How to hire a consultant nurse

How to hire a consultant nurse, step by step

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

What does a consultant nurse do?

Post a consultant nurse job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your consultant nurse job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a consultant nurse for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   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 consultant 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 consultant nurse salaries for various positions.

   Type of Consultant Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Consultant 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.	$24-48
   Nurse Case Manager	A nurse case manager's role focuses on providing advice and medication to patients in an outpatient clinic or hospital. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive assessments, discussing essential matters to patients and families, devising efficient health care plans, coordinating with health care experts to share patients' progress, determining the needed care, and performing follow-up services... Show more	$23-46
   Nurse Coordinator	A nurse coordinator is primarily in charge of overseeing all nurses and their activities in a hospital or clinic. Their responsibilities include managing and rotating schedules, assessing nurse performance, organizing nursing programs, and developing strategies to optimize procedures... Show more	$29-49

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Patients
   • Discharge Planning
   • Customer Service
   • Patient Care
   • Rehabilitation
   • Acute Care
   • Long-Term Care
   • Home Health
   • Quality Care
   • Collaborative Process
   • Infection Control
   • LTC
   • Nursing Home

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
   • Subpoena, organize and review medical records for defense counsel in medical malpractice, product liability and personal injury litigation.
   • Conduct medical record analysis and provide case summation in complex personal injury, product liability, employment and insurance defense litigation.
   • course for the LTC R.N.
   • Conform to all applicable HIPAA, billing compliance and safety guidelines.
   • Create new staffing patterns for surgical and medical and ICU units.

   More consultant nurse duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your consultant nurse job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A consultant nurse salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a consultant nurse in Mississippi may be lower than in California, and an entry-level consultant nurse usually earns less than a senior-level consultant nurse. Additionally, a consultant nurse with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average consultant nurse salary

   $71,690yearly

   $34.47 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level consultant nurse salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average consultant nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$134,129	$64
   2	New York	$92,872	$45
   3	Delaware	$86,934	$42
   4	New Jersey	$82,800	$40
   5	Massachusetts	$80,584	$39
   6	Arizona	$80,170	$39
   7	Washington	$79,968	$38
   8	Connecticut	$75,070	$36
   9	South Carolina	$72,370	$35
   10	Minnesota	$71,771	$35
   11	Colorado	$71,288	$34
   12	Virginia	$70,957	$34
   13	Texas	$65,567	$32
   14	Illinois	$65,372	$31
   15	Montana	$64,349	$31
   16	Georgia	$62,979	$30
   17	Iowa	$62,721	$30
   18	North Carolina	$60,811	$29
   19	Nebraska	$59,044	$28
   20	Florida	$57,166	$27

   Average consultant nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	CVS Health	$90,400	$43.46	315
   2	Northwest Center	$85,822	$41.26
   3	Aetna	$83,448	$40.12
   4	NorthShore University HealthSystem	$82,343	$39.59
   5	NHS Management, LLC	$81,812	$39.33
   6	Emory Healthcare	$81,209	$39.04	54
   7	Reno, NV	$80,730	$38.81	2
   8	Emory University	$80,152	$38.53	23
   9	YAI	$79,296	$38.12	1
   10	Alden Research Laboratory	$79,055	$38.01
   11	North Shore High School	$78,612	$37.79
   12	Delaware State Government	$78,391	$37.69	4
   13	Kaiser Permanente	$77,982	$37.49	258
   14	North County News Inc	$75,234	$36.17
   15	Beacon Health Options	$74,281	$35.71	7
   16	GEHA Health	$74,055	$35.60
   17	Moss Adams	$74,041	$35.60
   18	Cerner	$72,916	$35.06
   19	Department of Public Social Services	$72,351	$34.78
   20	Gallagher	$71,890	$34.56

4. Writing a consultant nurse job description

   A good consultant nurse job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a consultant nurse job description:

   Consultant nurse job description example

   This Utilization Management (UM) Nurse Consultant role is 100% remote and the candidate can live in any state.
   
   Normal Working hours: Monday through Thursday 8:00am-4:30pm local time and Friday 8:30am-5:00pm local time with occasional weekends and holidays hours from 8:00am through 4:30pm local time. Frequency of Saturday shift is approximately 1 per month.
   No travel is required.
   
   As a Utilization Management Nurse Consultant, you will utilize clinical skills to coordinate, document and communicate all aspects of the utilization/benefit management program. You would be responsible for ensuring the member is receiving the appropriate care at the appropriate time and at the appropriate location, while adhering to federal and state regulated turn-around times. This includes reviewing written clinical records.
   
   The UM Nurse Consultant job duties include (not all encompassing):
   
   * Reviews services to assure medical necessity, applies clinical expertise to assure appropriate benefit utilization, facilitates safe and efficient discharge planning and works closely with facilities and providers to meet the complex needs of the member.
   * Utilizes clinical skills to coordinate, document and communicate all aspects of the utilization/benefit management program.
   * Utilizes clinical experience and skills in a collaborative process to assess, plan, implement, coordinate, monitor and evaluate options to facilitate appropriate healthcare services/benefits for members
   * Gathers clinical information and applies the appropriate clinical criteria/guideline, policy, procedure, and clinical judgment to render coverage determination/recommendation along the continuum of care
   * Communicates with providers and other parties to facilitate care/treatment
   * Identifies members for referral opportunities to integrate with other products, services and/or programs
   * Identifies opportunities to promote quality effectiveness of Healthcare Services and benefit utilization
   * Consults and lends expertise to other internal and external constituents in the coordination and administration of the utilization/benefit management function.
   
   Pay Range
   
   The typical pay range for this role is:
   
   Minimum: 55,300
   
   Maximum: 118,900
   
   Please keep in mind that this range represents the pay range for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual salary offer will take into account a wide range of factors, including location.
   
   Required Qualifications
   
   * RN with active and unrestricted state licensure
   * 3+ years of acute hospital clinical experience as an RN with preference for medical-surgical and ICU experience (team is not accepting applicants whose only acute care experience is in behavioral health)
   
   COVID Requirements
   
   COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
   
   CVS Health requires certain colleagues to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including any booster shots if required), where allowable under the law, unless they are approved for a reasonable accommodation based on disability, medical condition, religious belief, or other legally recognized reasons that prevents them from being vaccinated.
   
   You are required to have received at least one COVID-19 shot prior to your first day of employment and to provide proof of your vaccination status or apply for a reasonable accommodation within the first 10 days of your employment. Please note that in some states and roles, you may be required to provide proof of full vaccination or an approved reasonable accommodation before you can begin to actively work.
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   * 1+ years' experience Utilization Review experience
   * 1+ years' experience Managed Care
   * Strong telephonic communication skills
   * 1+ years' experience with Microsoft Office Suite
   
   Education
   
   * Associates Degree in Nursing is minimum required, BSN preferred.
   
   Business Overview
   
   Bring your heart to CVS Health Every one of us at CVS Health shares a single, clear purpose: Bringing our heart to every moment of your health. This purpose guides our commitment to deliver enhanced human-centric health care for a rapidly changing world. Anchored in our brand - with heart at its center - our purpose sends a personal message that how we deliver our services is just as important as what we deliver. Our Heart At Work Behaviors™ support this purpose. We want everyone who works at CVS Health to feel empowered by the role they play in transforming our culture and accelerating our ability to innovate and deliver solutions to make health care more personal, convenient and affordable. We strive to promote and sustain a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging every day. CVS Health is an affirmative action employer, and is an equal opportunity employer, as are the physician-owned businesses for which CVS Health provides management services. We do not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, promotion, or any other personnel action based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We proudly support and encourage people with military experience (active, veterans, reservists and National Guard) as well as military spouses to apply for CVS Health job opportunities.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right consultant 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 consultant nurse job on Zippia to find and attract quality consultant nurse candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit consultants nurse, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 consultant nurse

   Once you've decided on a perfect consultant 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 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 consultant 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a consultant nurse?