Benefits Spotlight
What it’s like to work at Swedish Ballard
Located just six miles north of downtown Seattle, Swedish Ballard, which was awarded the Leapfrog Grade “A” for Spring 2020, offers the full spectrum of medical services to the Ballard community, delivering innovative and cutting-edge medical care to patients.
Thinking of joining us? We connected with a CNA, a RN and a Nurse Manager to get their take on what it’s like to work at our Ballard campus.
On the path to Swedish
Raj, RN
Working on the float team, Raj is an asset to the medical surgical, behavioral health and addiction recovery units at Swedish Ballard. According to Raj: “I like to learn a lot of different things. I love that I’m able to practice different kinds of nursing on these different units.”
Matarr, CNA
After immigrating from Gambia, West Africa, Matarr became a CNA, working for a nursing home before joining Swedish Ballard. Here, he’s had opportunities to work in a variety of roles thanks to support from his team. Ultimately, Matarr wants to obtain his certification as an Emergency Department Technician, which he’s able to do while working with the help of Swedish’s tuition reimbursement benefit.
Kristin, Nurse Manager
Despite enjoying the opportunities to discover new places as a traveling nurse, Kristin first came to Swedish Ballard temporarily but has since established roots here, going to school to earn dual masters’ degrees while working as a nurse manager at Swedish Ballard.
On working at Swedish Ballard
“The culture at Ballard is unparalleled,” says Kristin. “People love Swedish Ballard—it has a community vibe.”
“Everyone gets to know each other on a personal level,” agrees Raj, who describes it as a neighborhood hospital where, “you will know peoples’ names from the janitor up to the management.”
According to Mattar, everyone is treated with dignity and respect. “We are all equal, we are all the same.”
On job expectations
“As far as the job expectations, there are no surprises. You will get a full understanding of what you’re getting yourself into when you get the job. As long as you give your hundred percent, you will get whatever you put in,” says Raj.
On teamwork
Swedish is known for fostering teamwork and Swedish Ballard is a great example of that. Recalling a particularly challenging patient, Raj says it was teamwork that got him through it. “I love the fact that the float team is a tight knit team. We know each other. We are always there for one another.”
“There’s that feeling that we’re a family,” echoes Kristin. Families fight and families love, and we do both and we do them well.”
On leadership
Our mission to improve the health and well-being of each person extends to our leadership style, beginning with new staff. As Raj puts it, “It’s important for new staff to know that they won’t be just thrown to the wolves. We really foster a team environment.”
Mattar agrees that “the leadership is very flexible. They work with you—offering whatever support you need in order to succeed or to get to the next level.”
On career growth
Learning and development are encouraged at Swedish. When Kristin was a traveling nurse at Swedish, “We had a really strong leader. She recognized my talents. She knew I could do more. She saw a future that I wasn’t really seeing.” It was because of this leadership that Kristin settled down with Swedish Ballard.
Five places to spend time off-the-clock in Ballard
When considering where to work, it’s also important to consider what the neighborhood has to offer for time off the clock. Here are five ways caregivers unwind when their shift is over:
- Taking a stroll down Market Street and Ballard Avenue to shop, graze & drink
- For a quintessential Northwest experience, visiting the Ballard Locks – the second-largest lock system in the world next to the Panama Canal
- Visiting Ballard Farmers Market, one of the area’s only year-around farmers markets, situated along the historic stretch of cobblestones along Ballard Avenue
- Learning about Ballard’s Nordic immigrants at the National Nordic Museum
- Enjoying Golden Gardens, an 87-acre park with wide sandy beaches overlooking the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains and a plethora of hiking trails
Interested in a job at Swedish Ballard? See all open positions.
