How to hire a registered nurse in the icu

How to hire a registered nurse in the icu, step by step

Here's a step-by-step registered nurse in the icu hiring guide:

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

What does a registered nurse in the icu do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the registered nurse in the icu you need to hire. Certain registered nurse in the icu roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

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

   Type of Registered Nurse In The ICU	Description	Hourly rate
   Registered Nurse In The ICU	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.	$25-75
   Staff Nurse	Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents... Show more	$20-52
   Intensive Care Unit Nurse	An Intensive Care Unit Nurse is specialized in providing care in intensive care units of hospitals. They assist in the treatment of acutely ill patients with life-threatening conditions.	$23-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • BLS
   • Acls
   • Acute Care
   • Life Support
   • Advanced Life Support
   • CPR
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Discharge Planning
   • Rehabilitation
   • Quality Care
   • Patient Safety
   • Compassion
   • Telemetry

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage care of patients with HTN, DM, COPD, asthma, stroke, renal failure.
   • Achieve initial CCRN this employment environment.
   • Manage care for patients with multiple chronic/acute conditions including renal, cardiac, respiratory, GI and diabetic.
   • Manage care of patients who require cardiac monitoring, including dialysis, COPD, CHF and pre/post surgical patients
   • Manage central venous catheters, including PICC lines, arterial lines as required for administration of medication and nutrition support.
   • Monitor and manage chest tubes and various drainage devices along with pacer wires, epidural lines, and PCA pumps.

   More registered nurse in the icu duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, registered nurse in the icus' average salary in utah is 45% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level registered nurse in the icus 65% less than senior-level registered nurse in the icus.
   • Certifications. A registered nurse in the icu 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 registered nurse in the icu's salary.

   Average registered nurse in the icu salary

   $92,881yearly

   $44.65 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level registered nurse in the icu salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

   Average registered nurse in the icu salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$116,614	$56
   2	New York	$115,738	$56
   3	Hawaii	$115,497	$56
   4	District of Columbia	$111,504	$54
   5	Wisconsin	$109,825	$53
   6	Massachusetts	$108,911	$52
   7	Maryland	$105,642	$51
   8	Michigan	$104,174	$50
   9	Pennsylvania	$102,583	$49
   10	Maine	$101,140	$49
   11	Minnesota	$100,662	$48
   12	Illinois	$99,366	$48
   13	Nevada	$98,367	$47
   14	Oregon	$95,780	$46
   15	Kentucky	$95,764	$46
   16	Ohio	$95,669	$46
   17	Arizona	$95,471	$46
   18	Washington	$94,878	$46
   19	New Mexico	$92,637	$45
   20	Tennessee	$92,287	$44

   Average registered nurse in the icu salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Scripps Health	$143,578	$69.03	46
   2	Dignity Health	$141,472	$68.02	1,089
   3	Tri-City Medical Center	$131,731	$63.33	12
   4	Valley Presbyterian Hospital	$129,583	$62.30	12
   5	Prairie Ridge Health - Hospital	$128,220	$61.64	7
   6	Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District	$126,703	$60.91	33
   7	Baptist Health Care	$125,181	$60.18	42
   8	Express Healthcare Professionals	$125,071	$60.13
   9	Medical City Arlington	$122,608	$58.95	167
   10	Spectrum Healthcare Resources	$120,199	$57.79	32
   11	BridgePoint Healthcare	$119,729	$57.56
   12	RNnetwork	$117,824	$56.65
   13	Aya Healthcare	$116,766	$56.14	153
   14	Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership	$115,918	$55.73	1,249
   15	Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.	$115,034	$55.30	12
   16	HonorHealth	$112,987	$54.32	2
   17	Maxim Healthcare Group	$112,964	$54.31	1,475
   18	The Arora Group	$112,915	$54.29	84
   19	Stability Healthcare	$112,662	$54.16	1,415
   20	Cottage Health	$112,364	$54.02	33

4. Writing a registered nurse in the icu job description

   A job description for a registered nurse in the icu 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 registered nurse in the icu job description:

   Registered nurse in the icu job description example

   Registered Nurse - Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ($15,000 Sign On Bonus).
   
   Job Details: The Intensive Care Registered Nurse (RN) is a highly specialized and trained nurse who provides care to patients with life-threatening illnesses or conditions. They provide specialized experience, knowledge, and skills that patients need to survive or de-escalate care.
   
   This is a Registered Nurse (RN) in the Intensive Care Unit. At least six months experience is required for this position.
   
   Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Active communication with the physicians and changes to the patient’s clinical condition. Clearly understand hemodynamic monitoring, results of diagnostic studies, abnormal results, and symptomatology. Respond quickly and accurately to any changes in the condition and/or response of patients. Enjoys a face-paced environment but be able to easily multitask.
   Qualifications: Current and valid State RN License from either Kansas (KS), Missouri (MO) or both. Completed a Nursing program from an accredited university. Current American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support (BLS). Current AHA Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) or willing to get within 30 days upon hire. Current AHA Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) or willing to get within 30 days upon hire.
   Benefits: Up to a $15,000 Sign-On Bonus. Offer stands for those who are hired by 31 Oct 2021 (possibility that this may get extended). 2 years of ICU experience required to receive the bonus. Tuition Reimbursement for continuing education/advanced degrees. Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance Programs and other options. Work Location Options. Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, KS (KCK). Saint John Hospital, Leavenworth, KS. Saint Joseph Medical Center, Kansas City, MO (KCMO). Saint Mary’s Medical Center, Blue Springs, MO. Different Shift Options. Full Time, Part Time, Per Diem (PRN). Days, Nights, Other Variable Options.
   Application Details: Once you apply for this position, you will receive a text or email from one of our nurse recruiters within 72 hours. If you applied on the weekend, please allow up to 48 hours for a response.
   
   About Prime Healthcare :
   
   We need Nurses that want to heal and help people. If you are into saving lives, then we would love to speak with you about your options.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find registered nurse in the icus 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 registered nurse in the icus they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level registered nurse in the icus 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 registered nurse in the icu job on Zippia to find and attract quality registered nurse in the icu candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting registered nurse in the icus 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 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 registered nurse in the icu

   Once you've decided on a perfect registered nurse in the icu 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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How much does it cost to hire a registered nurse in the icu?