Licensed Practical Nurse Jobs in Seattle, WA
Licensed practical nurses in Seattle are seeing posted pay of roughly $30 to $48 an hour, with First Hill clinics, community health centers and skilled nursing buildings in the Central District doing much of the hiring. Here are the current openings, then who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed.
Current licensed practical nurse Openings in Seattle, WA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Licensed Practical Nurse Work in Seattle
Seattle is an RN-heavy market. Federal wage data for May 2025 counts about 3,470 LPNs across the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro against nearly 40,000 registered nurses, so most LPN openings sit outside the big inpatient towers on Pill Hill. The work is in primary care and specialty clinics, like Swedish's First Hill clinic building on Minor Avenue, in skilled nursing and post-acute care such as the building on 16th Avenue at the edge of the Central District, and in community health programs such as the ICHS PACE program at Legacy House in the Chinatown-International District.
Pay here runs well above the state. The metro median for LPNs was $41.20 an hour in the same federal data, and Washington's pay transparency law means nearly every posting shows its range up front. Washington is also a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so nurses moving from another compact state can often start on a multistate license.
Top Seattle Employers Hiring Licensed Practical Nurses
These Seattle employers have posted LPN roles or name the LPN job family on their own careers sites:
- Providence Swedish - the Swedish Medical Group hires LPNs for its primary care clinic on the First Hill campus.
- UW Medicine - Harborview, UW Medical Center - Montlake, UW Medical Center - Northwest and UW Medicine Primary Care list LPN among their nursing roles.
- International Community Health Services (ICHS) - the community health center hires full-time LPNs for its PACE clinic at Legacy House.
- Seattle Medical Post Acute Care - the skilled nursing and rehab center on 16th Avenue staffs LPNs on resident care units.
- Optum - the UnitedHealth Group care delivery arm posts LPN roles in the Seattle area.
Licensed Practical Nurse Salaries in Seattle
- Entry level: about $30 to $35 an hour for newly licensed LPNs in clinics and community health.
- Experienced: roughly $36 to $44 an hour, the range most Seattle skilled nursing and clinic postings land in.
- Senior: $45 to $50 an hour for long-tenured LPNs at the top of hospital-system pay scales.
These are estimates built from federal May 2025 wage data for the metro and ranges posted by Seattle employers in 2026. Setting matters most: skilled nursing and post-acute buildings tend to start higher per hour, often with weekend and evening premiums, while health-system clinics trade a lower starting rate for day hours, fuller benefits and a longer step scale. Years of experience move you up that scale at union and health-system employers.
How to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse in Seattle
You need to finish a state-approved practical nursing program, pass the NCLEX-PN exam and hold a license from the Washington State Board of Nursing, which also requires an FBI fingerprint background check. The only practical nursing program in King County on the board's approved list is at Green River College in Auburn, which runs a 9-month full-time track plus 17-month part-time hybrid and weekend hybrid tracks; admission is competitive. Most Seattle employers also want an American Heart Association BLS card at hire, and some clinic roles ask for a year of clinic experience. Nurses licensed in another compact state can work here on a multistate license until they make Washington their primary residence.
What the Job Involves
LPNs take vital signs, give medications and injections, change dressings, collect specimens and document care in the electronic health record under the direction of an RN or provider. In a clinic that means rooming patients, giving vaccines, handling phone triage within scope and following up on referrals. In skilled nursing it means a medication pass for a hall of residents, wound care, and watching for changes in condition that need an RN or physician.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active Washington LPN or multistate compact license
- Current AHA BLS certification
- Safe medication administration and injections
- Electronic health record charting, often Epic
- Wound care and post-acute experience
- Clear communication with patients and families
- A second language, valued at community health centers
Career Path and Advancement
Many Seattle LPNs use the license as a paid step toward RN. Green River College offers an LPN-to-BSN path, and associate degree nursing programs at Seattle Colleges, Shoreline Community College and Bellevue College open the door to RN roles at Harborview, Kaiser and Seattle Children's, where pay climbs well past LPN scales. LPNs who stay in the role move into charge nurse duties in skilled nursing, care coordination, or specialty clinics.
Related Careers in Seattle
If practical nursing interests you, these Seattle roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses LPNs in Washington?
The Washington State Board of Nursing, formerly the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, licenses LPNs. You need to graduate from an approved program, pass the NCLEX-PN and clear an FBI fingerprint background check. Washington uses the title LPN, not LVN.
How much do LPNs make in Seattle?
Federal May 2025 data puts the metro median at $41.20 an hour. Seattle postings in 2026 have ranged from about $30 an hour at the low end of clinic scales to around $48 at the top of health-system ranges.
Where can I take an LPN program near Seattle?
Green River College in Auburn runs the only approved practical nursing program in King County. It offers a 9-month full-time track and 17-month part-time and weekend hybrid tracks, and admission is competitive, so apply early.
Can I work in Seattle with an LPN license from another state?
Yes, if it is a multistate license from a Nurse Licensure Compact state, since Washington is part of the compact. If your license is single-state, or once you move here and make Washington your primary residence, you apply to the Washington State Board of Nursing.
Do Seattle hospitals hire LPNs?
Some do, but most Seattle LPN openings are in clinics, skilled nursing and community health rather than inpatient hospital units. UW Medicine lists LPN among its nursing roles, and Providence Swedish hires LPNs for its First Hill primary care clinic.
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