CNA Jobs in Bremerton, WA: Employers, Settings, and Starting Pay

Kitsap County has one civilian hospital, and it is not in Bremerton. St. Michael Medical Center, a Level III trauma center at 1800 NW Myhre Road in Silverdale per Virginia Mason Franciscan Health's hospital page, is the hospital employer for a Bremerton Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C), about 15 minutes north by car or one Kitsap Transit ride. Inside Bremerton, the jobs are in skilled nursing facilities on Lebo Boulevard, Clare Avenue, and South Marion Avenue, in assisted living, and in adult family homes. Across Sinclair Inlet in Port Orchard, the Washington Veterans Home at Retsil serves 240 residents in 40-bed neighborhoods, per the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, and is one of the county's largest nursing assistant employers. ZipRecruiter's Bremerton CNA average is about $21.53 per hour as of July 2026; Indeed's Washington average in August 2026 was about $23.62 and Seattle's about $23.80. All pay figures are approximate.

Bremerton employers by setting

The veterans home deserves a second look. As a state facility it hires on a public pay scale with state benefits and retirement, and its 240-resident size means steady openings. The state application process is slower than a private facility's, so apply early.

Reading Bremerton's pay numbers

1. Floor. Washington's 2026 minimum is $17.13 per hour; Bremerton has no local minimum above it. Adult family home and home care agency roles, often posted at the HCA rate, sit closest to it.
2. Local average. ZipRecruiter's $21.53 for Bremerton reflects a market with fewer hospitals and more long-term care than Seattle or Everett. Skilled nursing facilities typically start near it, with evening, night, and weekend differentials of roughly $1.50 to $4 per hour on top.
3. Hospital and state. St. Michael Medical Center and the veterans home pay above the local average and offer the best benefits in the county.
4. Across the water. Seattle-metro healthcare support wages average about $25.96 per hour per BLS OEWS (May 2025). Bremerton is inside the Seattle metropolitan area for statistical purposes, but local postings run below Seattle's, which is why some Kitsap NA-Cs commute by ferry after gaining experience.

The way base pay, differentials, and per diem premiums combine is explained in CNA salary in Washington State.

Checks and documents Kitsap employers require

• The NA-C on the DOH Provider Credential Search, or NAR status for a skilled nursing hire, who then has 4 months to certify; the timeline is in the NAR four-month rule in Washington.
• BLS CPR for the hospital, the veterans home, and nearly every skilled nursing facility.
• TB test and immunizations, the same records used for clinicals.
• A DSHS background check for adult family homes, assisted living, and agencies, in addition to the DOH's name-based statewide check. Bremerton has many military families who moved recently from other states; if you lived out of Washington in the past three years, expect a fingerprint check.
• The medication assistant endorsement for medication aide roles in assisted living, which needs 8 hours of medication-specific continuing education and 250 documented hours per cycle.

A job-search order for Bremerton

• Weeks 3 and 4 of training: apply to Bremerton's skilled nursing facilities and to Port Orchard and Silverdale facilities with the Certificate of Completion and NAR confirmation.
• When the $100 skills pass is recorded: book the $55 Credentia knowledge test. Part 2 cannot be scheduled before Part 1 is passed.
• After the knowledge pass: file the DOH application and submit a state application to the Washington Veterans Home at Retsil, which takes longer to process than a private hire.
• Once the NA-C is on the registry: apply to St. Michael Medical Center per diem and float pool postings, the usual entry point for a new NA-C at a hospital.
• After 6 to 12 months: reapply to St. Michael unit positions that list an experience preference, or consider Seattle hospitals by fast ferry. The experience preference is a posting habit, not a regulation.

Getting to each employer from Bremerton

Kitsap Transit and Washington State Ferries published information as of September 2026 gives these options:

• Bremerton skilled nursing facilities: local Kitsap Transit routes from the Bremerton Transportation Center; Lebo Boulevard and East Bremerton are a short ride or drive.
• St. Michael Medical Center: Kitsap Transit Route 212 runs between the Bremerton Transportation Center and Silverdale Transit Center about every 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays per the route page, with no Sunday service; from Silverdale, Route 266 stops at the hospital's front door per Kitsap Transit's Headways blog. By car, SR 3 north, about 15 minutes.
• Washington Veterans Home at Retsil: by car across the Port Washington Narrows or around Sinclair Inlet on SR 3 and SR 16 to Beach Drive East in Port Orchard, about 20 minutes; Kitsap Transit's Port Orchard routes and the Bremerton-Port Orchard foot ferry cover the water crossing.
• Seattle hospitals: Kitsap Transit's fast ferry crosses to Pier 50 in about 30 minutes, eastbound on weekday mornings and westbound in the afternoon, $2 over and $13 back; the state ferry takes about 60 minutes and runs all day. Harborview and Virginia Mason are a short bus or walk from the waterfront.

For adult family home and agency work scattered across Kitsap County, a car is nearly required. For the hospital, the veterans home, and Seattle, transit works.

Training options if you are not certified

Bremerton residents can take Olympic College's one-quarter, 13-credit nursing assistant program on the Bremerton campus, or the 4-week CNA Traditional program at Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way ($1,100 tuition, skills test on site), about 45 miles by SR 16 or a ferry and 1 Line trip. Active Home Care Aides use the 40-hour HCA to CNA bridge for $800. The comparison is in CNA classes near Bremerton, WA.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs earn in Bremerton? ZipRecruiter's Bremerton average is about $21.53 per hour as of July 2026, below the Indeed Washington average of about $23.62. Both are approximate; the hospital and the veterans home pay above the local average.

Which hospital hires CNAs near Bremerton? St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, Kitsap County's only civilian hospital, about 15 minutes north. Naval Hospital Bremerton is a military treatment facility with its own federal hiring process.

Is the Washington Veterans Home a good first job? It is a large, state-run skilled nursing facility with public-sector benefits. The application process is slower than a private facility's, so apply while you finish certification.

Can I work in Bremerton before passing the exam? Yes, at a skilled nursing facility as a Nursing Assistant-Registered, with 4 months from hire to certify. The hospital typically requires the NA-C first.

Is commuting to Seattle for a CNA job realistic from Bremerton? Yes for weekday day shifts, using the fast ferry's morning eastbound and afternoon westbound sailings. Night and weekend shifts depend on the slower state ferry.

Openings by setting statewide are covered in CNA jobs in Washington; how the registry entry works is in the Washington CNA registry.