How to hire a neonatal nurse

How to hire a neonatal nurse, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The neonatal nurse hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a neonatal nurse to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a neonatal nurse that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of neonatal nurses and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Neonatal Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Neonatal 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.	$19-58
   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
   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
   • NRP
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Resuscitation
   • IV
   • Emotional Support
   • ECMO
   • Nursing Diagnosis
   • Critical Care
   • Level III Nicu
   • CPR
   • Quality Care
   • Vital Signs

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage infants in incubators, on conventional ventilators, oscillator, inhale nitric oxide, cooling cap therapy, phototherapy.
   • Implement nursing interventions using evidence base practice to achieve desire patient outcome in collaboration with the NICU interdisciplinary team
   • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
   • Respond rapidly to codes & successfully administer CPR.
   • Assist the charge nurse with CPR classes to the parents through interpretation & instruction.
   • Care of the infant requiring mechanical ventilation, oxygen support and numerous medications to maintain quality of life.

   More neonatal nurse duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your neonatal nurse job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A neonatal 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 neonatal nurse in Indiana may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level neonatal nurse usually earns less than a senior-level neonatal nurse. Additionally, a neonatal 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 neonatal nurse salary

   $71,497yearly

   $34.37 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level neonatal nurse salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average neonatal nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$95,703	$46
   2	Washington	$93,216	$45
   3	Delaware	$88,448	$43
   4	Pennsylvania	$87,771	$42
   5	Maryland	$85,620	$41
   6	Oregon	$83,565	$40
   7	Massachusetts	$83,153	$40
   8	Ohio	$81,894	$39
   9	Georgia	$74,235	$36
   10	Illinois	$71,801	$35
   11	Arizona	$71,199	$34
   12	Texas	$69,955	$34
   13	North Carolina	$69,325	$33
   14	Louisiana	$69,283	$33
   15	Tennessee	$67,815	$33
   16	Kansas	$67,614	$33
   17	Florida	$67,171	$32
   18	Virginia	$64,639	$31
   19	Nebraska	$62,259	$30
   20	Missouri	$61,922	$30

   Average neonatal nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$103,279	$49.65	2
   2	Sutter Health	$89,816	$43.18	237
   3	Maxim Healthcare Group	$86,462	$41.57	600
   4	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$84,477	$40.61	12
   5	Erlanger Health System	$80,363	$38.64	103
   6	University Health System Inc	$80,363	$38.64	24
   7	KPG	$76,882	$36.96
   8	PeaceHealth	$76,016	$36.55	124
   9	WakeMed	$73,614	$35.39	3
   10	American Mobile Healthcare	$73,210	$35.20
   11	LCMC Health	$72,277	$34.75	114
   12	Touro College	$70,253	$33.78
   13	Woman's Hospital	$70,115	$33.71	19
   14	University of Washington	$68,480	$32.92	52
   15	The University of Kansas Health System	$67,897	$32.64	67
   16	BayCare Health System	$67,790	$32.59	243
   17	Christiana Care Health Services, Inc.	$66,323	$31.89	123
   18	Parkland Hospital	$66,313	$31.88	42
   19	Emory Healthcare	$64,309	$30.92	222
   20	Catholic Health Initiatives - Colorado	$60,467	$29.07	455

4. Writing a neonatal nurse job description

   A job description for a neonatal 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 a neonatal nurse job description:

   Neonatal nurse job description example

   An inpatient health center near the Greater Dallas, Texas area is looking to add a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner to their team. Dallas, a modern metropolis in north Texas, is a commercial and cultural hub of the region. Home to the Dallas Cowboys, and its thriving sports scene, the city is also known for its cultural activities, including opera, ballet, musicals, and symphony concerts. The area receives light winters and has a devoted community of cyclists, making it a great place for outdoor recreation.
   Certification: NP Title: Neonatal NP Board Status : Board Certified Residency/Training: Neonatology Setting : Inpatient Experience Required : 1-year minimum experience
   
   Compensation & Logistics
   Position Type : Locums 1099 Availability : Full-Time Scheduling : 7: 00AM – 7: 00PM
   
   KPG Provider Services is a West Coast Focused Company with offices in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. We are focused on offering the best, most rewarding opportunities while providing excellent compensation and support.
   
   Outstanding service is at the core of our culture. Our Medical Professionals will experience a service relationship characterized by respect, a sense of urgency, and attention to detail.
   
   Our team offers benefits like geographic expertise, understanding commuting times, and top market compensation rates.
   
   In short, we focus intently on the things that matter to you with a commitment to achieve exceptional outcomes. Call us and experience the difference!
   
   For a complete listing of our current openings visit www.kpgproviders.com!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right neonatal 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 neonatal nurses they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit neonatal 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 neonatal nurse job on Zippia to find and attract quality neonatal 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 neonatal 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 neonatal nurse

   Once you've decided on a perfect neonatal 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.

   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 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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