How to hire a perioperative nurse

How to hire a perioperative nurse, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The perioperative 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

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

   Type of Perioperative Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Perioperative 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.	$22-56
   Triage Register Nurse	A triage register nurse works at a hospital's emergency room where they are in charge of providing immediate care and assistance to patients who are usually in life-threatening conditions. Part of their job is to assess the patients' needs and symptoms, regularly check on the patients who are in the waiting areas, assist patients towards corresponding facilities, and sort priority groups according to guidelines... Show more	$21-48
   Nurse	Nurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor... Show more	$18-41

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • BLS
   • PACU
   • Acute Care
   • Acls
   • Plastic Surgery
   • Care Plan
   • Quality Patient Care
   • Surgical Procedures
   • Urology
   • IV
   • GYN
   • Pre-op
   • Infection Control

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
   • Prepare patients for surgical procedures, according to specific physician orders, anesthesia orders and facility policy.
   • Provide PACU care, monitoring airway, vitals and pain levels.
   • Transport patient to PACU safely, and provide report to the nurse receiving care of the patient.
   • Direct ordering and inventory of pharmaceuticals, as well as ENT, GI, and pain management supplies.
   • Require ACLS certification and good customer-service and post-surgical assessment skills.

   More perioperative nurse duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average perioperative nurse salary

   $74,223yearly

   $35.68 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level perioperative nurse salary

   $47,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average perioperative nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$116,438	$56
   2	Delaware	$96,688	$46
   3	New Jersey	$94,162	$45
   4	Maryland	$92,901	$45
   5	New York	$92,197	$44
   6	Washington	$91,702	$44
   7	Massachusetts	$88,849	$43
   8	Louisiana	$77,104	$37
   9	Arizona	$75,635	$36
   10	Colorado	$75,579	$36
   11	New Hampshire	$74,471	$36
   12	Tennessee	$74,076	$36
   13	Kansas	$73,331	$35
   14	North Carolina	$72,389	$35
   15	Florida	$72,151	$35
   16	Virginia	$70,075	$34
   17	South Dakota	$67,805	$33
   18	New Mexico	$66,699	$32
   19	North Dakota	$63,814	$31
   20	Texas	$63,781	$31

   Average perioperative nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dignity Health	$110,388	$53.07	807
   2	Belle Fountain Nursing & Rehab	$95,806	$46.06
   3	University Hospitals	$88,852	$42.72	35
   4	Saint Francis Hospital	$82,310	$39.57	127
   5	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$80,601	$38.75
   6	Ascension Michigan	$80,237	$38.58	474
   7	Eisenhower Medical Center	$80,012	$38.47
   8	Children's Health Corporation	$79,731	$38.33	33
   9	Integrated Resources	$74,690	$35.91	85
   10	American Mobile Healthcare	$73,915	$35.54	1
   11	St Joseph Medical Group	$73,619	$35.39	256
   12	Clinical Management Consultants	$73,489	$35.33
   13	Chesapeake Regional Healthcare	$72,629	$34.92	4
   14	The University of Kansas Health System	$72,293	$34.76	47
   15	University of Tennessee	$71,466	$34.36	33
   16	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$71,441	$34.35	12
   17	Onslow Memorial Hospital	$70,978	$34.12	41
   18	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$70,866	$34.07	27
   19	HealthTrust	$69,414	$33.37	239
   20	Atlantic Health	$69,068	$33.21	134

4. Writing a perioperative nurse job description

   A good perioperative 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 perioperative nurse job description:

   Perioperative nurse job description example

   
   Take your place among the best in health care as part of our elite team at The University of Kansas Health System, the region's premier academic medical center. We invite you to join us as we lead the way, setting new standards for advanced and compassionate patient care.
   
   The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas is a world-class academic medical center and destination for complex care and diagnosis. We offer more options for patients with serious conditions because of our expertise and leadership in medical research and education. Our physicians are researchers and educators expanding the boundaries of medical knowledge. Their major breakthroughs lead to the life-changing treatments and technologies of the future.
   
   When you need the most advanced care, you'll find our hospital is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a healthcare leader. Once again, The University of Kansas Hospital was nationally ranked as the best hospital in Kansas City and in Kansas. No other hospital has ever held these honors. We also ranked among the nation's best in 8 specialties, the most of any hospital in the region.
   
   The best place for cancer treatment is the best place for oncology nurses. The University of Kansas Cancer Center is the region's only NCI-designated Cancer Center and one of only 71 in the nation. NCI designation means our patients have greater access to clinical trials using the newest drugs and therapies closer to home. We treat the most complex cases with the most advanced approaches. We offer the hope we may one day cure cancer.
   
   The University of Kansas Hospital is the first hospital in Kansas to attain the highly coveted Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Our Department of Nursing began working toward this goal in 2002 and received the designation on December 20, 2006. Less than four percent of all hospitals nationwide have earned this distinction since the ANCC developed the Magnet Recognition Program in 1990. In 2022, the ANCC announced that the health system's Kansas City Division had received Magnet designation for the fourth consecutive time.
   
   The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) announced today that The University of Kansas Health System's Kansas City Division has received Magnet designation for the fourth consecutive time since 2006.
   
   Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence and moves the Kansas City Division into an elite group of healthcare organizations.
   According to the ANCC:
   
   - 570 hospitals (9%) out of 6,090 nationwide are Magnet-designated facilities.
   - Less than 2% of U.S. hospitals (140) have earned designation four times or more.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting perioperative nurses 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 perioperative nurse

   Once you have selected a candidate for the perioperative nurse position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.)

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