Finding registered nurse jobs

Registered nurses work for several types of employers. Median pay varies by setting according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Outpatient care centers report a median of $99,350 per year, close to the hospital median. Physician offices report $85,000, nursing care facilities $85,510 and home health care services $84,930. Employment services, which include staffing agencies, report $90,840. Pay also varies widely from state to state.

Hospital employers range from large general hospitals to pediatric hospitals that treat only children. Nursing homes hire RNs to oversee care for long-term residents, and home health agencies send RNs to patients' homes. Each employer sets its own schedules and experience requirements.

RN shift patterns depend on the setting. Many hospitals schedule nurses in 12-hour shifts, and a full-time week is often three of these shifts. That schedule leaves four days off each week. Hospitals provide care around the clock, so nurses there also work nights, weekends and holidays. Applicants should confirm shift assignments before accepting an offer. Physician offices and many outpatient centers keep mostly daytime hours.

Many employers pay shift differentials, which are extra hourly pay for nights, weekends or holidays. The amount varies by employer, so applicants can confirm it in the written offer.

PRN comes from the Latin phrase pro re nata, meaning "as needed." PRN or per diem nurses fill open shifts when the employer needs coverage, without guaranteed hours. Part-time nurses work a set schedule with fewer hours than full-time staff. Agency nurses are employed by a staffing firm that places them in hospitals and other facilities. Some agencies also place nurses on contracts in other cities.

Some RN roles involve little or no bedside care, and some of them can be done from home. Telehealth nurses assess patients by phone or video. Triage nurses decide how urgently a caller needs care and where that care should happen. Utilization review nurses check medical records to confirm that care meets insurance criteria. Case managers coordinate a patient's care across providers and plan for discharge.

Employers usually require prior bedside experience for these roles, because the nurse makes clinical decisions without a team nearby. A remote nurse also needs a license that is valid where the patient is located. If the nurse holds a multistate compact license, it covers patients in other member states; NCSBN keeps the current member map.

Employers ask for an active RN license, a nursing degree and, for many roles, clinical experience. Every state requires candidates to pass the NCLEX-RN, and the state board of nursing issues the license. Employers confirm it through a public license lookup before a nurse starts work.

Many hospitals prefer a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), and some require it for certain units. A Tenet Health cath-lab posting lists a BSN as preferred, and an MUSC clinical lead role asks for at least one year of RN experience. Nurses with an associate degree can compare the two degree routes before applying.

Many hospitals hire new graduates into nurse residency programs, which add structured training and a preceptor during the first months. The UCSF Center for Nursing Excellence & Innovation runs one such program. Residencies shape what the first year looks like for many new nurses. Applicants can tailor an RN resume to each posting. They can also prepare for the questions nurse managers ask.