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

Sammamish is a residential plateau with no hospital, so a Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) living there works in one of two markets: the senior living communities and licensed adult family homes on the plateau itself, or the hospitals ringing it, Swedish Issaquah to the south, Overlake in Bellevue to the west, EvergreenHealth Kirkland to the northwest, and the Redmond emergency campuses to the north. Indeed's September 2026 job-posting data does not report Sammamish separately; the nearest reported cities are Issaquah at about $23.77 per hour (63 reports) and Redmond at about $26.08 (57 reports). Kirkland showed about $23.73 in August 2026. All figures are approximate and above the statewide posting average of about $23.62.

Employers by direction from the plateau

The plateau's own employers are where most first-year NA-Cs start. The hospitals are where experienced NA-Cs move for base pay and differentials.

Reading the Sammamish pay picture

The spread between Issaquah's $23.77 and Redmond's $26.08 is wide for two cities 15 minutes apart, and it comes from the mix of postings: Redmond's sample leans toward hospital and emergency campus roles, Issaquah's toward senior living. A Sammamish NA-C should read the two figures as a band, not as a rule about geography.

From the floor up:

1. Adult family homes and home care agencies post from the 2026 state minimum of $17.13 per hour into the low $20s. Many accept Home Care Aides, so the NA-C is not always priced in. Sammamish does not set its own minimum wage.
2. Senior living and memory care on the plateau post in the low to mid $20s, with medication aide roles above that for holders of the medication assistant endorsement.
3. Skilled nursing in Issaquah, Bellevue, and Kirkland posts near the Issaquah and Kirkland figures, plus evening, night, and weekend differentials of about $1.50 to $4 per hour.
4. Hospitals post at or above the Redmond figure, with differentials. BLS OEWS reports a Seattle-metro healthcare support mean of about $25.96 per hour (May 2025) against $19.62 nationally.

How each setting builds its rate is explained in CNA salary in Washington State.

The plateau's particular market: memory care and adult family homes

Sammamish has a higher share of adult family homes and memory care per resident than most Eastside cities because it is large, affluent, and residential. That shapes a new NA-C's options in three ways. First, many of those employers post the same role to Home Care Aides, so an NA-C competes on skills such as vital signs and transfers rather than on credential alone. Second, adult family homes are licensed by DSHS and run their own background checks in addition to the Department of Health (DOH) name-based check. Third, shifts on the plateau are often short and spread across the day, which fits a student or a parent better than a hospital's 12-hour block. Scope differences between the two credentials are in Washington CNA scope of practice.

Job-search order for a Sammamish graduate

• Weeks 3 and 4 of training: apply to plateau senior living, memory care, and Issaquah skilled nursing with the Certificate of Completion and Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) status. A nursing facility can hire a NAR, who then has 4 months from hire to certify.
• When the $100 skills pass is recorded: register with Credentia for the $55 knowledge test.
• After the knowledge pass: submit the DOH application with the fee per the current schedule; apply to Swedish Issaquah and Overlake float pools.
• When the NA-C appears on the Provider Credential Search: tell your employer so scope and pay update; consider EvergreenHealth and the Redmond campuses.
• After 6 to 12 months of experience: apply to hospital unit positions, where the experience preference is typical of postings rather than a rule.

The pre-certification hiring rules are in work as a CNA before certification in Washington.

Documents and checks Eastside employers ask for

• Active NA-C or NAR status on the DOH Provider Credential Search.
• BLS CPR for hospitals and most facilities.
• TB test and immunization records, the same set required before clinical placement in training.
• A clear background check: DOH's name-based statewide check for the credential, DSHS checks for adult family homes and assisted living, and a hospital's own check on top. A recent move from out of state may trigger a fingerprint check.
• The medication assistant endorsement for medication aide roles, which requires 8 hours of medication-specific continuing education plus 250 documented hours per renewal cycle.

Getting to each employer without a car

King County Metro's fall 2026 service change, per the agency and regional transit reporting, gives Sammamish its best transit in years:

• Route 269 runs between Marymoor Village Station in Redmond and Mercer Island Station via 228th Avenue and I-90, with 15-minute weekday peak frequency and weekend daytime service. It no longer serves Issaquah Transit Center.
• Swedish Issaquah: by car, about 15 minutes down 228th Avenue and East Lake Sammamish Parkway; local Metro routes connect from the Issaquah Transit Center.
• Overlake and Bellevue: Route 269 to Mercer Island Station, then the 2 Line east one stop pattern to Bellevue; or drive I-90 and I-405.
• EvergreenHealth Kirkland: by car via SR 202 and I-405, about 25 minutes; no direct bus from the plateau.
• Redmond campuses: Route 269 north to Marymoor Village Station, then the 2 Line or local routes.
• Seattle hospitals: Route 269 to Mercer Island Station, then the 2 Line across Lake Washington to Chinatown/International District, with 1 Line transfers there.

A car remains close to necessary for adult family home and agency work spread across the plateau, and the return trip from an evening shift off the plateau depends on the 269's late-evening span.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs make in Sammamish? Indeed does not report Sammamish separately. Nearby Issaquah showed about $23.77 per hour and Redmond about $26.08 in September 2026, approximate; plan on that band, with hospitals at the top and adult family homes near the $17.13 minimum.

Which hospital is closest to Sammamish for nursing assistant work? Swedish Issaquah on NE Blakely Drive, about 15 minutes south of the plateau. Overlake in Bellevue and EvergreenHealth in Kirkland are the next closest.

Can I get hired on the plateau before passing the NA-C exam? Adult family homes and assisted living often hire caregivers with an HCA credential; a skilled nursing facility can hire a NAR with 4 months from hire to certify. Hospitals usually require the NA-C first.

Do Sammamish adult family homes require a different background check? They add a DSHS check to the DOH's name-based check. The credential itself is the same statewide.

Is there a bus from Sammamish to Eastside hospitals? Route 269 connects the plateau to Mercer Island Station and Marymoor Village Station, with 2 Line transfers to Bellevue, Redmond, and Seattle. Kirkland still requires a car.

Do I need a car for CNA jobs in Sammamish? For hospital work reachable by Route 269 and the 2 Line, no. For adult family home and agency work on the plateau, yes in practice.

If you have not trained yet, CNA classes near Sammamish, WA compares Bellevue College and LWTech with the 4-week CNA Traditional program in Federal Way; active Home Care Aides can read HCA to CNA bridge near Sammamish, WA. For openings across the whole state, see CNA jobs in Washington.