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

Covington is one of the few small cities in south King County with a hospital inside its limits. MultiCare Covington Medical Center at 17700 SE 272nd Street, per the MultiCare location page, runs a 24/7 emergency department, a Joint Commission certified hip and knee replacement program, and a certified primary stroke center, and it hires Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) staff for inpatient and emergency roles. Around it are Vineyard Park of Covington (independent living, assisted living, and secure memory care, per its community page), licensed adult family homes throughout the city, and, 15 to 20 minutes away, skilled nursing facilities in Kent and Auburn plus MultiCare Auburn and St. Francis Federal Way. Indeed's August 2026 posting data does not report Covington; the Washington average of about $23.62 per hour and Seattle's $23.80 are the reference points, and every wage here is approximate.

Covington employers by setting

Having a MultiCare hospital in town matters for career progression: Covington, Auburn, and Tacoma General are one system, so a nursing assistant hired into the Covington float pool can transfer within MultiCare later without a new background process from scratch.

What the hourly rate looks like at each level

1. Floor: $17.13 per hour, the 2026 Washington minimum. Covington has no higher local minimum. Adult family home caregiving jobs that accept HCAs sit closest to it.
2. Assisted living and memory care. Vineyard Park and similar communities post caregiver roles at the HCA rate and nursing assistant or medication aide roles higher; the medication assistant endorsement is required for the latter.
3. Skilled nursing in Kent and Auburn. Base near the state average of about $23.62 per hour, plus evening, night, and weekend differentials typically between $1.50 and $4 per hour.
4. MultiCare Covington and other hospitals. Base at or above the Seattle figure of about $23.80 per hour, with differentials. BLS OEWS reports a Seattle-metro healthcare support mean of about $25.96 per hour for May 2025, against $19.62 nationally.

A night differential at a Kent nursing facility can put a first-year NA-C above a day-shift hospital rate. Pay structure by setting is detailed in CNA salary in Washington State.

Requirements Covington employers verify

• Credential on the DOH Provider Credential Search. MultiCare and most senior living communities post for the NA-C. Kent and Auburn skilled nursing facilities can hire a Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR), who then has 4 months from hire to complete training and pass the exam.
• Background checks. For the credential itself, the DOH performs a statewide name-based check. DSHS checks apply to adult family homes and assisted living; MultiCare runs its own. Recent arrivals from out of state may need a fingerprint check. What each check covers is explained in the Washington CNA background check.
• BLS CPR, required by MultiCare and nearly all facilities.
• TB screening and immunizations, requested at offer by the hospital and often at orientation by facilities.
• A car for adult family home and agency shifts across Covington, Kent, and Maple Valley, where 6 a.m. start times rule out the bus.

Order of operations for a Covington graduate

• Training weeks 3 and 4. Apply to Kent and Auburn skilled nursing facilities as a NAR and to Covington senior living, with the Certificate of Completion date on the application.
• Skills test day. With the $100 skills pass on record, book the $55 Credentia knowledge test; the system will not accept a Part 2 registration before then.
• Knowledge pass. File the DOH application with the fee per the current schedule; apply to the MultiCare Covington float pool and per diem postings.
• NA-C on the registry. Tell your employer in writing so scope and pay update; a NAR's deadline is covered in the NAR four-month rule in Washington.
• 6 to 12 months in. Apply to Covington, Auburn, or St. Francis unit roles. The experience preference is typical of postings, not a regulation.

Reaching Covington jobs by bus and by car

King County Metro's South Link Connections page, updated for the 2026 service changes, describes Route 168 between Maple Valley and Kent Station through Covington and Kent East Hill, seven days a week. That single route serves the Covington commercial district near MultiCare Covington Medical Center, Kent's East Hill facilities, and Kent Station, where Route 183 continues to Star Lake and Federal Way Downtown Station, close to St. Francis Federal Way and the senior living communities around it. Sounder trains at Kent Station reach Auburn Station for MultiCare Auburn on weekday peak schedules.

By car, SR 18 puts MultiCare Auburn about 10 minutes away and St. Francis Federal Way about 20; SR 516 (Kent-Kangley Road) reaches Kent East Hill and downtown Kent in 10 to 15 minutes. Valley Medical Center in Renton is about 25 minutes by SR 167 or SR 169.

Moving up from a first job in Covington

Because the hospital is in town, Covington nursing assistants have a shorter path to acute care than most suburban graduates: a year in Kent or Auburn skilled nursing, or in the Covington float pool, is the usual bridge to an inpatient unit. Inside senior living, the medication assistant endorsement (8 hours of medication-specific continuing education plus 250 documented hours of medication assistant employment per renewal cycle) raises pay without a commute. The standard NA-C renews annually on your birthday through the DOH portal with no continuing education; the endorsement is the only CE-bearing credential. Renewal mechanics are in Washington CNA renewal.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs make in Covington? No Covington figure appears in the August 2026 Indeed data. The Washington average is about $23.62 per hour and Seattle about $23.80, approximate; MultiCare Covington sits at the top of the local range and adult family homes near the $17.13 minimum.

Does MultiCare Covington hire new graduates? Float pool and per diem postings are the usual entry; unit roles often prefer 6 to 12 months of experience. That preference is employer practice.

Which employers near Covington hire before I pass the exam? Skilled nursing facilities in Kent and Auburn can hire a NAR with 4 months to certify. Senior living may hire an HCA while you finish.

Can I reach Covington CNA jobs by bus? Route 168 serves the hospital area, Kent East Hill, and Kent Station; Route 183 continues to Federal Way. Adult family homes and agency clients need a car.

Is Covington a good base for hospital work? Yes. MultiCare Covington is in town, MultiCare Auburn is about 10 minutes by SR 18, and St. Francis Federal Way about 20, with Valley Medical Center about 25 minutes north.

For a statewide view of openings by setting, read CNA jobs in Washington. If you have not trained yet, CNA classes near Covington, WA compares Green River College and Renton Technical College with the 4-week CNA Traditional program 14 miles away in Federal Way.