Healthcare & Medical Jobs in Seattle, WA
Seattle's hospital district sits on one hill: First Hill, which locals call Pill Hill, home to Harborview, Swedish and Virginia Mason within a few blocks of each other. The guides below cover every healthcare and medical role in Seattle, who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed.
Why Healthcare & Medical Work Is Different in Seattle
Health care and social assistance is one of the largest employers in the Seattle area, at roughly 179,000 jobs in 2026, behind only professional and technical services and government. The work is packed into a few neighborhoods. Pill Hill holds Harborview Medical Center, the region's only Level 1 trauma and burn center, along with Swedish First Hill and Virginia Mason Medical Center. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center anchors South Lake Union next to the Amazon campus, Kaiser Permanente Washington runs its main campus on Capitol Hill and a medical center at Northgate, UW Medical Center sits in Montlake by the university, and Seattle Children's fills a campus on Sand Point Way in Laurelhurst. Community health centers such as ICHS in the Chinatown-International District and Neighborcare Health spread primary care across the rest of the city.
Three things set Seattle apart from the rest of Washington. Pay is high: the city minimum wage is $21.30 an hour in 2026 against $17.13 statewide, and federal data puts the metro's mean healthcare practitioner wage above $66 an hour. Most large hospital nursing staffs are unionized under WSNA or SEIU 1199NW, so pay follows step scales; Seattle Children's nurses ratified a contract in early 2026 that runs to February 2029. And Washington's pay transparency law means nearly every posting shows its range, so you can compare employers before you apply. Washington is also a Nurse Licensure Compact state, which makes it easier for nurses to move here.
Top Healthcare & Medical Employers in Seattle
These Seattle employers hire across the roles in this hub:
- UW Medicine - Harborview, UW Medical Center - Montlake and Northwest, UW Medicine Primary Care and Airlift Northwest, hiring RNs, LPNs and CNA / Patient Care Technicians.
- Kaiser Permanente Washington - the Capitol Hill campus and Northgate Medical Center, hiring RNs, medical assistants, lab assistants and pharmacy technicians.
- Providence Swedish - First Hill, Cherry Hill and Ballard campuses plus Swedish Medical Group clinics, including LPN roles in primary care.
- Virginia Mason Franciscan Health - Virginia Mason Medical Center on First Hill, hiring RNs, CNAs and certified medical assistants.
- Seattle Children's - the Laurelhurst pediatric hospital, with a one-year nurse residency for new graduates and CNA roles for nursing students.
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - the South Lake Union cancer center, hiring infusion RNs and CNAs.
- International Community Health Services (ICHS) - the community health center, hiring RNs, LPNs and medical assistants for its Seattle clinics and PACE program.
Healthcare & Medical Career Paths in Seattle
- Nursing - Certified Nursing Assistant, Licensed Practical Nurse, Registered Nurse. The classic ladder, and in Seattle each step is a real job: the CNA credential is a prerequisite for the Seattle Colleges nursing program, and LPN-to-BSN paths lead to hospital RN roles.
- Outpatient clinic care - Medical Assistant. The fastest route into patient care in a city full of primary care clinics, with a state credential that takes about a year of school.
- Industry overview - Healthcare. Start here for the big picture of who employs whom across the metro, then move to the role guides as they are added.
How to Start a Healthcare & Medical Career in Seattle
- Washington State Board of Nursing license - required for RNs and LPNs, after an approved program, the NCLEX and an FBI fingerprint background check. Multistate compact licenses are accepted.
- Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) - required to work as a CNA, issued by the Washington State Department of Health after an approved program and the state skills and knowledge tests.
- Medical Assistant-Certified (MA-C) - required to work as a medical assistant, issued by the Department of Health after an MA program and an approved national exam; an interim credential covers new graduates.
- Seattle Central College - Medical Assisting certificate and Nursing Assistant Certified courses, with labs at the Health Education Center on Beacon Hill and South Seattle College.
- Seattle Colleges and Shoreline Community College - associate degree nursing programs, the most common local route to an RN license.
- Green River College, Auburn - the only approved practical nursing program in King County.
- University of Washington, Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University - bachelor's degree nursing programs on the U-District, Capitol Hill and Queen Anne campuses.
The nursing licenses, the NA-C and the MA-C are legally required for those roles; an AHA BLS card, a year of experience or a specific national exam are employer preferences that vary by posting.
Healthcare & Medical Salaries in Seattle
- Entry - about $24 to $30 an hour for certified nursing assistants and medical assistants starting out.
- Mid - roughly $30 to $48 an hour for LPNs and experienced CNAs and MAs at hospitals and health systems.
- Senior - $46 to $85 an hour or more for registered nurses, whose metro median was $61.66 an hour in May 2025 federal data.
These are estimates from federal May 2025 wage data for the metro and ranges posted by Seattle employers in 2026. Unionized hospital systems pay the most over time on their step scales and add night, weekend and specialty differentials, while community health centers often offer sign-on bonuses. Skilled nursing and long-term care tend to start support roles lower than the hospitals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Seattle hospitals hire the most?
UW Medicine, Providence Swedish, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Virginia Mason and Seattle Children's are the biggest hospital employers in the city, with Fred Hutch close behind in cancer care. Most are on or near First Hill, with Children's in Laurelhurst and Kaiser at Northgate.
How much do healthcare workers make in Seattle?
Federal May 2025 data put the metro's mean healthcare support wage near $26 an hour and the mean for healthcare practitioners above $66. Postings in 2026 show CNAs and MAs starting in the mid-$20s to high-$20s and hospital RNs from about $43 to $88 an hour.
Can I work in Seattle with a nursing license from another state?
If you hold a multistate license from a Nurse Licensure Compact state, yes, since Washington is in the compact. Otherwise you apply to the Washington State Board of Nursing for a Washington license.
What is the fastest way into healthcare in Seattle?
A Nursing Assistant Certified course at Seattle Central College takes 8 to 9 weeks full-time, and the Medical Assisting certificate about three quarters. Both lead to state credentials that Seattle hospitals and clinics hire for.
Are Seattle healthcare jobs unionized?
Many are. WSNA and SEIU 1199NW represent nurses and other staff at several of the large Seattle hospital systems, which means posted step scales and set differentials. Clinic and community health jobs vary by employer.
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