How to hire an advanced practice registered nurse

How to hire an advanced practice registered nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step advanced practice registered nurse hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an advanced practice registered nurse job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new advanced practice registered nurse
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an advanced practice registered nurse do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the advanced practice registered nurse you need to hire. Certain advanced practice registered nurse roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An advanced practice registered nurse's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, advanced practice registered nurses from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of advanced practice registered nurses.

   Type of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Advanced Practice Registered Nurse	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$30-64
   Staff Nurse	Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents... Show more	$20-52
   Registered Nurse Charge Nurse	A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge... Show more	$22-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • APRN
   • Diagnosis
   • Acute Care
   • Advanced Life Support
   • Diagnostic Studies
   • Diagnostic Tests
   • Compassion
   • Mental Health
   • Medical Care
   • Physical Exams
   • IV
   • MSN
   • Discharge Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Employ as an APRN to manage wind care for adults and geriatrics in a rehabilitation and nursing home setting.
   • Manage chronic comorbid conditions such as; congestive heart failure, COPD, hypothyroidism, atrial fibrillation and hypertension.
   • Manage acute and chronic conditions such as ESRD, COPD, heart failure, spinal cord injury, and diabetes.
   • Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
   • Provide comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, education and evaluation of patients in an acute/critical care hospital setting.
   • Train volunteer nurses, physicians, and staff in the transition to the EMR.

   More advanced practice registered nurse duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the advanced practice registered nurse job description is a good way to get more applicants. An advanced practice registered nurse salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an advanced practice registered nurse in Kansas may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level advanced practice registered nurse. Additionally, an advanced practice registered nurse with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average advanced practice registered nurse salary

   $92,479yearly

   $44.46 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level advanced practice registered nurse salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average advanced practice registered nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$125,612	$60
   2	New Hampshire	$102,772	$49
   3	Ohio	$99,156	$48
   4	Nevada	$95,893	$46
   5	Iowa	$86,903	$42
   6	Texas	$86,029	$41
   7	Colorado	$82,034	$39
   8	Missouri	$81,834	$39
   9	Hawaii	$81,107	$39
   10	New Mexico	$79,668	$38
   11	Oklahoma	$77,877	$37
   12	Florida	$77,662	$37
   13	Kansas	$75,843	$36
   14	Louisiana	$70,272	$34

   Average advanced practice registered nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mercy Corps	$153,944	$74.01	274
   2	Children's Minnesota	$138,498	$66.59	9
   3	Nicklaus Children's Hospital	$135,362	$65.08	12
   4	Suncoast Center	$135,254	$65.03	1
   5	Operation PAR	$127,420	$61.26	2
   6	Private Practice	$127,195	$61.15	25
   7	Catholic Medical Center	$126,873	$61.00	14
   8	Memorial Healthcare System	$124,858	$60.03	6
   9	Tampa Family Health Centers	$124,516	$59.86	7
   10	Community Health Northwest Florida	$122,872	$59.07	2
   11	Heartland Medical Clinic, Incorporated	$121,403	$58.37
   12	University Health	$121,354	$58.34	75
   13	Hartford HealthCare Medical Group	$120,324	$57.85	17
   14	Oklahoma Mental Health Council	$120,122	$57.75	8
   15	Sutter Health	$119,446	$57.43	213
   16	NHTC	$118,723	$57.08	2
   17	University Medical Center of Southern Nevada	$118,411	$56.93
   18	Lone Star Circle of Care	$118,291	$56.87	2
   19	Millennium Physician Group	$117,275	$56.38
   20	Stormont Vail Health	$115,977	$55.76	28

4. Writing an advanced practice registered nurse job description

   An advanced practice registered nurse job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an advanced practice registered nurse job description:

   Advanced practice registered nurse job description example

   Join the professional team at the Wellpinit Indian Health Clinic, this is a locum long term position with top pay and full benefits. Come along and see what it is like to work for a mission driven health center! Apply now! Mid Level Practitioner APRN FNP, NP, PA with strong background in Family or Internal Medicine as primary services
   
   The contracted Nurse Practitioner shall interview and examine patients, review past medical history and request and/ or perform diagnostic tests and examinations as necessary to make diagnosis for primary care services. They make diagnosis after evaluating information obtained and provide medical or surgical treatment and/ or referral as appropriate.
   
   The nurse practitioner shall counsel and educate patients, families, community and medical staff about general health care.
   
   The nurse practitioner shall prescribe drugs and tests necessary to provide including the use of radiology and laboratory
   
   The nurse practitioner shall become familiar with and be guided by the Indian Health Service formulary and shall follow IHS procedures when prescribing drugs
   
   The nurse practitioner authorized to prescribe pharmaceuticals shall do so according to the availability of drugs listed in the IHS formulary
   
   IHS pharmacy services will provide instructions to the prescribing contract physician as to substitution of generic drugs for prescribed drugs
   The service unit pharmacy must approve drugs not on the formulary The nurse practitioner shall participate in a continual process of quality of health care evaluation to assure the provision of quality service. Strive for excellence in providing general family medicine medical services. Comply with all IHS facility infection control and safety procedures, practices, and standards Respect and maintain the basic right of patients, to include but not limited to personal dignity Referrals- all referrals shall be done utilizing the Patient Referred Care (PRC) process. The PRC Committee utilizing PRC guidelines will review these referrals. Prairie Band Health Services is subject to Title 22: Employment Code of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. In accordance with Title 22, this position is designated as a TIER 1 position. Preference will be given to individuals to the extent required pursuant to Section 22-2-4(B). To be considered for employment with Indian Preference, documentation is required to be provided at time of application.
   
   PI193760920

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right advanced practice registered nurse for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your advanced practice registered nurse job on Zippia to find and attract quality advanced practice registered nurse candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit advanced practice registered nurses, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new advanced practice registered nurse

   Once you've decided on a perfect advanced practice registered nurse candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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