How to hire a public health nurse

How to hire a public health nurse, step by step

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

What does a public health nurse do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your public health 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 public health 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

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

   Type of Public Health Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Public Health 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.	$20-40
   Nurse Clinician	A nurse clinician is a health expert who provides care and assistance to patients in hospitals, clinics, or similar establishments. Among their responsibilities include preparing equipment and documents, administering medication, monitoring the patient's condition, maintaining charts, and regularly reporting to physicians... Show more	$23-42
   Clinical Consultant	A Clinical Consultant ensures that proper patient care is delivered through performing work flow analysis of the services provided. They consult and work directly with clinical, non-clinical, and vendor support personnel.	$27-45

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Community Health
   • Patients
   • Health Education
   • CPR
   • Communicable Diseases
   • Home Health
   • Community Resources
   • Health Promotion
   • Disease Prevention
   • TB
   • Care Coordination
   • Health Issues
   • Mental Health
   • Epidemiology

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Participate in manage care activities to produce health change, specifically providing diabetes education and lifestyle counseling in chronic disease areas.
   • Assist in application of traction devices.perform routine tests such as urine dip stick, vision and hearing tests.
   • Dispense medications and provide education for TB patients.
   • Provide basic CPR classes at the community level as well.
   • Produce and conduct staff classes such as CPR, respiratory protection, infectious diseases, etc.
   • Instruct family in the care and rehabilitation of patient, maintenance of health and prevention of disease for family members.

   More public health nurse duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, public health nurses' average salary in oklahoma is 56% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level public health nurses 50% less than senior-level public health nurses.
   • Certifications. A public health nurse 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 public health nurse's salary.

   Average public health nurse salary

   $60,319yearly

   $29.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level public health nurse salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average public health nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$98,579	$47
   2	Alaska	$84,827	$41
   3	New York	$78,297	$38
   4	Washington	$75,132	$36
   5	Oregon	$73,034	$35
   6	Texas	$62,064	$30
   7	Minnesota	$61,980	$30
   8	Arizona	$60,907	$29
   9	Colorado	$58,722	$28
   10	Virginia	$58,471	$28
   11	Maine	$57,322	$28
   12	Michigan	$55,562	$27
   13	Illinois	$55,493	$27
   14	Ohio	$52,157	$25
   15	North Carolina	$49,819	$24
   16	Missouri	$48,049	$23
   17	Indiana	$47,556	$23
   18	Oklahoma	$42,552	$20

   Average public health nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dignity Health	$157,215	$75.58	419
   2	Cottage Health	$134,946	$64.88	8
   3	MaineGeneral Health	$124,244	$59.73	18
   4	MAS Medical Staffing	$91,826	$44.15	42
   5	Providence Health & Services	$88,692	$42.64	143
   6	AdventHealth	$86,533	$41.60	71
   7	Amazon	$85,746	$41.22	52
   8	City of San Antonio	$85,060	$40.89	3
   9	Maxim Healthcare Group	$80,119	$38.52	952
   10	City Of Alexandria	$79,990	$38.46
   11	Mayor Ethan Berkowitz	$78,958	$37.96	1
   12	City of Houston	$78,622	$37.80
   13	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$78,166	$37.58	7
   14	Commonwealth	$76,733	$36.89
   15	Wayne County, Michigan	$76,698	$36.87	7
   16	WakeMed	$76,461	$36.76	2
   17	City of Pasadena	$73,717	$35.44	1
   18	University of California-Berkeley	$73,626	$35.40	3
   19	Nebraska Methodist Health System	$73,184	$35.18	16
   20	LifePoint Health	$72,861	$35.03	365

4. Writing a public health nurse job description

   A public health nurse job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a public health nurse job description:

   Public health nurse job description example

   An Outpatient health clinic in Los Angeles County is looking to add an Public Health NP to their team. This facility is located 30 minutes from Santa Monica Pier and has year-round recreation. This position is perfect for someone who loves the outdoors and four-season living. Enjoy skiing, fishing, camping, hiking, white water rafting, golfing and much more in this beautiful paradise.
   Certification: NP Title: Public Health NP Board Status : Board Certified Residency Training: Public Health NP Setting : Outpatient Setting Experience Required : 1- 2 year minimum experience
   Compensation & Logistics
   Position Type : Locum Tenens 1099 Availability : Part-Time Pay Rate : Negotiable Scheduling : ASAP – Ongoing AM session = 8: 00a-12: 00p PM session = 12: 30p-5: 00p Must be available for a minimum of 20/hrs per week
   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 public health 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 public health nurses they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level public health 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 public health nurse job on Zippia to find and attract quality public health 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 public health 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 public health nurse

   Once you have selected a candidate for the public health 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.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new public health nurse. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire a public health nurse?