Finding a job in the Seattle and Portland Metro Areas

A few months ago my good friend, Bri, married a very kind and very tall man named Jacob.  Now, due to the enormous amount of planning and preparation Bri had put into the wedding, Jacob offered to plan the honeymoon.  He insisted their destination should be a surprise to his bride; the only hint he gave her beforehand was to pack plenty of warm clothing.  On the day of the ceremony Jacob handed me a small bag tied shut with a ribbon, a huge smile spread across his face.

“Give this to Bri,” he said.  “And tell her it’s a honeymoon hint.”

Well, a few minutes later Bri unwrapped the bag and pulled out a “Sleepless in Seattle” DVD.  She squealed in delight, with the exact same smile spread across her face I had seen on Jacob just minutes ago.  Jacob’s “hint” (I use the term loosely because I believe he intended it as more of a “complete give-away”) thrilled Bri but left me somewhat perplexed.  I had never been to Seattle.  I had never heard of anyone going to Seattle for a honeymoon.  Could one actually honeymoon there?  But my concerns were allayed the very day the couple returned, beaming and full of stories to share about their wonderful vacation to the “Emerald City.”

Apparently there’s a bit more to Seattle than coffee and rain.  It’s actually a thriving, grow metropolis, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest and the “Gateway to Alaska.” One of the most signature sites in Seattle is the Space Needle, the symbol for the hit television show Frasier.  Bri and Jacob actually ate inside the Space Needle at SkyCity restaurant—whose dining floor rotates, providing each guest with an unobstructed view of the Seattle metro area.  And of course, there’s the Starbuck’s Center, which is only fitting since Seattle is the birthplace for the world’s most successful coffee company.

Seattle is also a major theatre district, with a plethora of professional equity theatres, second only to New York City.  So, if you’re a physician with a flare for drama, then a Saturday night spent at 5th Avenue Theatre could prove most enjoyable.  Or, how about a visit to Benaroya Hall to enjoy the musical talent of the century-old Seattle Symphony Orchestra?  If you’re not a particular symphony enthusiast but you love music, then you’ll be pleased to learn that Seattle is ripe with musical talent, inspiring such artists as Jimi Hendrix, Duff McKagan, Nikki Sixx, and Quincy Jones.  There are plenty of local coffee houses and restaurants with live music and even poetry reading.  In fact, Seattle hosts The Seattle Poetry Festival, a biennial poetry festival which features local, regional, national, and international poets.

If you would rather spend your free time outside versus inside, then Seattle might be the exact type of locale you’re looking for.  The metro area is lush with wildlife, and plenty of parks are speckled throughout the cityscape, such as Discover Park.  And, as a coastal community, there are all sorts of fishing and boating opportunities.  But what about all that rain, you may ask?  Well, New York City, Atlanta, Houston, and several other Eastern Seaboard cities actually receive more annual precipitation than the “Rainy City.”

Now, let’s talk about where you’ll be spending the majority of your time—work.  Regardless of your specialty, you will find plenty of job opportunities in the Seattle metro area, as it acts as a medical hub for many nearby northwest states including Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.  Harborview Medical Center, is the public county Level I trauma hospital in the area, with Virginia Mason Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center's nearby, also in the First Hill neighborhood.  Given the concentration of medical centers, the neighborhood is often referred to as “Pill Hill.”  The Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center is the pediatric referral hospital for many of the northwest states.  Likewise, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center—which shares facilities with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and University of Washington Medical Center—is another major referral hospital in the area.  Seattle also boasts a VA hospital, Northwest Hospital, a medical center near Northgate Mall, and The University of Washington, which is consistently ranked as one the country's top leading institutions in medical research.

So, if you’re looking for a bustling, northern city with plenty of culture and plenty of physician positions to fill, then consider Seattle—which, as it turns out, also makes a great honeymoon destination.