Northwest Washington Nursing Jobs
A shared vision of care
At PeaceHealth, we respect the dignity of each person. That means we care differently — not just for our patients, but for our nurses.
We see you and support you.
Careers at PeaceHealth offer:
Outstanding pay and benefits
- Starting salaries of more than $37 to $71 an hour.
- Great shift differentials.
- Staffing that prioritizes meal and rest breaks for nurses.
- Health, dental, life, 401K, paid time off (no waiting period), and more.
- Student loan repayment, scholarships and tuition reimbursement.
- Wellness programs and fitness facilities.
- Relocation and housing support to move to Northwest Washington.
Career advancement
- Professional development programs created by nurses for nurses.
- Free continuing education for every nurse, regardless of role.
- Mentorship, residencies, and fellowships.
- Pathways to promotion and additional degrees while staying in your current role.
- Support to grow your skills, whether you’re a new grad or decades into your career.
Nurse-friendly culture
- Mission-driven workplace that brings heart and compassion to every moment.
- Managers and preceptors who encourage work-life balance.
- Commitment to community health and diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Nurses, doctors and other caregivers who work together and respect each other.
- Clinical programs graded A for quality and safety, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
- Recognition for nurses’ compassion and care, including DAISY Awards, PeaceHealth’s Mission and Values Awards and more.
Quality of life
- A vibrant location in the North Cascades region, with world-class hiking, biking and running trails. We’re just minutes from the mountains, the islands and the beach.
- A close-knit community where your neighbors may also be your patients or your co-workers.
- Access to the resources of a major cities like Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., along with the charms of small towns and rural communities.
- Cost of living that’s less than big cities, so your paycheck goes farther.
Nurses in their own words
“What do I love about my job? Everything. I can't even pick and choose. The team at PeaceHealth is great. Everybody's respectful to each other and to our patients. And we're always working toward patient safety. Also, there are several programs which make it easier for nurses. I personally did my BSN here. PeaceHealth reimbursed my tuition, which helped me a lot. There’s a preceptor program you can enroll into and once you’ve done the course, you can precept new nurses. And the PNAP, the Professional Nurse Advancement Program, helps nurses get further education and move along in their careers.”
— Preet Sandhu, RN, emergency department nurse, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center
“PeaceHealth is a great place to work because there's a sense of family and community. I’ve been here for 15 years. I started out in the dish room in the cafeteria, advanced to cashiering, then worked in ER admitting and in childcare center admitting — all while going to nursing school. When I was in school, my union offered tuition assistance and made it possible for me to complete my nursing program. I know so many people here, from housekeepers to doctors, that I've had longstanding relationships with. They’ve been very supportive of my journey.”
— Abby Farmer, RN, surgical nurse, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center
Frequently asked questions
How can I grow my practice and my skills while working at PeaceHealth?
PeaceHealth has growth opportunities for clinical nurses at all stages in their careers. Ask around and you’ll find it’s common for a caregiver to start with us as a CNA or nurse tech — or even as a hospital cafeteria worker — and stay at PeaceHealth while gaining their RN, BSN, advanced practice degree or beyond.
If you’re new to nursing, you’ll find:
- Support to build your practice. This includes formal programs like a yearlong residency and having both a preceptor and a nursing mentor who've got your back. But we know that informal support can make a huge difference, too. Your co-workers are always there to help you navigate nursing’s daily joys and challenges.
- Chances to have your voice heard and impact the future of care through problem-solving and process improvement.
- Educational opportunities that include tuition reimbursement, conference attendance and certification support.
- Opportunities to conduct evidence-based studies in partnership with research and innovation leaders.
If you’re an experienced nurse, you’ll find many ways to advance your career, improve patient care and explore new or related practice areas. These include:
- Tuition reimbursement, scheduling support and partnerships with local colleges so you can keep working while getting an advanced degree. You can stay with clinical nursing or pursue fields that contribute to healthcare leadership such as business, strategy and administration .
- Opportunities for additional certifications through professional boards and organizations.
- Fellowship programs that allow you to transition from one specialty practice to another.
- Chances to have your voice heard in process improvement and impact the future of healthcare.
- Opportunities to conduct evidence-based studies in partnership with research and innovation leaders.
What does a nursing-friendly culture mean at PeaceHealth?
PeaceHealth’s recognition of the value of nurses extends beyond each individual caregiver. We know — and the research backs us up — that the role of the clinical RN is one of the most trusted and pivotal at the point of care.
This isn’t just in terms of quality outcomes or patient experience. It's also key to the overall experience of the families and community members we serve.
In short, nurses are at the heart of our care. To acknowledge this, PeaceHealth offers support for RNs to practice at the highest level of their scope — and to drive decision making in the organization — while continuing to bring their love and care to our community. Through mentorship, residency and fellowship programs, we encourage nurses to explore many branches on their career paths. We also encourage RNs to apply their creativity, energy and talent toward improving our nursing practice and our patient care.
What do nurses like about living in the Bellingham, Washington, area?
The Pacific Northwest is not just where PeaceHealth is located. It’s part of who we are. Our Mission began here and our roots run deep in our communities.
Ask our RNs why they settled here, and they’ll often mention the quality of life possible in our corner of the world. There's something for everyone: Boundless natural beauty, a reasonable cost of living, and cultural offerings to meet your needs whether you’re on your own or have a family to consider.
In the Bellingham area you’ll find camping, hiking, fishing, paddling, skiing, cycling and surfing opportunities all nearby. And our great indoors can be just as satisfying. There are farm-to-table restaurants, historic landmarks, museums, boutiques, sporting events, concerts, plays and entertainment for every taste.
How do nurses have a say in care delivery at PeaceHealth?
Whether it’s our staffing models, safety processes or ideas for how to put research-based evidence into practice, nurses have a voice here.
You’ll find RNs making their mark in our focus on clinical excellence, patient experience and continuous improvement. And we’re always looking for fresh ideas and perspectives to advance our Mission.
You might put your problem-solving skills to work on a unit-based leadership team. Or share the latest scientific research with your peers in a poster session. Or join the group of nurses that design our Professional Nurse Advancement Program. Each contribution like this helps PeaceHealth better serve its patients and caregivers.
What do current nurses like about their experience at PeaceHealth?
Ask our longtime nurses or our newcomers what they love about their jobs, and they’ll often say, “it’s my team.”
Respect, compassion and courage are attributes that bond our caregivers with each other. Current nurses also love that work-life balance gets more than lip service here. They appreciate:
- Managers who care about them personally and professionally.
- Staffing levels that allow them to feel safe throughout their shifts.
- A strong connection to the communities they serve.
- Many chances for professional development/advancement.
- A spirit of kindness shared regardless of role in their unit.
How does PeaceHealth show its commitment to diversity, health equity and inclusion?
Building and maintaining an inclusive culture is foundational at PeaceHealth. As a 130-year-old Catholic health system, we carry forward our founding sisters' drive for social justice and health equity.
Our DEI work is rooted in our shared Mission and the Values that we bring to every interaction:
- Respecting the human dignity and worth of each person.
- Attending to the whole person in body, mind and spirit.
- Improving the lives of all people, especially the poor and vulnerable.
- Working collectively for the common good.
- Healing the conditions that impede wholeness.
As a demonstration of our resolve, we're enacting the Catholic Health Association's We Are Called pledge for health equity. Highlights of this work include:
- Training caregivers on how to deliver culturally competent and responsive care.
- Removing race as a proxy for a patient’s health risk in our clinical algorithms, to lower chances of health disparities.
- Offering confidential, trauma-informed group therapy for BIPOC leaders and caregivers.
- Expanding our employee assistance program to support caregivers’ spiritual, legal and financial well-being along with their mental and physical health.
- Hosting monthly caregiver wellness sessions.
- Providing virtual individual counseling for caregivers.
- Building a sense of belonging through caregiver resource groups (identifying with or allies of AAPI, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQ, social justice, women’s issues and veterans).
- Partnering with the Emerging Leaders Institute to place potential BIPOC leaders in internships.
- Creating a mentorship program that connects BIPOC high school students with PeaceHealth professionals in their area of interest.
- Advocating at the local, state and national levels for policies that reduce health disparities and inequities.
For more details about our DEI efforts, listen to this webcast. In it, you’ll hear how PeaceHealth is working to counteract systemic racism and support historically marginalized communities.
We recognize that it takes long-term commitment to become fully inclusive, and that our communities all start from different places. Despite our differences, we are like-hearted — united in our courage to help and to heal. That’s why everyone who works here isn’t just an employee — they’re a caregiver, dedicated to elevating the level of care in the communities we serve.
PeaceHealth also knows that offering care to people when they’re sick isn’t enough. We work closely with community partners on innovative programs to address social determinants of health. Stable housing, family nutrition, access to affordable healthcare and substance-use prevention are among the initiatives we support.
Why do nurses stay at PeaceHealth?
Personal connections and professional growth make PeaceHealth a destination for nurses. Put simply, nurses stay here because we see them and support them.
We could boast about our awards for promoting wellness and work-life balance. Or being named one of the healthiest workplaces in the country year after year. But it’s more than that.
PeaceHealth recognizes that nurses put their whole hearts into the care they give. We in turn owe it to them — and by extension, their families — to do everything possible to further their success:
- Competitive pay
- Compassionate culture
- Relocation assistance
- Mentorship and career guidance
- Nursing recognition and awards
- Resources for self-care and mental health
- Counseling for employees and their families
- Scholarships and tuition reimbursement
- Professional development opportunities
- Certification support
- Attendance at professional conferences
- Nurse-driven workflows and care delivery systems
Our Northwest Washington locations
