For your clinical tutorials you will rotate through three of the five main UWSOM teaching hospitals - University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), Harborview Medical Center (HMC), Veteran’s Administration Medical Center (VAMC), Swedish Medical Center/Cherry Hill (SMC/CH), and Swedish Medical Center/First Hill (SMC/FH) – spending at most one quarter at one site. The following are general directions to HMC, the VAMC, SMC/CH and SMC/FH.

University of Washington Medical Center

Harborview Medical Center - 325 9th Ave.:

Parking at HMC is terrible. The best thing to do is to take the Health Sciences Express.

If you have to drive (for example for the blood drawing tutorial, since the HS Express doesn’t run that early), you can take I-5 south to the James St. exit. Make a left on James, and go up the hill to 9th Ave. Make a right on 9th and the hospital is two blocks down on the right. There is on-street parking for two hours starting at 8:00 a.m. (so that means that if you get there really early, you can park there from before 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.). HMC is also on bus routes 3, 4, and 60.

VA Medical Center - 1660 South Columbia Way:

Parking at the VA is variable. It is free, but depending on the time of day and your luck, it can be good or bad. It generally gets more difficult to park after 9:00 a.m..

To drive to the VA, take I-5 south to the Columbia/Spokane St. exit (exit 163A) and bear to the left to Columbia Way. Go straight through the light across Spokane St., staying on Columbia, which bears left about ½ mile further on. The entrance to the VA is on your left just a bit further on.

You can get to the VA by city bus, but it is a very long trip and requires changing buses downtown. The directions from the metro folks for this are take the 71, 72, or 73 bus to downtown (from University Way or NE Campus Parkway). Get off at Westlake station (the second station after the Convention Center). Take the escalator up to the 3rd and Pine exit. Turn right, head to the water (2nd and Pine). Turn right again and go north to the 2nd and Stewart intersection. Take the 39 bus southbound to the VAMC.

Swedish Medical Center/Cherry Hill (SMC/CH) - 500 - 17th Avenue:

Parking at SMC/CH is variable. Free street parking is available in the neighborhood starting on 20th Ave. Limited 2 hour street parking is available, as well as paid 2 hour street parking near the hospital. A parking garage is available and connects to the hospital using a skybridge. Parking rates start at $3 for 0-1 hours, $6, for 1-2 hours, $7 for 2-3 hours, $8+ for 3 or more hours.

Driving to SMC/CH. If you are driving from the UW, drive south over Montlake Bridge on 23rd, turn right on E. Cherry and left on 16th.

Buses 3, 4, 64 express, 303 express, 941 express, and 942 express service SMC/CH. From the UW, you can take bus 48 towards Beacon Hill, then get off on 23rd and E. Jefferson. From there, you can walk 6 blocks on E. Jefferson to get to the hospital. Or, you can take bus 3 or 4 at 23rd and E. Jefferson and get to Swedish.

Swedish Medical Center/First Hill (SMC/FH) – 747 Broadway:

Street parking around SMC/FH is limited and mostly metered. Several parking garages surround SMC/FH. Costs range from $4 for ½ hour to $10-12 for 4-6 hours.

Driving directions from the north, traveling south on I-5:

• Take I-5 southbound to the James Street Exit (No. 165A)
• Turn left (east) onto James
• Travel for six blocks to the intersection of James and Broadway
• Turn left (north) onto Broadway and travel 1.5 blocks
• Turn left into the main hospital entrance, and follow the signs to the underground parking garageDriving…

Buses 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 36, 60, 355, 64expr, 363expr, 941expr, 942expr service this area, however none go directly from the UW. The best option from the UW is to take the Health Sciences Shuttle to HMC and walk to Swedish/FH.