How to hire an office nurse

How to hire an office nurse, step by step

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

What does an office nurse do?

Post an office nurse job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The office 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

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

   Type of Office Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Office 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.	$18-41
   Licensed Practical Nurse Staff Nurse	A licensed practical nurse is responsible for assisting patients with quality care under the supervision of a direct physician and registered nurse. Licensed practical nurses provide help on collecting samples and performing medical procedures such as taking patients' temperatures and vital signs... Show more	$17-35
   Licensed Practical Nurse/Supervisor	A licensed practical nurse/supervisor provides care and assistance to patients in a medical facility. A licensed practical nurse works under the supervision of a registered nurse and physician... Show more	$17-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Vital Signs
   • Patient Education
   • EKG
   • Exam Rooms
   • In-Office Procedures
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Phlebotomy
   • Phone Triage
   • Test Results
   • Lab Results
   • Prescription Refills
   • OSHA
   • IV

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Case manage FMLA cases on a daily basis regarding FMLA abuse and employees with attendance issues.
   • Recognize and manage maternal complications: hemorrhage, preeclampsia, endometritis.
   • Monitor patients status that are on telemetry.
   • Facilitate ADL's and assist patients with functional mobility to increase comfort and quality of life.
   • Assist with patients, obtain EKG's, screen phone calls, and relay information to the physician.
   • Collect patient vital signs; monitor fetal heartbeats/rate/monitore fetal monitors for premature labor patients.

   More office nurse duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average office nurse salary

   $58,587yearly

   $28.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level office nurse salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated February 1, 2026

   Average office nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$87,225	$42
   2	Massachusetts	$86,381	$42
   3	Connecticut	$77,352	$37
   4	Illinois	$72,481	$35
   5	Michigan	$71,659	$34
   6	Virginia	$67,808	$33
   7	California	$67,333	$32
   8	Pennsylvania	$66,470	$32
   9	Maryland	$64,219	$31
   10	Ohio	$63,631	$31
   11	Texas	$62,405	$30
   12	Arizona	$60,768	$29
   13	South Carolina	$51,053	$25
   14	Alabama	$49,455	$24
   15	Florida	$48,071	$23
   16	Kansas	$47,357	$23

   Average office nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$67,109	$32.26	3
   2	Lexington Medical Center	$63,760	$30.65	11
   3	Lawrence General Hospital	$62,454	$30.03	8
   4	UMass Memorial Health	$62,259	$29.93	38
   5	Coconino Community College	$61,872	$29.75
   6	Self Regional Healthcare	$61,764	$29.69	21
   7	Lancaster General Health	$61,555	$29.59	2
   8	Claxton Hepburn	$61,085	$29.37	2
   9	CovenantHealth	$60,668	$29.17	252
   10	Tidelands Health	$59,841	$28.77	10
   11	CHKD Thrift Store	$58,642	$28.19
   12	Salt Lake County	$57,394	$27.59
   13	Wood County Hospital	$57,051	$27.43
   14	Grand Rapids Community College	$56,591	$27.21
   15	North Country Hospital	$56,301	$27.07	7
   16	ExeterHospital	$55,871	$26.86	12
   17	Columbia Memorial	$55,601	$26.73	1
   18	Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	$55,105	$26.49	66
   19	Small Steps Inc	$55,035	$26.46
   20	Conservation Legacy	$54,807	$26.35

4. Writing an office nurse job description

   A job description for an office 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 office nurse job description:

   Office nurse job description example

   Flexible schedules, excellent rewards, and growth opportunities makes Lancaster General Health the right choice for you.
   Bonus Opportunities - Sign-on bonus, relocation bonus, and more are available Retirement Plans - with employer match program Discounted Childcare… and more!
   No matter your career stage, we have opportunities for you to make an impact.
   
   Experienced Nurses
   Our Clinical Ladder Program, Nurse Manager Residency, and other programs will take you to new heights. You’ll get to lead and mentor less experienced nurses, helping them grow.
   
   Graduate Nurses
   Start your nursing career strong with us. You’ll automatically be enrolled in our Nurse Residency Program, a 12-month program that supports your transition from student to nursing professional.
   
   Nursing Support
   You’ll collaborate with your team to give patients the best care. Our flexible schedules and supportive network allow you to learn new skills and rise to any challenge.
   
   MINIMUM REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: RN licensure is required, issued by the PA Board of Nursing. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred.
   
   PENN MEDICINE LANCASTER GENERAL HEALTH is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.
   
   Search Firm Representatives please read carefully: PENN MEDICINE LANCASTER GENERAL HEALTH is not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms for this employment opportunity. Regardless of past practice, all resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at PENN MEDICINE LANCASTER GENERAL HEALTH via-email, the Internet or directly to hiring managers at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health in any form without a valid written search agreement in place for that position will be deemed the sole property of PENN MEDICINE LANCASTER GENERAL HEALTH , and no fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by PENN MEDICINE LANCASTER GENERAL HEALTH as a result of the referral or through other means.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find office nurses for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any office nurses they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level office nurses with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your office nurse job on Zippia to find and attract quality office nurse candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with office 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.

   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 office nurse

   Once you've selected the best office 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 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 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an office nurse?