Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Everett Community College

Washington State's practical nursing programs typically produce stronger earnings than the national average, with the state median around $51,000—about $7,000 higher than the national figure. Based on comparable programs nationwide, Everett Community College's nursing certificate would position graduates below this state benchmark at an estimated $44,000 in first-year earnings. When nearby Olympic College reports actual outcomes of $49,000 and Clover Park Technical College shows $53,000, it's worth asking why you'd choose a program where the specific outcomes remain unclear.

The estimated debt of $13,700 is manageable—representing roughly four months of first-year income based on peer programs. That's actually below both state and national typical debt loads for these certificates. Healthcare certifications generally offer reliable employment even if earnings vary by program, and the 0.31 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests the financial burden wouldn't be crushing regardless.

The concern here isn't the estimated numbers themselves, but the lack of actual data. When other Washington community colleges readily demonstrate their nursing graduates' outcomes, the suppressed figures at Everett raise questions about program size, stability, or graduate tracking. If you're considering this program, get concrete answers from the school: How many students complete each year? What's their NCLEX pass rate? Where do graduates actually work? Without that transparency, you're choosing a program based entirely on hope that it performs like its peers rather than evidence that it does.