Room to grow.
We'll provide you with opportunities to build your skills — because our goal is to recruit, hire and retain nurses who want to give their best to our patients and their families.
National Nursing Certifications
Seattle Children's supports direct care nurses in their pursuit of national certification in two important ways: by organizing study groups to prepare for certification and by paying a salary premium for approved national certifications.
Career Development
Staff nurses who are interested in increasing their knowledge, skills and scope of responsibility have a number of opportunities to act in different roles, including:
- Preceptor: Assist nursing students during their pediatric clinical experiences and/or guide new nurses during orientation
- Mentor: Support new nurses to transition in their nursing roles
- Clinical educator: Coordinate educational opportunities for staff on the inpatient units
- Clinical expert: Assist newer nurses post-orientation to expand their skill set and clinical knowledge
- Charge nurse: Coordinate unit activities as designated shift leader
- Clinical practice manager: Day-to-day unit manager role with responsibilities that may include Continuous Performance Improvement activities and personnel activities (scheduling, staff hiring and performance management)
- Care coordinator: Coordinate specific patient populations from admission through discharge
You may also choose to acquire graduate education and transition into other roles within the organization, including:
- Clinical nurse specialist: Provide consultation and clinical expertise, mentoring and leadership that focus on nursing practice competencies and professional development
- Nurse practitioner: Function as a care provider and assume primary responsibility for clinical management of patients in a specialty area
- Clinical director: Direct, manage and evaluate all services in a department on a 24/7 basis
"When I sought out new opportunities, my peers and mentors ensured that I looked for them inside our system, because the possibilities were endless. When I needed a new challenge, I moved into a management role in the surgical clinics, and have honed my organization and management skills, while staying highly connected to the clinical pieces of ambulatory nursing."
Christina Mason, RN, BSN, clinical operations manager, who began her career at Children's right after graduating from nursing school
DAISY Award
Children's is one of the few Seattle-area hospitals that participates in the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, a formal recognition for excellence in nursing practice.
Each quarter, Children's Nursing Recruitment and Retention Committee coordinates the nomination and selection of six nurses to receive the DAISY Award. Anyone — including members of the healthcare team, families and patients — can nominate a nurse for this award. At a presentation before colleagues, physicians, patients and visitors, honorees receive certificates commending them for being extraordinary nurses and a sculpture titled "A Healer's Touch," hand-carved by artists of the Shona tribe in southern Africa.