WA hospitals cut travel nurses, invest savings in retention as turnover drops

Caregiver staffing shortages are the norm in health care. So it seemed surprising in June when Providence, the largest health care provider in Washington, announced it was eliminating dozens of certified nursing assistant (CNA) roles at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett (PRMCE).

The layoffs reflect changes that have happened in nursing since the pandemic waned in 2023, Renee Rassilyer-Bomers, chief nursing officer for the hospital system’s north division, told the Business Journal.

“During the pandemic we didn’t have experienced nurses in high availability, so we increased CNA staffing purposefully in order to assist our nurses to help them take care of patients with volume increase,” Rassilyer-Bomers said.

Since then, PRMCE has filled 500 registered nurse positions, and the CNA layoffs are a way to "rightsize" the mix, she said.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2025/11/06/nursing-workforce-retention-salary.html