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

Burien, WA is one of the few South King County cities with a hospital inside its borders, St. Anne Hospital on Sylvester Road (formerly Highline Medical Center, part of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health), so CNA jobs in Burien include hospital nursing assistant and patient care roles as well as the skilled nursing, assisted living, and adult family home positions that hire most new graduates. Burien also sets its own minimum wage: $21.63 per hour in 2026 for employers with more than 500 employees and $20.63 for 21 to 499, per the Department of Labor and Industries' list of local rates. Indeed job-posting data (August 2026) shows a Washington average of about $23.62 per hour for nursing assistants; Burien is not reported separately, and most Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) postings sit above the city floor.

Employers by setting

Metro's DART route 631 connects Burien Transit Center and the St. Anne Hospital area with a flexible service zone and, since August 29, 2026, runs on weekends, which helps for hospital shift patterns.

How Burien's minimum wage changes the math

All figures are approximate. The practical effect: in Burien, a mid-sized facility cannot legally post an NA-C role below $20.63, and a large system cannot go below $21.63, which compresses the gap between a first facility job and the state posting average. Adult family homes with 20 or fewer employees remain on the state minimum, so the pay difference between an adult family home and a facility in Burien is wider than in cities without a local wage. Statewide setting-by-setting figures are in CNA salary in Washington State.

Reaching employers outside Burien

Burien Transit Center is a bus hub without a light rail stop. Times are approximate and based on King County Metro and Sound Transit published information as of September 2026.

• Seattle hospitals (UW Medicine, Harborview, Swedish, Virginia Mason): H Line to downtown Seattle, or peak route 121, which Metro restored with eight weekday trips at 37 minutes to downtown. First Hill is a short transfer from downtown.
• Valley Medical Center, Renton: F Line from Burien Transit Center east through Tukwila and Southcenter to Renton; by car, SR 518 to I-405, roughly 20 to 30 minutes.
• Tukwila facilities and Olympic Heritage: F Line or route 128 to Southcenter; a short drive on SR 518 or Military Road.
• St. Francis Hospital, Federal Way: F Line to Tukwila International Boulevard Station, then 1 Line south to Federal Way Downtown, about 45 to 60 minutes total; 20 to 30 minutes by car.
• Highline-area skilled nursing in Des Moines and Kent: route 166 to Highline College and Kent Des Moines Station.

A car makes Renton and Federal Way practical; Seattle and Tukwila are fine by bus. For a nursing assistant without a car, the strongest Burien strategy is St. Anne plus the facilities along the H Line and F Line corridors, which together cover hospital, skilled nursing, and assisted living settings within a single fare.

What a Burien employer verifies before the first shift

1. Active NA-C on the DOH Provider Credential Search, or NAR status for a nursing facility hire before certification.
2. Background check. DOH's name-based statewide check at application, plus the employer's own; adult family homes must check every caregiver.
3. BLS CPR card, required at St. Anne and most facilities.
4. TB screening and immunization records, the same set used for clinical placement.
5. Government ID matching the name on the credential.

If your NA-C is still processing, a nursing facility can hire you as a NAR, but the 4-month clock starts on the hire date. The rules are in working as a CNA before certification in Washington.

Building a first year in Burien

• Months 0 to 6. Start in a skilled nursing facility or assisted living community in Burien or Tukwila. Volume, transfers, and documentation build the record hospitals ask for.
• Months 6 to 12. Apply to St. Anne Hospital float pool and unit postings, and to Valley Medical Center if you have a car. Night and weekend differentials of roughly $1.50 to $4 per hour push pay above the state average.
• Month 12 and beyond. Consider a medication assistant endorsement (8 hours of medication-specific continuing education plus 250 documented hours of employment per cycle) if you work in assisted living, or state positions at Olympic Heritage or Western State Hospital.
• Every year on your birthday. Renew the NA-C through the DOH portal; a standard NA-C has no continuing education requirement. The process is in Washington CNA renewal.

Employers care about registry status, not where you trained. Any WABON-approved program, including the 4-week course at Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way, produces the same NA-C.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs make in Burien, WA? No Burien-specific figure appears in the August 2026 Indeed data. The state posting average is about $23.62 per hour, and Burien's city minimum of $20.63 to $21.63 sets a higher floor for facility jobs than most cities.

Does Burien's minimum wage apply to adult family homes? Only if the home has 21 or more employees. Per L&I, employers with 20 or fewer staff are exempt from the Burien rate and pay at least the $17.13 state minimum.

Which hospital is in Burien? St. Anne Hospital, formerly Highline Medical Center, operated by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. It is served by DART route 631 from Burien Transit Center.

Can I get to Seattle hospitals from Burien without a car? Yes. The H Line runs from Burien Transit Center to downtown Seattle, and Metro restored peak route 121 in August 2026.

Do Burien nursing facilities hire before certification? Yes, as a NAR, with 4 months from hire to complete training and pass both exam parts.

For the statewide openings picture, read CNA jobs in Washington. If you have not trained yet, the CNA Traditional program covers the 108 hours in 4 weeks with the skills test on site; the commute from Burien is described in CNA classes near Burien, WA.