 (after eight years experience projected to be $31.41)
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-term and long –term disability, VMMC retirement plain, 403 (b) savings plan, Transportation subsidies.
Residency: 10-12 weeks. Positions available upon need in Ortho, GI, Uro, Nephro, Neuro, Pulmonary, Thoracic, Oncology,Critical Care, Perioperative and ER.
Nurse:Pt Ratio: Determined by patient acuity.

Swedish Medical
Jessica Corkren-206-320-7547
Starting Wage: Swedish recognizes and gives full credit for recent, continuous nursing experience when determining salaries for nursing positions. Please contact a nurse recruiter for salary information based upon your nursing experience. Call a nurse recruiter directly at 206-386-2141 or toll-free at 1-800-378-8236.
Benefits: Medical, Dental, 401 K, 403 B, Swedish employees who are working toward a degree that may be used for career advancement within Swedish can receive up to 80-percent tuition reimbursement at a maximum of $2,800 per year. Employees taking classes toward a certification can receive up to 80-percent reimbursement at a maximum of $1,500, Long-term disability Insurance.

Residencies: Swedish provides an orientation that is tailored to meet the needs of the individual and his or her department or unit. Nurses receive a flexible orientation that combines theory and clinical experience under the guidance of a preceptor.
Nurse:Pt Ratio: 1 RN to 4 patients

Overlake
Human Resources-425-688-5201
Starting Wage: $24.10
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Long –term and short-term disability, 401 k, 403 (b) savings plan, Life Insurance, Tuition reimbursements targeted to market specific postions.

Residency: Telemetry, ER, Mother Baby, Medical Surgical
Nurse:Pt Ratio: 1 RN to 5/6 patients

Harborview Medical/UW Medical
Cathy Ivers-206-744-9241
Enedina Dumas-206-598-3975
Kennison Cope-206-498-4267
Starting Wages: RN(New Graduate) $4,186/mth
RN(Staff Nurse)$4,186- $7,239/mth
RN(Assistant Nurse Manager)$4,521 - $7,818/mth
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Life Insurance, 403 (b) savings plan, Classified employees, after six months of employment, who work at least 50% are eligible for a tuition benefit of up to six credits per quarter at University of Washington campuses and other participating state colleges on a space available basis. Employees will be required to pay only a small processing fee. New employees relocating here and working at least 50% (and/or their spouse and dependents) will qualify for in-state tuition if the employee begins work at UWMC prior to the start of the quarter for which they have applied. Normally, it takes one year to establish residence and receive in-state tuition.
Residency: Precepted Clinical Orientation: A precepted unit-based clinical orientation. You will receive one-on-one individualized orientation to your clinical unit with experienced RNs.
Selected education opportunities by nursing specialty**
New Graduate Symposium: a four-day class series offered several times a year for new RN graduates. The symposium is designed to enhance competency in the following areas: Critical thinking, prioritization, and delegation skills; PICC and central lines; Patient and nurse safety; Discharge planning; Patient education resources on line; Pain management and pain pumps; Ostomy, skin and wound care; codes; and strategies to ensure successful transition to the professional RN role.
Specialty Consortium Programs.
Immediate Response Conference.
Computerized information system training: a computer class to orient you to the UWMC computerized information system for documentation.
Nurse:Pt Ratio: Based on patient acuity and specific specialty area.

*Resources are listed by each organization with name and phone number. All information was obtained via phone calls to each organization’s contact person.