NP or nurse practioner programs are for registered nurses who would like to become advanced practice nurses or APNs. Other APNs include the CRNA, the CNS and the CNM. All of these nurses have earned master’s degreee, the difference has to do with [...]
Nursing Schools in Washington
The state of Washington is where industry giants Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks are headquartered. But this heart of the Pacific Northwest is also home to over 50,000 nurses and a strong healthcare industry. Most of them work in heavy population centers in Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma.
They enjoy the privilege of not having to pay personal income tax, as Washington is one of only a few states who do not require it. There are over 40 nursing schools in Washington with most of them concentrated in the western part of the state. There are growing opportunities for students in the rural areas mainly through the Rural Outreach Nursing Education (RONE), which lets students perform clinicals in their local facilities.
They offer traditional, online and other distance learning methods to teach their nursing programs. Nursing schools in Washington provide the whole range of nursing education options: LPN, ADN, BSN, and MSN. PhD programs are offered by the University of Washington in Seattle and Washington State University in Spokane. Bridge programs like LPN to ADN and RN to BSN are also available. Master of science in nursing (MSN) programs have tracks for aspiring advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) such as nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners and nurse midwives. LPN programs have declined while all other nursing programs have expanded during the last ten years.
According to the Washington Center for Nursing, the number of nursing graduates has doubled since 2001. The upswing in the graduation rate over the years has masked the shortage of faculty and clinical sites. To overcome these hurdles, the nursing educators in the state have expanded the number of programs and accommodated more nursing applicants. The Washington Center for Nursing says that the ADN acceptance rate is 46 percent and the BSN acceptance rate is 47 percent.
Students are required to finish prerequisites like anatomy and biochemistry, and pass admission tests like ATI (Assessment Technologies, Inc.) and TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Tests) when they apply. After they graduate and before taking the licensure exam, they are also required to pass the HESI (Health Education Systems, Inc.) test to gauge their readiness and ability to pass the NCLEX licensure examination. These tests ensure that Washington nursing schools only produce the best nursing graduates.
Student applicants should measure the rigors of a particular nursing program before applying. While the economic downturn has limited the number of openings in nursing in the state, the long-term job outlook for nurses is still very good. Tenured nurses are still approaching retirement and the state population is aging. New nurses would be needed to replace the shrinking workforce. The University of Washington Center for Health Workforce Studies estimates that the state would be needing 400 new nurses per year, every year until 2020. It would be a wise choice for students to invest in their studies now and later reap the benefits of a rewarding nursing career in “The Evergreen State.”
Employment: 54,260
Hourly Mean Wage: $34.83
Annual Mean Wage: $72,450
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
State Nursing Board: Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission
State Nurses Association: Washington State Nurses Association
State Hospital Association: Washington State Hospital Association
Washington Nursing Schools
| School Name: Bates Technical College Address: 1101 S Yakima Ave, Tacoma, Washington 98405 Contact: (253) 680-7000 Website: www.bates.ctc.edu/ Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Bellevue College Address: 3000 Landerholm Cir SE, Bellevue, Washington 98007-6484 Contact: (425) 564-1000 Website: bellevuecollege.edu/ Type of School: 4-year, primarily associate’s, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Bellingham Technical College Address: 3028 Lindbergh Ave, Bellingham, Washington 98225-1599 Contact: (360) 752-7000 Website: www.btc.ctc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Big Bend Community College Address: 7662 Chanute St, Moses Lake, Washington 98837-3299 Contact: (509) 793-2222 Website: WWW.BIGBEND.EDU Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Cascadia Community College Address: 18345 Campus Way NE, Bothell, Washington 98011-8205 Contact: (425) 352-8000 Website: www.cascadia.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Less than one year certificate; One but less than two years certificate; Associate’s degree Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Centralia College Address: 600 Centralia College Blvd., Centralia, Washington 98531-4099 Contact: (360) 736-9391 x428 Website: www.centralia.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Clark College Address: 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, Washington 98663-3598 Contact: (360) 992-2000 Website: www.clark.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Clover Park Technical College Address: 4500 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood, Washington 98499-4004 Contact: (253) 589-5800 Website: www.cptc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Columbia Basin College Address: 2600 N 20th Ave, Pasco, Washington 99301 Contact: (509) 547-0511 Website: www.columbiabasin.edu Type of School: 4-year, primarily associate’s, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Eastern Washington University Address: 526 5th Street, Cheney, Washington 99004-2496 Contact: (509) 359-6200 Website: www.ewu.edu/Home.xml Type of School: 4-year, Public Program Types: Bachelor of Science in Nursing Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: Edmonds Community College Address: 20000 68th Ave W, Lynnwood, Washington 98036-5912 Contact: (425) 640-1459 Website: www.edcc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Less than one year certificate; One but less than two years certificate; Associate’s degree Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Everest College Address: Bremerton, WA / Everett, WA / Renton, WA / Tacoma, WA / Vancouver, WA Program Types: LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Everett Community College Address: 2000 Tower Street, Everett, Washington 98201 Contact: (425) 388-9100 Website: www.everettcc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Gonzaga University Address: E 502 Boone Ave, Spokane, Washington 99258-0001 Contact: (509) 328-4220 Website: www.gonzaga.edu Type of School: 4-year, Private not-for-profit Program Types: Bachelor’s degree; Postbaccalaureate certificate; Master’s degree; Post-master’s certificate Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Grays Harbor College Address: 1620 Edward P Smith Dr, Aberdeen, Washington 98520-7599 Contact: (360) 532-9020 Website: ghc.ctc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Green River Community College Address: 12401 SE 320th St, Auburn, Washington 98092-3622 Contact: (253) 833-9111 Website: www.greenriver.edu/ Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Heritage University Address: 3240 Fort Rd, Toppenish, Washington 98948 Contact: (509) 865-8500 Website: www.heritage.edu Type of School: 4-year, Private not-for-profit Program Types: LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Highline Community College Address: 2400 S 240th St, Des Moines, Washington 98198-9800 Contact: (206) 878-3710 Website: www.highline.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Lake Washington Technical College Address: 11605 132nd Ave NE, Kirkland, Washington 98034-8506 Contact: (425) 739-8100 Website: www.lwtc.edu Type of School: 4-year, primarily associate’s, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Lower Columbia College Address: 1600 Maple Street, Longview, Washington 98632-0310 Contact: (360) 442-2311 Website: lowercolumbia.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Northwest University Address: 5520 108th Ave NE, Kirkland, Washington 98083-0579 Contact: (425) 822-8266 Website: www.northwestu.edu Type of School: 4-year, Private not-for-profit Program Types: Bachelor of Science in Nursing Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: Olympic College Address: 1600 Chester Ave, Bremerton, Washington 98337-1699 Contact: (360) 792-6050 Website: www.olympic.edu Type of School: 4-year, primarily associate’s, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN/LVN, RN to BSN Accreditation: CCNE accredited, NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Pacific Lutheran University Address: 1010 122nd St So, Tacoma, Washington 98447-0003 Contact: (253) 531-6900 Website: www.plu.edu Type of School: 4-year, Private not-for-profit Program Types: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Direct Entry MSN, LPN to BSN, Masters in Nursing, RN to BSN Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: Peninsula College Address: 1502 E Lauridsen Blvd, Port Angeles, Washington 98362 Contact: (360) 452-9277 Website: www.pencol.edu Type of School: 4-year, primarily associate’s, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom Address: 9401 Farwest Dr SW, Lakewood, Washington 98498-1999 Contact: (253) 964-6500 Website: www.pierce.ctc.edu/ Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Less than one year certificate; One but less than two years certificate; Associate’s degree; Two but less than 4 years certificate Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Pierce College at Puyallup Address: 1601 39th Ave SE, Puyallup, Washington 98374-2222 Contact: (253) 840-8400 Website: www.pierce.ctc.edu/ Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Renton Technical College Address: 3000 NE Fourth St, Renton, Washington 98056-4195 Contact: (425) 235-2352 Website: www.rtc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Seattle Community College-Central Campus Address: 1701 Broadway Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98122 Contact: (206) 587-3800 Website: www.seattlecentral.org Type of School: 4-year, primarily associate’s, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Seattle Community College-North Campus Address: 9600 College Way North, Seattle, Washington 98103-3599 Contact: (206) 527-3600 Website: www.northseattle.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Seattle Community College-South Campus Address: 6000 16th Ave SW, Seattle, Washington 98106-1499 Contact: (206) 764-5300 Website: southseattle.edu Type of School: 4-year, primarily associate’s, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: N/A |
| School Name: Seattle Pacific University Address: 3307 3rd Ave W, Seattle, Washington 98119-1997 Contact: (206) 281-2000 Website: www.spu.edu Type of School: 4-year, Private not-for-profit Program Types: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Masters in Nursing, RN to BSN Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: Seattle University Address: 900 Broadway, Seattle, Washington 98122-4340 Contact: (206) 296-6000 Website: www.seattleu.edu Type of School: 4-year, Private not-for-profit Program Types: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Direct Entry MSN, Masters in Nursing Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: Shoreline Community College Address: 16101 Greenwood Ave N, Shoreline, Washington 98133-5696 Contact: (206) 546-4101 Website: www.shoreline.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Skagit Valley College Address: 2405 E. College Way, Mount Vernon, Washington 98273 Contact: (360) 416-7600 Website: www.skagit.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: South Puget Sound Community College Address: 2011 Mottman Rd SW, Olympia, Washington 98512-6292 Contact: (360) 596-5241 Website: www.spscc.ctc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Spokane Community College Address: 1810 North Greene Street, Spokane, Washington 99217-5399 Contact: (509) 533-8020 Website: www.scc.spokane.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Tacoma Community College Address: 6501 S 19th St, Tacoma, Washington 98466-6100 Contact: (253) 566-5000 Website: www.tacomacc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: University of Washington-Bothell Campus Address: 18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, Washington 98011-8246 Contact: (425) 352-5000 Website: www.bothell.washington.edu/ Type of School: 4-year, Public Program Types: Masters in Nursing, RN to BSN Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: University of Washington-Seattle Campus Address: 1400 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle, Washington 98195-4550 Contact: (206) 543-2100 Website: www.washington.edu Type of School: 4-year, Public Program Types: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Direct Entry MSN, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Masters in Nursing, PhD in Nursing, Second Degree BSN Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Address: 1900 Commerce St, Tacoma, Washington 98402-3100 Contact: (253) 692-4000 Website: www.tacoma.washington.edu/ Type of School: 4-year, Public Program Types: Masters in Nursing, RN to BSN Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: Walla Walla Community College Address: 500 Tausick Way, Walla Walla, Washington 99362-9267 Contact: (509) 522-2500 Website: www.wallawalla.cc Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Walla Walla University Address: 204 S College Ave, College Place, Washington 99324-1198 Contact: (509) 527-2615 Website: Type of School: 4-year, Private not-for-profit Program Types: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, LPN to BSN, RN to BSN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Washington State University Address: French Administration Building, Pullman, Washington 99164-1009 Contact: (509) 335-3564 Website: www.wsu.edu/ Type of School: 4-year, Public Program Types: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Masters in Nursing, PhD in Nursing, RN to BSN ONLINE PROGRAMS OFFERED Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: Wenatchee Valley College Address: 1300 Fifth St, Wenatchee, Washington 98801-1799 Contact: (509) 682-6800 Website: www.wvc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Whatcom Community College Address: 237 W Kellogg Rd, Bellingham, Washington 98226 Contact: (360) 383-3000 Website: www.whatcom.ctc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN to ADN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
| School Name: Whitworth University Address: 300 W Hawthorne Rd, Spokane, Washington 99251 Contact: (509) 777-1000 Website: www.whitworth.edu Type of School: 4-year, Private not-for-profit Program Types: Bachelor of Science in Nursing Accreditation: CCNE accredited |
| School Name: Yakima Valley Community College Address: South 16th Ave. & Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima, Washington 98907-2520 Contact: (509) 574-4600 Website: www.yvcc.edu Type of School: 2-year, Public Program Types: Associate Degree Nursing, LPN/LVN Accreditation: NLNAC accredited |
