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If you’re a registered nurse looking for a place with tons of outdoor activities, lots of professional opportunities, historic charm, and plenty of modern amenities, then take a good look at beautiful Vancouver, Washington. Despite its often-rainy climate, this metropolis of just 193,000 residents consistently ranks high among America’s best cities to live in, and for good reason. It’s surrounded by the remarkable beauty for which the Pacific Northwest is famous, it’s environmentally friendly with good livability scores, there’s no state income tax, and there are plenty of highly rated hospitals and healthcare facilities where you can advance your career.

Located on the north bank of the Columbia River, right on the border with Oregon, Vancouver may be the 4^th largest city in the state of Washington but it is often considered a suburb of nearby Portland, Oregon: the two together represent the 25^th largest metropolitan area in the country. With two cities just ten minutes apart, the choice of which state to work in is a question of preference of employer – and for registered nurses there are plenty of great options. Many choose PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, one of U.S. News & World Report’s top hospitals in the state of Washington, but there are also plenty of great options among the area’s clinics, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, private practices, schools, and more.

Your career as a nurse is rewarding, but it can also be challenging. It is important to find the right setting that lets you flourish professionally while also enjoying your life outside of the care setting. Vancouver, Washington offers registered nurses both. 

1. Vancouver, Washington’s Healthcare Facilities Truly Care 

Washington is a great place to be a registered nurse. Hospitals are among the area’s top employers, and they know the importance of high quality healthcare for the area’s residents. Following the pandemic crisis, healthcare facilities throughout the state have become aware of the stress that was placed on their healthcare staffs, and have worked hard to improve work conditions and demonstrate how much nursing professionals are valued. Recent legislation has introduced workers’ compensation insurance coverage for nurses with post-traumatic stress disorder, and additional laws are under consideration that would expand the workforce, improve pay, and provide more training opportunities. Nursing schools are also being expanded to encourage more people in the state to become nurses, and there is also talk of joining the nursing compact to allow out-of-state nurses to relocate more easily. 

2. Vancouver Offers Stunning Views and Amazing Outdoor Activities

Positioned between the shadow of the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River, adventurers, outdoor enthusiasts, and people who just enjoy the beauty of nature will find something to do year-round in Vancouver. The Waterfront River Trail is inviting for people of all abilities, and the entire area abounds with scenic trails and lakes for hiking and strolling, kayaking, and fishing. Cyclists and mountain bikers will find the city streets friendly and the mountain trails a challenge, while during the winter you can enjoy snowshoeing on Mt. St. Helens, skiing and snowboarding on Mount Hood, and the remarkable Timberline Lodge Ski Area that offers summertime skiing, biking and hiking.

3. Vancouver’s Culinary and Craft Beer Scene are Both Fantastic

Vancouver is a food lover’s town. Whether you’re in the mood for a gourmet food truck experience, an expertly-crafted pour-over at one of the town’s iconic coffee shops or roasters, there’s always something fantastic and inviting to indulge in. Of course, if you’re more of a cook-it-yourself type, you won’t want to miss shopping for your own fresh produce at the phenomenal farmer’s market. Whatever you do, make sure to make time to explore the city’s diverse selection of restaurants. 

Vancouver’s residents also enjoy great options for drinking locally – the craft beer culture in Vancouver has won its share of awards, and is especially appreciated when combined with the city’s many live music concerts and festivals. Finally, Vancouver’s proximity to the Willamette Valley means immediate access to some of the best wines — and wineries — in the country.  

4. Economic Advantages of Living in Vancouver 

Living in Washington offers multiple advantages, including the luxury of avoiding having to pay state income tax. Though the state has a high sales tax and can get pricey, Vancouver’s cost of living is measurably lower than is true of the rest of the state or of Portland, which is right across the river. Housing is more affordable, and the average salary in the city is significantly higher than is true of the rest of the nation. Family members looking for a job in Vancouver will benefit from a big increase in recent job creation, and though healthcare institutions like PeaceHealth and Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center are among the city’s largest employers, Vancouver is noted for being among the most welcoming cities in the nation for small businesses. 

5. Vancouver, Washington Offers a Superior Quality of Life for Registered Nurses

There are so many little things that make a city a great place to live. While the access to nature, great food, and abundant opportunities are among Vancouver’s most commonly-mentioned attributes, it’s important to remember all of the other things that add to your quality of life. Vancouver is a walkable, bike friendly city that offers an impressive public transit system, access to Portland International Airport, and Amtrak. The area is home to multiple excellent institutes of higher learning, including Washington State University at Vancouver, Clark College, and the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics. Add to that the excellent public schools for kids in Kindergarten through 12^th grade!

People who live in Vancouver take tremendous pride in their civic-mindedness and commitment to the environment and green living, and many have joined organizations that are working to minimize food waste and conserve resources. The town has a modern feel, but also has a romantic place in American history as one of Lewis and Clark’s campsites on their westward journey. You’ll find plenty of reminders of the Indigenous Peoples who once lived here, a remarkable wildlife refuge where you can visit local fauna, and a thriving arts and music community.

If you’re considering a move to Vancouver and would like information on the area’s registered nurse opportunities, start with Incredible Health. Our job search page connects you directly with local hiring managers and their teams and matches you to multiple job prospects.

Whether you’re new to nursing or you’ve got years of experience under your belt, being a registered nurse is a reflection of your kindness, your knowledge, your professionalism, and your commitment to caring. But even the most dedicated nurses need time away from the job that gives them a chance to recharge. The best way to find and enjoy a healthy work/life balance is to do it in a place that is as invigorating and rewarding as your career, and for that, you won’t find a better place than Vancouver, Washington. 

Vancouver is one of Washington state’s most desirable places for registered nurses to live and work. Nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River, this city of 193,000 is half of the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area that is famous for fantastic outdoor activities, magnificent scenery, a vibrant arts and culture scene, and a remarkably high quality of life. If you don’t mind a little rain during the off-summer months, you’ll find that living and working in Vancouver provides you with tremendous career opportunities that are enhanced by living in one of the best cities in the United States.

Vancouver, Washington’s Healthcare Employers

Vancouver is a modern city with small town charm. Sometimes viewed as a suburb of Portland, when it comes to healthcare Vancouver is second to none. It is home to one of Washington state’s top hospitals in PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, as well as the Vancouver Clinic, the comprehensive services offered at Kaiser Permanente Salmon Creek Medical Office, and numerous assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, hospices, home health service organizations, and private practices. With so many great options, you’re sure to find a professional opportunity that is just right for your career aspirations, your skills, and your lifestyle.

Types of Nursing Jobs in Vancouver

Nurses looking for new opportunities will find plenty of great options in Vancouver. As is true across the nation, the city (and Washington state beyond) is facing a nursing shortage that it is working hard to overcome. As legislators work to create more educational programs for aspiring nurses and to boost nurse compensation, healthcare facilities are taking their own decisive actions, offering generous compensation and benefits packages, cutting down nurse-to-patient ratios, and providing innovative recruitment and retention perks. There are many great employers eager to hire, but these are among our top picks for registered nurse employers in Vancouver, Washington

Peace Health’s Southwest Medical Center

As one of Clark County’s largest employers and newest healthcare facilities, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and Medical Group provides care for over 280,000 patients each year. Part of the larger PeaceHealth not-for-profit health care system, the Southwest Medical Center serves the Columbia-Willamette area of Washington and Oregon.  The hospital has a total of 450 beds and almost 4,000 employees who provide medical service offerings include advanced heart and vascular care, a level II trauma center, a modern birthing center that is capable of managing high-risk pregnancies, multiple outpatient surgery centers and Cyberknife centers dedicated to treating brain, spine, and other tumors, a nationally-certified stroke center, the Kearney Breast Center, a neurosciences center, and more.

Registered nurses working at  Southwest have the confidence of knowing they are working for a hospital that was awarded an A grade for overall quality and safety by the Leapfrog Group and that prioritizes supporting them socially, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially. The hospital is dedicated to respecting diversity and creating a culture of inclusivity, and demonstrates its high esteem for nurses by offering competitive, comprehensive compensation and benefits packages with generous and innovative recruitment and retention packages. Hiring bonuses and relocation assistance are available for some positions.

Vancouver Clinic

The Vancouver Clinic is currently the largest private, multispecialty clinic in Clark County, but back in 1936, it was just two physicians: a gynecologist and a family practitioner operating from an office in downtown Vancouver. In the next two years, they added a surgeon and a pediatrician, never dreaming that it would continue expanding to what it is today: 12 locations, more than 1,200 employees and 400 providers, and one of the largest employers in the region.  

Nurses seeking employment at the Vancouver Clinic can choose from positions at locations throughout Southwest Washington and the greater Portland area in over 40 specialties, as well as primary care, urgent care, and adult medicine. The organization pays a competitive salary and offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% payment of the premium for full-time employees’ standard medical, dental, and prescription drug plan. The clinic also provides life insurance, long-term disability insurance, paid holidays, paid time off, flexible spending account, 401(k) retirement plan, education reimbursement, and even pet insurance!

Community Home Health & Hospice

In 1977, a supervising nurse at a local public home health care program set out to deliver what she knew the Department of Health was unable to provide: home health needs for her community. With $10,000 of loans and lots of efforts, the non-profit organization was established and began receiving federal funds for operation. The program then expanded to provide hospice care for terminal patients, and the facility became the first freestanding hospice inpatient unit in the state of Washington. Today, Community Home Health & Hospice serves both Cowlitz County and Clark County, bringing peace of mind to those who need compassionate care.

Nurses working for the organization are treated like family and take pride in both the services they pride and the fact that they work for an agency that truly cares about them, their success, and their growth. The work itself is meaningful, and compensation includes health and dental benefits, retirement, paid time off, continuing education, and more.

Registered nurses in Vancouver, Washington have all the benefits of working for great employers and the extra bonus of living in a locale that is the envy of people all over the country. To learn more about employers in Vancouver who would like to speak to you, start by visiting Incredible Health’s nursing job search page. 

Imagine waking up each day knowing you live in one of the most beautiful areas in the country, just an hour away from mountains in one direction and the ocean in the other. Imagine knowing that you and the work that you do is valued by your employer and that your time away from the job is filled with endless choices of outdoor activities, art, amazing food, and a supportive community. If this sounds like the perfect setting for you and your career, then there’s no need to imagine. Eugene, Oregon offers registered nurses all of that and more.

Eugene, Oregon and Healthcare

With just over 170,000 residents, Eugene is far from a big city. It is the perfect combination of urban and suburban, a metropolitan area with all of the offerings of a metropolis but the feeling of a small-town community. The healthcare facilities in Eugene serve the population well: the hospitals in downtown Eugene and in neighboring Springfield include one that was ranked among Oregon’s best by U.S. News & World Report, and there are countless clinics, private practice offices, skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, and specialty medical offices where registered nurses can find positions to suit their professional goals. Eugene is also home to many research institutions that employ healthcare professionals. 

Types of Nursing Jobs in Eugene

There are few areas in the United States that are not facing nursing shortages. The need for more professionals has been building for years, and though it was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent major study of the problem concluded that the bigger issue is the lack of nurses graduating from Oregon’s nursing problem, which is itself traced back to the lack of nursing programs and faculty in the state. To address the problem, the Oregon Longitudinal Data Collaborative (OLDC) has offered several recommendations, including establishing a centralized, statewide clinical placement system and addressing the pay gap between clinical nurse salaries and nurse educator salaries. For its part, the Oregon Nurses Association has proposed a law that would establish minimum nurse staffing levels for hospitals, limiting a registered nurse in an intensive care unit to one or two patients only, depending on their condition.

But these are long-term solutions to an immediate problem. With only 17 registered nursing associate degree programs offered in Oregon and only two graduate nursing programs, Eugene’s healthcare employers from hospitals to private practices are eager to speak to nursing professionals who are interested in relocating to the city.  Below you’ll find our list of some of the top places for registered nurses to work in Eugene.

Peace Health

PeaceHealth is a Washington-state-based not-for-profit health system with facilities throughout the state of Oregon, as well as in Alaska and Washington. The organization has won numerous recognitions, including being one of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America and the No.2 Healthiest Employer in Oregon. The PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend is the largest hospital between Portland and San Francisco and was named one of the top hospitals in Oregon by U.S. News & World Report. Located a few miles from downtown Eugene in Springfield, the site was built in 2008, joining the nearly 100-year-old PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center University District, which converted to a specialty services hospital when general services moved to the newer facility. 

Registered nurses working at PeaceHealth in Oregon enjoy working for an employer that is committed to inclusivity, that respects diversity, and that is fully committed to supporting them physically, emotionally, financially, socially, and spiritually. Compensation is both competitive and comprehensive, and for full time employees includes full medical, dental, and vision coverage, 403b retirement plans with an employer base and matching contributions, paid time off, employer-paid life and disability insurance with additional buyup coverage options, tuition and continuing education reimbursement, wellness benefits, and access to an expanded EAP and mental health program. Hiring bonuses and relocation assistance are often available. 

Oregon Medical Group

Oregon Medical Group is a growing, multi-specialty practice encompassing over 100 providers at multiple clinics located within the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area. The organization is part of Optum and the UnitedHealth Group. It offers more than 20 specialty services and its physicians provide primary care to nearly one in three people in the Lane County area.

Registered nurses and other healthcare professionals working for the Oregon Medical Group rank it as one of the best places to work in Oregon. The practice values work-life balance and supports its employees with competitive, market-based compensation, benefits, and recognition programs including health, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan, Health Savings Accounts, wellness programs and incentives, short- and long-term disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, and paid time off. Many registered nurse positions offer sign-on bonuses.

Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and Research Center

The Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and Research Center is an independent, physician-led practice delivering leading-edge technology and treatment options and conducting innovative cancer research. It is Oregon’s largest cancer care and research center and a part of the U.S. Oncology network. 

Registered nurses working for the organization of knowing they are making a significant difference for patients as they progress through the cancer care continuum, and are rewarded with competitive benefits, including a healthcare program that offers plan options to support each individual’s overall well-being; the Healthy Choices Wellness Program to encourage healthier lifestyles for nurses and their families; a Perks Program that provides access to discounted rates on auto, home, legal, and pet insurance through national providers; and a 401(k) retirement plan savings program. The organization also offers nurses sign-on bonuses for joining their team.

Living in Eugene provides access to incredible outdoor activities, natural beauty, a fabulous craft beer and cultural scene, and one of the country’s most renowned wine regions. Add in the limitless professional opportunities available at Eugene’s top-level healthcare facilities and registered nurses could not ask for a better place to be. For more information on living and working in Eugene, Oregon, start by visiting Incredible Health’s nursing job search page.