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

Issaquah gives a Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) an unusually complete local job market for a city of its size: one hospital (Swedish Issaquah at 751 NE Blakely Drive, per the Swedish locations page), three skilled nursing facilities (Providence Marianwood, Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and Avamere Rehabilitation of Issaquah), a large continuing-care campus at Providence Point, and licensed adult family homes spread from Squak Mountain to the Highlands. Indeed's August 2026 job-posting data reports no Issaquah-specific figure; Kirkland at about $23.73 per hour and Seattle at about $23.80 are the nearest reported cities, and the Washington average is about $23.62. Treat every wage in this article as approximate.

Issaquah employers by setting

The three skilled nursing facilities are the practical first stop for a new graduate. They post most often, hire on a Certificate of Completion plus Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) status, and give the 6 to 12 months of experience that Swedish unit postings tend to ask for.

How Issaquah pay is built

Starting pay depends far more on the setting than on the city. Working from the state floor upward:

1. State minimum, $17.13 per hour in 2026. Issaquah has no local minimum wage above the state figure. Adult family home caregiver roles that accept either HCA or NA-C credentials sit nearest this line.
2. Assisted living and continuing care. Roles open to HCAs pay below the nursing assistant average; roles that require the NA-C, such as medication aide positions with the medication assistant endorsement, pay above it.
3. Skilled nursing. Base rates near the Kirkland and Seattle figures of about $23.73 to $23.80 per hour, plus evening, night, and weekend differentials typically between $1.50 and $4 per hour.
4. Hospital. Swedish Issaquah belongs to a system whose Seattle-area healthcare support workers earn a mean of about $25.96 per hour per BLS OEWS for May 2025, against $19.62 nationally. Hospital base rates plus differentials are the top of the Issaquah market.

Night shift at a skilled nursing facility can therefore out-earn a day shift at a hospital for a first-year NA-C. The full pay picture by setting is in CNA salary in Washington State.

What Issaquah employers check before an offer

Every employer confirms the credential on the DOH Provider Credential Search. Beyond that:

• NAR or NA-C status. Skilled nursing facilities may hire a NAR, who then has 4 months from hire to complete training and pass the exam. Swedish and most assisted living communities post for the NA-C only.
• Background checks. The DOH runs a name-based statewide check for the credential. Adult family homes and assisted living run DSHS checks on top of it; hospitals and nursing homes run their own. Recent arrivals from another state may face a fingerprint check. The process is described in the Washington CNA background check.
• BLS CPR. Required by Swedish and by nearly every facility.
• TB screening and immunizations. Hospitals want records at the offer stage; nursing homes often accept them at orientation.
• Medication assistant endorsement. Needed for medication aide roles, which several Eastside senior living communities post.

A job-search timeline for an Issaquah graduate

• During training, weeks 3 and 4. Apply to Providence Marianwood, Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and Avamere as a NAR, with your Certificate of Completion date in the application.
• Skills test day. Once the $100 skills pass is recorded, register with Credentia for the $55 knowledge test; Part 2 cannot be booked earlier.
• After the knowledge pass. File the DOH application with the fee per the current schedule; apply to Swedish Issaquah float pool and per diem postings, which have fewer experience requirements than unit roles.
• When the NA-C appears on the registry. Tell your employer in writing so scope and pay update. A NAR hired in a nursing facility must reach this point within 4 months; the rule is in the NAR four-month rule in Washington.
• At 6 to 12 months. Reapply to Swedish Issaquah unit positions and to Overlake in Bellevue, where experience preferences are typical of postings rather than regulation.

Commuting to Issaquah employers

Issaquah's employers are spread along three corridors, and Sound Transit's published route pages as of September 2026 shape what is reachable without a car:

• Swedish Issaquah and the Highlands. Route 556 serves Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride and Issaquah Transit Center, every 15 minutes at peak and about every 30 minutes off-peak, starting around 4 a.m. Swedish Issaquah is in the Highlands near the park and ride.
• Front Street and Gilman Boulevard facilities. Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Front Street S is near the transit center; Route 556 makes local stops along NW Gilman Boulevard.
• Providence Point and Marianwood. The campus is southeast of downtown off Providence Point Drive SE; a car or a King County Metro local route is the realistic option for shift start times.
• Bellevue and Seattle hospitals. Route 556 to Bellevue, then the 2 Line, which now crosses I-90 into Seattle and shares track with the 1 Line north of International District/Chinatown. Overlake is reachable from Bellevue; Harborview, Swedish First Hill, and UW Medicine from the Seattle stations.

Adult family home and agency work across Issaquah, Sammamish, and Klahanie requires a car, since shifts start at 6 or 7 a.m. and the homes sit on residential streets.

Growing past the first job

Issaquah's mix rewards the NA-C who accumulates facility experience quickly. Within a year, a Marianwood or Avamere nursing assistant can apply to Swedish Issaquah with hospital-style documentation already in hand, or add the medication assistant endorsement (8 hours of medication-specific continuing education plus 250 documented employment hours per renewal cycle) for senior living roles. The NA-C renews annually on your birthday through the DOH portal with no continuing education for the standard credential; only the endorsement carries a CE requirement. Renewal steps are in Washington CNA renewal.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs make in Issaquah? No Issaquah-specific figure appears in the August 2026 Indeed data. Kirkland at about $23.73 per hour and Seattle at about $23.80 are the nearest reported cities, approximate, with Swedish Issaquah at the top and adult family homes near the $17.13 minimum.

Which Issaquah employers hire before I pass the exam? Skilled nursing facilities such as Providence Marianwood, Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and Avamere can hire a NAR with 4 months to certify. Swedish Issaquah posts for the NA-C.

Is Swedish Issaquah a full hospital? Yes. The Swedish departments page lists an emergency room, birth center, cancer institute, orthopedic institute, and cardiovascular services at the Blakely Drive campus.

Can I get to Issaquah CNA jobs without a car? Swedish Issaquah and the Front Street facilities are on or near Route 556. Providence Point, adult family homes, and agency clients generally need a car.

Do I need experience for a hospital job? Most Swedish unit postings list a preference for 6 to 12 months; float pool and per diem roles are the usual entry. The preference is employer practice, not a state rule.

Statewide openings by setting are in CNA jobs in Washington. If you have not trained yet, CNA classes near Issaquah, WA compares Bellevue College with the 4-week CNA Traditional program in Federal Way.