How to hire a circulating nurse

How to hire a circulating nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step circulating nurse hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a circulating nurse, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A circulating nurse's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, circulating 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 presents circulating nurse salaries for various positions.

   Type of Circulating Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Circulating 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.	$21-58
   Nurse Clinician	A nurse clinician is a health expert who provides care and assistance to patients in hospitals, clinics, or similar establishments. Among their responsibilities include preparing equipment and documents, administering medication, monitoring the patient's condition, maintaining charts, and regularly reporting to physicians... Show more	$23-42
   Nurse Educator	A nurse educator is responsible for teaching aspiring professional nurses, designing courses according to the curriculum, and organizing activities to practice and enhance the students' knowledge. Nurse educators manage clinical activities and observe the students' performance in actual training... Show more	$22-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • BLS
   • Plastic Surgery
   • Infection Control
   • Anesthesia
   • Acls
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Perioperative
   • Surgical Procedures
   • IV
   • Sterile Technique
   • Administer Medications
   • Pain Management
   • Ortho

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
   • Monitor vital signs in PACU and review discharge instructions to caretaker regarding procedure.
   • Circulate ENT, plastics, GYN, GI, general, and orthopedic cases.
   • Circulate mostly GU and GYN cases
   • Assist in Pre-Op as needed.
   • Assist in endoscopy for EGDS, Colonoscopys, and ERCPs.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your circulating nurse job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A circulating nurse can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, circulating nurses' average salary in south carolina is 44% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level circulating nurses 63% less than senior-level circulating nurses.
   • Certifications. A circulating nurse with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a circulating nurse's salary.

   Average circulating nurse salary

   $74,535yearly

   $35.83 hourly rate

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   Entry-level circulating nurse salary

   $45,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a circulating nurse job description

   A circulating 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a circulating nurse job description:

   Circulating nurse job description example

   This prestigious hospital is looking for an experienced Circulating Nurse OR to join a well-known healthcare system! This facility is located in the beautiful Seattle area, and will provide a wonderful work environment in which to grow and advance.
   
   The Circulating Nurse OR will report to a highly experienced and seasoned Charge Nurse. Working with an exceptional team of Scrubbing and Circulating Nurses, Registered Nurse First Assists, and Surgical Technologists, the Circulating Nurse OR will discover a passionate patient care team and a department with all the resources needed to provide top quality patient care.
   
   The Circulating Nurse OR will be working in a fast-paced unit with a tenured and experienced staff of 50+ FTEs, which sees over 15K procedures annually. The 12 Operating Rooms in this department tend to run on a tight schedule, and utilize some of the most cutting-edge technology in the Seattle Area.. This department offers a wide variety of procedures, from Labor/Delivery, to Orthopedic, to Cardiovascular.
   
   In this position, the Circulating Nurse OR will be responsible for implementing comprehensive and professional care for patients in a primarily acute environment. This position will make proper nursing diagnoses, and then plan, implement, and evaluate patient care. Additionally, they will treat emergency injuries, identify work-related risks, and perform proper documentation of all illnesses and injuries.
   
   This hospital is a 150+ bed medical center that has some of the best healthcare providers across the country. This medical center has undergone over 100 million dollars worth of construction and advancement in the past few years, thus making it one of the most technologically advanced and modern medical facilities in the Pacific Northwest. The new Circulating OR Nurse will certainly feel at home in this amazing facility.
   
   This Seattle Area hospital is located in a picturesque area, surrounded by mountains, evergreen forests, and the beautiful Puget Sound. This metropolitan area is known for its large tech industry, educational opportunities, and for its citizen's high quality of life. When taking some down time, the Circulating Nurse OR can take in a football game, head to a museum or visit several iconic landmarks, including the Space Needle and Pike's Place Market.
   This is a great opportunity for an excellent Circulating Nurse OR to take the next step in their career, and join a recognized health system. This position will receive generous benefits and competitive compensation.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right circulating 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 circulating nurse job on Zippia to find and recruit circulating nurse candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit circulating nurses, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 circulating nurse

   Once you've selected the best circulating nurse candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new circulating nurse. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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