How to hire a nurse clinician

How to hire a nurse clinician, step by step

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

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

What does a nurse clinician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your nurse clinician 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 nurse clinician 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 nurse clinician 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of nurse clinicians and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Nurse Clinician	Description	Hourly rate
   Nurse Clinician	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.	$23-42
   Contractor-Registered Nurse	A contractor-registered nurse is responsible for taking care of patients in a medical facility or a similar setting under a contractual arrangement. Their responsibilities are no different from regular registered nurses... Show more	$34-109
   Oncology Registered Nurse	An oncology registered nurse is in charge of taking care of patients with cancer. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with physicians to devise particular care plans for patients, monitoring their daily condition and progress, administering medicine, preparing nutritious meals, and evaluating treatment results, reporting to the physician should there be any issues... Show more	$18-69

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Education
   • CPR
   • Emergency Situations
   • Patient Outcomes
   • Educational Programs
   • Acls
   • Vital Signs
   • Medication Administration
   • Surgery
   • Staff Education
   • Home Health
   • Compassion
   • Chemotherapy

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
   • Provide high level nursing care for ER step down and ICU patients prior to transfer to critical care units.
   • Instruct ACLS and BLS classes.
   • Specialize care for telemetry and orthopedic patients.
   • Provide specialized nursing care to ICU medical cardiac patient populations.
   • Provide education regarding care of surgical patients as part of orientation to orienting telemetry nurses.

   More nurse clinician duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, nurse clinicians' average salary in south carolina is 45% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level nurse clinicians 45% less than senior-level nurse clinicians.
   • Certifications. A nurse clinician 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 nurse clinician's salary.

   Average nurse clinician salary

   $65,159yearly

   $31.33 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level nurse clinician salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average nurse clinician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$96,657	$46
   2	California	$91,202	$44
   3	New Jersey	$73,978	$36
   4	Washington	$71,727	$34
   5	Minnesota	$70,552	$34
   6	Texas	$70,145	$34
   7	Georgia	$70,126	$34
   8	Ohio	$65,190	$31
   9	Virginia	$63,713	$31
   10	Illinois	$63,048	$30
   11	Alabama	$62,082	$30
   12	Tennessee	$61,597	$30
   13	Iowa	$58,161	$28
   14	Missouri	$54,980	$26

   Average nurse clinician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Healthpoint	$90,190	$43.36	4
   2	Baystate Health	$84,686	$40.71	239
   3	Highmark	$83,855	$40.31	176
   4	Northwell Health	$82,140	$39.49	254
   5	Harris Health System	$79,346	$38.15	14
   6	Children's Hospital of Michigan	$79,056	$38.01	25
   7	UofL Hospital	$78,931	$37.95	84
   8	Community Healthcare Network	$78,205	$37.60	9
   9	Park Nicollet Medical Center Inc	$77,496	$37.26
   10	Medical Billing	$77,367	$37.20
   11	Children's of Alabama	$74,678	$35.90	27
   12	Integrated Resources	$74,191	$35.67	110
   13	UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital	$73,807	$35.48	1
   14	HCA Healthcare	$73,555	$35.36	7,096
   15	University Health	$73,184	$35.18	28
   16	Michigan State University	$72,965	$35.08	1
   17	VIVA USA	$72,704	$34.95
   18	Mount Sinai Health System	$71,224	$34.24	100
   19	Duke University Health System	$70,876	$34.08	160
   20	Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	$70,854	$34.06	96

4. Writing a nurse clinician job description

   A job description for a nurse clinician 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 nurse clinician job description:

   Nurse clinician job description example

   At HCA Healthcare, we are all caregivers. Your ability to make a difference with our patients is at the foundation of all that we do. For over 50 years, HCA has been committed to our patients and to our employees. If you are interested in joining a team where patient focus is number one, apply now!
   
   Do you have a passion for healthcare and helping others? Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced, patient-centered environment? Jump-start your career in our Post-Surgical department. Submit your application today!
   
   We value your contributions. Our employee recognition programs encourage our teams to raise the bar. We are currently seeking a Charge Nurse to join our family. Come be a part of the change!
   
   Our employees come first. We provide a total compensation package to make sure your needs are met. Choose the medical and dental coverage package that best suits you. Look after your loved ones while still getting paid with our Paid Family Leave. Plan for your future with our matching 401k or opt-in for several other benefits including tuition assistance, student loan repayment available for select roles and facilities, family and medical flex spending accounts, life insurance, and identity theft protection. Student loan repayment available for select roles and facilities.
   
   The staff at Fawcett Memorial Hospital continually meets the high standards required to care for the unique needs of our patients. As part of the HCA West and Central Florida hospital system, our 237-bed facility serves the Port Charlotte area.
   
   The RN is responsible for the observation, assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, intervention, and evaluation of care; health teaching and counseling of the ill, injured, or infirm; and the promotion of wellness, maintenance of health, and prevention of illness of others. Administers medications and treatments as prescribed or authorized by a duly licensed practitioner authorized by the laws of this state to prescribe such medications and treatments.
   
   Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) is a leading healthcare provider with over 31.2 million patient encounters a year at locations in 21 states including the UK. We care about our community! HCA has been continually named one of Ethisphere's most ethical company's in the world since 2010. In 2018, HCA spent an estimated $3.3 billion in cost for the delivery of charitable care, uninsured discounts, and other uncompensated expenses.
   
   If you find this opportunity compelling, we encourage you to apply. We promptly review all applications. If you are highly qualified you will hear from one of our managers. We are actively interviewing so apply today!
   
   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.
   EDUCATION Nursing Diploma or ASN required; BSN preferred. LICENSE/CERTIFICATION Current licensure as an RN in Florida or appropriate compact licensure. Current BLS certification through the American Heart Association. QUALIFICATIONS Minimum 1 year RN experience in acute care setting preferred. Customer service abilities including effective listening skills. Critical thinking skills, decisive judgment and the ability to work with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment. Ability to perform work that requires frequent standing, bending, reaching, squatting, kneeling, moving, lifting of patients and/or equipment up to 50 pounds.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right nurse clinician 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 nurse clinicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit nurse clinicians 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 nurse clinician job on Zippia to find and recruit nurse clinician 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

   Recruiting nurse clinicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 nurse clinician

   Once you've selected the best nurse clinician 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new nurse clinician 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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How much does it cost to hire a nurse clinician?