Head Northwest for Healthcare Jobs and Adventure in Washington State

Looking for a healthcare industry job? Looking for a little adventure? We know where you can find both. Yep, we know a place that has jobs, and mountains, and coastline, and a rainforest, and a desert, and volcanos. Sounds too good to be true? Well the catch is you might have to travel a bit to get there. Washington, the northwestern-most state in the continental US, has a fascinating landscape, truly unique scenery, and healthcare facilities that are looking for permanent and interim healthcare professionals in nursing, management, and administration. (Check out available jobs on our job board.)

THE EVERGREEN STATE

Washington is bordered by Oregon, Idaho, Canada, and the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to three national parks and over 100 state parks, 52% of its 71,362 square miles are covered by forest. The two main cities of Spokane and Seattle are on opposite sides of the state, but over 60% of the people in Washington live in the Seattle metro area. This leaves miles and miles of untouched scenery in the rest of the state. In fact, if you just get in the car and drive you can find 25 official scenic byways, some of which were originally Native American footpaths.

BEACHES, MOUNTAINS, AND A RAIN FOREST

Nature is on steroids in Washington. The Olympic National Park alone has beaches, mountains, the Hoh Rain Forest, Sol Duc Hot Springs, alpine meadows, and the town of Forks (for you Twilight fans). If you’d like to get off the mainland, the San Juan Islands are just north of Seattle and the Puget Sound. It goes almost without saying that if you’re looking for any outdoor activity: hiking, skiing, boating, climbing, kayaking, zip lining, biking, whale watching, golfing, etc, it is available.

…AND VOLCANOS

If that’s not enough for you, try Mount Ranier National Park, which has the tallest peak in the state (14,410 feet), and is an active stratovolcano (don’t worry, it hasn’t had a significant eruption in about 500 years). Speaking of volcanos, Mt. St. Helen’s National Volcanic Monument in Amboy is a somber reminder of nature’s destructive power, but also a beautiful illustration of her power to heal. The area has been allowed to recover naturally for research purposes, and plant and wildlife live there again.

ONLY IN WASHINGTON

Want an experience unique to Washington? Boeing’s Future of Flight, in Mukilteo, is North America's only publicly available commercial jet assembly plant tour. Takoma Historical Society in Tacoma, has recorded oral histories of the native people of Takoma and offers a tour of historic homes. And of course, there’s Seattle’s Space Needle, located in Seattle Center, a 74 acre center for arts, education, and entertainment that has dozens of museums, gardens, and entertainment venues. Notable among these are the Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Frank O. Gehry- designed Museum of Pop Culture.

Seattle Center also has a children’s museum, but kids will also be interested in a trip to Spokane, which has the Mobius Kids Children’s Museum and Pavilion Amusement Rides. Another family destination is the Anderson School in Bothell, a middle school dating back to 1931 that has been revitalized as a gathering spot and event center, and has pools, live entertainment, golf, art exhibits, and shopping.

Work during the week and art and outdoor adventure on the weekends? Sounds good to us. Nurses interested in full-time or travel nurse jobs in Washington can find licensure information on the Washington State Department of Health website.