How to hire an associate chief nurse

How to hire an associate chief nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step associate chief 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 associate chief nurse job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new associate chief nurse
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the associate chief nurse you need to hire. Certain associate chief 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

   Hiring the perfect associate chief nurse also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents associate chief nurse salaries for various positions.

   Type of Associate Chief Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Chief 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.	$32-109
   Student/Clinical Rotation	Clinical rotation is the stage wherein medical students spend their last two years of study as medical team members. During this period, medical students learn to apply their knowledge from the classroom to real-life medical situations... Show more	$16-105
   Nurse Manager	The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions... Show more	$28-55

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Vital Signs
   • Infection Control
   • Blood Glucose
   • Patient Safety
   • EKG
   • Patient Flow
   • CPR
   • BLS
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Veterans
   • Primary Care
   • Rehabilitation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
   • Perform EKG's to assess cardio activity of patient.
   • Plan and prepare for the pre-operative nursing care of the patient.
   • Assist nursing staff by providing daily patient care, EKG's and phlebotomy.
   • Require that all staff be BLS certify, this include EVS and dietary.
   • Perform all aspects of nursing care relate to an ICU step-down unit setting.

   More associate chief nurse duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the associate chief nurse job description is a good way to get more applicants. An associate chief 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 associate chief nurse in Vermont may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level associate chief nurse. Additionally, an associate chief nurse with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average associate chief nurse salary

   $123,902yearly

   $59.57 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate chief nurse salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average associate chief nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$178,621	$86
   2	Maryland	$148,062	$71
   3	New Jersey	$143,896	$69
   4	Washington	$137,886	$66
   5	New York	$137,383	$66
   6	Florida	$136,374	$66
   7	Oregon	$134,748	$65
   8	Arizona	$132,947	$64
   9	Connecticut	$124,363	$60
   10	Michigan	$124,210	$60
   11	Massachusetts	$122,330	$59
   12	Kansas	$120,131	$58
   13	Illinois	$119,884	$58
   14	Alabama	$119,300	$57
   15	Texas	$112,879	$54
   16	Iowa	$86,244	$41

   Average associate chief nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Northwestern Medicine	$184,590	$88.75	36
   2	Kaiser Permanente	$180,475	$86.77	360
   3	CVS Health	$176,515	$84.86	80
   4	Cogent Healthcare, Inc.	$173,831	$83.57
   5	CHRISTUS Health	$169,291	$81.39	21
   6	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$143,377	$68.93	26
   7	Management Recruiters International(MRI)	$141,803	$68.17	7
   8	PRC LLC	$140,963	$67.77
   9	LifeBridge Health	$138,576	$66.62
   10	Physician Affiliate Group of New York	$138,176	$66.43	8
   11	Beth Israel Lahey Health	$137,167	$65.95	31
   12	Partners Healthcare Solutions Inc	$137,167	$65.95
   13	Tufts Medical Center	$136,948	$65.84
   14	Clinical Management Consultants	$134,872	$64.84
   15	St. Charles Health System	$131,587	$63.26	7
   16	Lahey Health Behavioral Services	$131,248	$63.10
   17	Boston Medical Center	$128,636	$61.84	24
   18	AHMC Healthcare	$126,172	$60.66	38
   19	Sound Physicians	$121,674	$58.50	1
   20	South Shore Health	$116,439	$55.98	1

4. Writing an associate chief nurse job description

   A job description for an associate chief nurse role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an associate chief nurse job description:

   Associate chief nurse job description example

   Arcadia Health Care Associates in Attleboro, MA is looking for nurses RN/LPN to join our team. Our ideal candidate is self-driven, motivated, and reliable.
   Responsibilities Administer professional nursing care, which includes recording patient histories, administering medications, performing diagnostic tests, and developing patient care plans in conjunction with other medical professionals • Assist physicians during examinations and procedures, operating and monitoring medical equipment as necessary • Record observations and document care provided and report changes in resident status to shift supervisor • 12 hour shift • 8 hour shift • Night shift • Overnight shift Days
   Qualifications You're a Registered Nurse (RN) or License Practical Nurse (LPN) that's looking for the freedom and flexibility to build your own schedule and earn higher pay
   • Graduation from an approved nursing program
   • An applicable Registered Nurse (RN) or License Practical Nurse ( LPN) state license
   • Minimum 4 months experience in post-acute care or in-patient hospital , nursing home, home care setting
   We focus exclusively on providing health care professionals to the post-acute world' skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities, home care . If you take pride in being a reliable, caring health care provider and have a minimum of 4 months of experience then we encourage you to apply. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. full-time,part-time . We cover Attleboro to Medford MA. Looking forward to go through your application.
   
   Available shifts and compensation: We have available shifts all days of the week. Compensation is $35.00 - $60.00/hour. About Arcadia HealthCare Associates: Arcadia HealthCare Associates is looking for an individual to join our team. Our ideal candidate is self-driven, motivated and trustworthy. Learn more about us at www.arcadiahealthcareassociates.com.
   By applying to this job, you agree to receive periodic text messages from this employer and Homebase about your pending job application. Opt out anytime. Msg & data rates may apply.
   
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5. Post your job

   To find the right associate chief nurse for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with associate chief nurses they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit associate chief nurses who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your associate chief nurse job on Zippia to find and recruit associate chief nurse candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with associate chief nurse candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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 associate chief nurse

   Once you've found the associate chief nurse candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new associate chief nurse first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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